Do eclipses affect pregnancy? The most viral myths about the influence of the full moon

There are Meteorological phenomena who are still surrounded by mysticism and spirituality. An example are eclipses, which due to their beauty and fleetingness trap us and unleash ancient beliefs that science refuted long ago. If that joins the pregnancy and fertilitytwo other events that have always been related to nature, we get a cocktail full of false beliefs and superstitions.

Tonight the penultimate full moon of 2022 will take place, one of the most anticipated astronomical events of this November. This is the last total lunar eclipse that can be seen from Earth in almost three years.although it can only be seen in East Asia, Australia, the Pacific and North America.

But how can this event affect pregnancy? According to ancient beliefs, of which it should be noted that there is no scientific evidencepregnant women cannot observe the eclipse, since it could cause the following:

  • That the baby has malformations or is born with a cleft lip.
  • Absence of an organ or limb.
  • Cause spots on the skin (both the mother and the baby).

To avoid all these supposed effects of the eclipse, even pregnant women are advised to put a red ribbon around their bellythat they carry a metal object with them and make a lot of noise to drive away the negative.

And these are not the only myths. It is also said, for example, that when there is an eclipse you lose weight, or that it is not good to cook during the eclipse because the sun’s radiation poisons the food.

Of course, all of these beliefs date back centuries, when it was not understood why eclipses occurred. Also, what is certain is that eclipses cause some environmental changes on Earth. For example, there may be a drop in temperatures, changes in the direction of the winds or in the behavior of some animals, and also variations in the earth’s gravitational field. Nevertheless, none of this affects people’s health nor, of course, in the correct development of the pregnancy.

pregnancy and the moon

Beyond the eclipses, the pregnancy has always been related to lunar phases. Thus, the lunar phase in which conception occurs supposedly influences the sex of the baby.

Another widespread myth is that more spontaneous births occur with a full moon. In this case, science has shown that it is a lie. There are numerous studies that have analyzed the number of spontaneous births in the different lunar phases and the differences are not significant.

An example of this is the study published in 2005 by the Mountain Area Health Education Center in North Carolina. The researchers analyzed 600,000 births in 62 lunar cycles between 1997 and 2001 and the conclusions, published in The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, did not find significant differences in the phases of the moon.

Leaving superstitions aside, the important thing is that all those who want to can enjoy the lunar eclipse tonight, which occurs every so often.

Do eclipses affect pregnancy? The most viral myths about the influence of the full moon