Am I getting the slow fade after 5 great dates?

I (38m) met a woman (32f) online. The first three dates were the best I’ve had for years. We were vibing, getting on really well, slept together on the 2nd and 3rd dates (sleeping together was her idea), felt like we had a really strong connection. She was really enthusiastic and messaged a lot when we weren’t together.

After the 3rd date things changed and she got less responsive. She then said she was overwhelmed with a lot of things in her life, she’s working and studying to be a therapist at the same time, and potentially didn’t know if she had capacity for dating. We discussed it and decided to continue dating and have had 2 more dates since then and slept together again.

Now she seems to be more distant though, only responding to messages every couple of days and not making much conversation. Do I ask her what’s going on, even though that could end it? Or do I just take it as she’s busy and give her some space?

I’ll be really sad if it ends because I haven’t felt like this about someone for years and it feels amazing when we’re together on a date, but lack of communication when we’re not together is confusing and I don’t know if she’s giving me the slow fade