Lunar Fertility Cycle

Thousands of years ago, before modern science came along to explain that women menstruate because of changing hormones, it was generally accepted that menstrual cycles and the phases of the moon were interwoven. After all, the moon controls ocean tides, why not women's bodies? Even with the explanations we've been given in recent decades, some experts still support the idea of a relationship between the two. This celestial theory provides the possibility that women can be fertile twice in one cycle; first when she is ovulating, and again during her natal lunar fertile phase.

The term natal lunar fertile phase, coined by Czech psychiatrist Dr. Eugene Jonas, refers to the angle between the sun and the moon on the day of a person's birth. In the 1950s, Dr. Jonas was at a loss to explain why so many of his female patients were becoming pregnant at times when they were not supposed to be fertile. Dr. Jonas' interest in astrology led him to read a statement by the ancient astrologers of Babylon and Assyria that gave him what he thought could be the answer: "Woman is fertile during a certain phase of the moon."

After many years of researching the menstrual cycles of hundreds of women, Dr. Jonas believed he had gathered enough evidence to support the ancient theory, concluding that, in addition to the time of ovulation, a woman can be fertile every month during the same phase of the moon that occurred at the time of her birth. In other words, every month when the moon is in the same phase as it was when you were born, you can potentially ovulate and may become pregnant, even if you are on your period. Supporters say this additional fertile time is a result of the moon having aroused certain hormonal states in your body at the moment of your birth and continuing to influence your body over the course of your lifetime.

Every year, thousands of women faithfully follow and rely on methods of natural family planning in order to avoid unwanted pregnancies. Many of them have regular periods and feel as though they are so in tune with their own cycles that they can pinpoint their exact time of ovulation. Yet many become pregnant at times when they are certain they are not fertile. Doctors usually attribute these instances to mistakes made by women during the process of monitoring their signs of ovulation, which certainly do occur. Still, the menstrual-lunar connection has yet to be disproved, and the theory not only applies to women. A British study found that men's sperm counts significantly increase during their lunar fertility periods.

Regardless, the natal lunar fertile phase is a theory that has always been riddled with skepticism. Some studies have concluded that the connection between menstrual cycles and lunar cycles is non-existent because the average menstrual cycle does not match the 29.5-day lunar cycle. Yet a high percentage of women have cycles which do, in fact, last 29 to 30 days, so the debate continues.

A lunar phase is basically a description of the angular relationship between the sun and the moon at a particular time. Your personal lunar phase is repeated every month when the moon is in the exact position in relation to the sun as it was at the time of your birth. For example, if you were born during the new moon, your natal lunar phase comes every month when the moon is new.

There are a few Web sites that will give you an idea of your lunar phase. Lunar calculators, such as the one on this site, for example, can show you the phase of the moon for any day over the last 200 years. Other Web sites provide personal lunar fertility guides where, for a fee, you are promised the most accurate information about your lunar phase and how it relates to your individual menstrual cycle.

While the relationship between the moon and our bodies is not well understood, lunar phases have been said to affect other aspects of our lives from our moods to our emotions. For example, emergency room doctors have said the busiest night of the month always occurs when the moon is full. Until modern science is able to prove that a particular moon phase can or cannot spontaneously trigger a woman's ovulation, the proximity of the relationship between the menstrual cycle and the lunar cycle will remain a mystery.