Is this normal in flowering phase????

My bushy, healthy girls are getting sparse as they flower. The fan leaves are turning yellow and falling off. The buds, however, are growing. Is this normal? I did trim the yellow and dead leaves off, but I didn't trim anything that wasn't dying. Still - they look so sparse now...

yes dying fan leaves are normal during late stages of flower........

As long as your into flowering, like 4+ weeks you should be OK, I would check for pests just to make sure your alright.JR