Full moon, low tide and then blood? The fact that the lengths of the menstrual cycle and the lunar cycle are so similar has been a reason for assuming greater importance for centuries and in many cultures.
The words “menstruation” and “menses” are also derived from the Latin and Greek terms mene (moon) and mensis (month). Many assume that the phases of the moon affect the woman’s cycle phases. Thus, the new moon is said to ring in the menstrual period and the full moon is said to have an effect on ovulation. Some also try to adapt their cycle to the lunar cycle to help fertility at full moon.
However, there is no scientific evidence of the relationship between the moon and the menstrual cycle. Women around the world have menstruation and ovulation at different times, regardless of the phases of the moon. For some, their cycle correlates with that of the Moon, depending on how well their average cycle length and cycle variability fit the Moon’s cycle.
And if you think about it this way, shouldn’t all women around the globe have the exact cycle if the moon phases controlled the menstrual cycle? Or is all this artificial light to blame that we don’t all menstruate to new moon at the same time? (Attention, conspiracy theory!) Shouldn’t the moon then also synchronize the cycles of animals? How can it be that bitches have an average cycle of six to seven months, an elephant cow one of three to four months? The spirits divide and science finds no clear evidence of a correlation between lunar and menstrual cycles. It is a fact that many women match their menstrual cycle with the phases of the moon, whether to get to know their cycle better or to boost their fertility in hope. Whether this is actually possible is probably written in the stars.
