Abstract

The Effect of Lunar Cycle on the Frequency of Birth in Al-Elwiya Maternity Hospital, Baghdad, 2017

Background: For ancient period, moon has been held responsible for many biological activities. The moon has long been thought to have physical effects on human beings especially women. The menstrual cycle, conception, delivery and even fertility have been closely linked to the moon’s cycles. Aim: The relation of lunar phases to the birth rate has been the focus of considerable research with still controversial results. This study attempts to dispel or lend significance to beliefs among hospital staff that the moon phases are related to birth rate and possible relationship between lunar position at time of delivery, the gender of the child and multiple pregnancy outcome. Subject and Method: A single center retrospective cohort study was performed at Al-Elwiya Maternity Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq. Analysis of 8395 spontaneous deliveries, which occurred from 1st of January to 31st of December 2016, sorted by month. We performed one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test on these deliveries during period of lunar cycles. Results: We evidenced an increase in the percentage of deliveries in the Waning Gibbous (15.64%) and the full moon (14.70%). Conclusion and recommendations: Our study displays that birth rates are correlated with the phases of the moon. For this reason, the number of nurses and doctors in obstetric units must be increased during these periods.

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