The moon may have been hailed as the deity of fertility and delivery, but a team of Indian doctors has debunked the age-old myth that different phases of the moon influence childbirth. Many people in different parts of the world, including those in developed nations, believe that the waning and waxing of the moon affects pregnant women resulting in higher number of childbirth during full moon. In fact, hospitals in rural areas in the country gear up in anticipation of more births during full moon.
Doctors from Midnapore Medical College and Hospital studied old medical records of childbirth in village hospitals covering a whole lunar year (354 days) to verify the much-believed myth that the lunar cycle influences pregnancy cycle. “Our observations do not support the hypothesis of a relationship between the lunar cycle and the frequency of obstetric deliveries,” the researchers said in the study published in the latest issue of the Indian Journal of Public Health. The team comprised Dr Saswata Bharati, Dr Malay Sarkar, Dr Partha Sarathi Haldar, Dr Swapan Jana and Dr Subrata Mandal.
The researchers said even professional obstetricians notice an increase in demand for obstetric care on the days when the moon is full, particularly in rural India. Research studies conducted in different countries were in contradiction to one another. Setting controversies on the issue to rest, the Indian team ruled out any connection between childbirth and the lunar cycle. As part of the research, the team divided birth of children into four groups, each group correlating to four different phases of the moon — new moon day, days between new moon and full moon, full moon day, and days between full moon and new moon.
They also had a fifth group with average of the entire lunar month. There was no significant difference in the average number of childbirths in any given group. “The effect of lunar phase has been studied for the incidence rate of patient falls in hospital, surgical complications, post-operative nausea and vomiting, myocardial infarction, trauma and traffic accidents, behaviour, psychiatric problems, suicidal tendencies, crime rates, and even gout attacks. Although, some of the studies found associations of events with the lunar cycle, most of the studies either could not find enough evidence to support the association or exclude the possibility of any association in conclusion,” the researchers said. They concluded that none of the different phases in the lunar cycle, neither the full moon nor the new moon appear to have any influence on the nature and distribution of deliveries.