Lunar Influences

The moon has long been thought to have physical effects on human beings – especially women. The menstrual cycle, conception, and even fertility have been closely linked to the moon’s cycles.

How Does The Full MoonAffect Labour and Childbirth?

The moon’s effect is called the lunar influence. It is widely believed if a woman is full term around the time the moon is full, its gravitational pull can influence when she will go into labour, Just as the moon’s pull affects the waters on earth, it is believed to affect the amniotic fluid in a pregnant woman’s womb. If the amniotic sac is under pressure, it can rupture and contractions might begin.

The waxing of the moon, or in other words, the days during which a new moon transforms itself into a fullmoon is believed to be an ideal time for the conception of the child. As per ancient beliefs, a waxing moon places us in a more positive and energetic frame of mind. This belief has been traditionally followed by many ethnic communities across the world.

Many indigenous tribes around the world conduct elaborate fertility rituals when the moon is full. The Botocudo tribe of East Africa, for example, worship the moon as the giver of virility to men and fertility to women.

Long back, when man lived among the trees and under the stars, most women had their menstruation and ovulation cycles at the same time. Before electricity and artificial lighting was invented a woman body was more sensitive to the light of the moon. Ovulation occurred on the Full Moon and bleeding on the Dark Moon. This would maximise fertile energy as ovulation happened when lunar feminine energy was at it’s ultimate peek.

The very word “menstruation” comes from the prefix “mens-“ which literally means “moon” and is associated with a woman’s 28-day menstrual cycle. Today’s increasing light pollution as well as physical stresses have had a great impact on menstrualcycles falling out of sync with the natural flow of nature.

But a study in the 1950s looked at a series of days where there were extremely high birth rates, and attempted to link them to full moons, but no correlation was found. Since then, many studies have looked for links between the full moon and increased numbers of births, without finding any correlation.