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atomic sagebrush
February 16th, 2011, 12:28 PM
"Lunaception" is a term coined by author Louise Lacey in her 1974 book of the same name. Lacey (who freely admits she has NO scientific evidence to support the idea and that it is entirely based on "native wisdom" and anecdote) believes that the moon is capable of altering fertile patterns.

The theory is based on anthropological studies of various cultures that believed that menstruation was somehow tied to the moon. In fact, in many languages, the words for moon and menstruation are even based on common root words - in English, the word menstruation comes from the Latin word "mensis" meaning month, and the word "moon" also seems to stem from that same word (although the Latin word for moon is "luna" so the connection is hardly as straightforward as Lacey would have us think.)

The premise underlying Lunaception is actually quite intriguing. Prior to the invention of electricity, or even the discovery of fire (our ancestors lived for hundreds of millions of years sleeping outdoors without fire), our fertility evolved cyclically, governed by the natural rhythms of the earth, and some of these evolutionary anomalies are still alive and well within us. Much like a tailbone probably once supported tails we no longer grow, our bodies may have latent vestigial biorhythms that we aren't even aware of.

Lacey purports that most women experiences their menstrual cycles with the phases of the moon and at more or less the same time as other women. The idea of menstrual synchrony has been around since the early 70's - a couple of fairly decent studies seem to support the idea that women who live in close quarters with each other, start to ovulate and menstruate on or near to the same schedule. So whether or not the moon has anything to do with it, our tribal ancestors may very well have been all on the rag at the same time.:wink:

The conclusion is, that since we evolved sleeping under moon for hundreds of millions of years in close quarters with our fellow female primates, SOMETHING, whether it is gravity, light, or the elusive ion, affects our bodies in such a way that it can enhance or limit our fertility.

Clearly, the gravity of the moon does affect the oceans, so the idea that the moon may have some sort of similar affect on the fluids of the human body makes sense on a gut level. However, the moon's gravitation is not the same around the world (there are no tides at the equator and that's probably where most of our evolutionary past was spent) and high tides occur BOTH when the moon is full and when the moon is new. This is because the highest tides occur when the moon and sun are in alignment and have nothing actually to do with the phases of the moon...when we see a crescent moon for example, the rest of the moon is STILL THERE, we just can't see it. (for a good explanation, see http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moontides/) So whatever force may underlie lunaception, gravity has nothing to do with it.

Much more likely is that light emanating from the moon somehow affects our body chemistry in such a way as to enhance fertility. Solid science exists to show that day length and artificial light can affect health and fertility. The pineal gland, a little part of the brain referred to as "the third eye", produces melatonin and seems to be affected by light. Interestingly, the ovaries of rats who had their pineal glands removed, grew larger in size, and the ovaries of rats raised in constant bright light were unusually small. Children who have tumors of the pineal gland go into puberty very early. The pineal gland and light apparently DO affect fertility. Why might such a thing have evolved? I don't know what the "official" explanation might be, but to me it seems like ovulating in the full moon makes a heck of a lot of sense, if only so you could see what you're doing!

And what about the idea that this is some leftover instinct caused by menstrual synchrony? Well, it turns out that menstrual synchrony may not even be real. http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2429/does-menstrual-synchrony-really-exist Now, I worked in a dog kennel for 2 years and I did notice that female dogs (yes I know that's not the right terminology but this is a family website LOL) kept in the same pen did seem to cycle together, but it was very far from 100% of the time. So I have to put this into the plausible category as well, but not proven.

atomic sagebrush
February 16th, 2011, 01:38 PM
So then, there may be something to it. How do you use Lunaception for boosting fertility, regulating cycles, and swaying?

One of the most intriguing things I have noticed about gender swaying is, anything that seems to boost fertility, seems to sway blue, and anything that seems to reduce fertility seems to sway pink. (Even Clomid - although it does trigger ovulation it reduces fertility in other ways by creating hostile cervical mucus and a less inviting uterine lining.)

According to the book Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom by Chistiane Northrop MD, studies have shown that peak levels of conception (and concurrently, ovulation since ya can't exactly conceive without it) take place at the full moon. During the new moon, conception/ovulation rates are lowest, and more women begin their menstrual bleeding during the new moon. This is borne out 9 months later when more women go into labor during a full moon - of course conventional wisdom chalks it up to "full moon lunacy" but it may actually be because those pregnant women conceived during the full moon and are simply due to deliver their babies then! And many women seem to notice that their menstrual bleeding starts between 4-6 am, month after month, no earlier, no later. The trigger of darkness may have something to do with this.

We may be able to harness the power of light to help us regulate our cycles. One study involving over 2,000 women with irregular cycles found that just by keeping the light on while they sleep during the three days of ovulation (regardless of when those were) over half of the women were able to achieve regular 28/29 day cycles with 14 day LP. If you want to regulate your cycle or if you are having issues with short LP (less than 12-14 days), try keeping the light on for three days at ovulation and see if it helps you. Can't hurt, may help, and it doesn't cost a thing!

To boost fertility and/or sway blue, you will want to do one of two things. You can simply sleep with the light on when you ovulate and in total darkness the rest of the time. This will help your body believe that the moon is full and it will start churning out extra EWCM to make you more fertile.

Or, if you are a believer in ions, you will want to attempt to reset your ovulation to when the moon is full. According to the ion theory, positive ions sway blue and are somehow generated by the full moon, so it isn't enough just to rely on light to boost your fertility. You want light AND ions so you will want to ovulate with the full moon. In order to reset your ovulation, start sleeping with the light on during the three days you WANT to ovulate and sleep in total darkness the rest of the time. Then when your ovulation coincides with the full moon, ALSO sleep with the light on. You'll be getting both the potential benefits of light and ions.

If you're wanting to sway pink, there are actually three possibilities. You could sleep in the dark constantly and never turn the light on at all and just rely on the darkness to reduce your fertility at ovulation. OR for believers in ions, you'll first want to reset your ovulation to coincide with the new moon, when girl-producing negative ions are supposedly highest, by turning on the light during the new moon and tricking your body into thinking the moon is full. Then you can decide whether or not to keep the light on during the months you actually attempt. If you turn the light on when the moon is new, you're relying an awful lot upon the existence and swaying ability of ions and discounting the fertility boost that the light might bring, but it probably will help you get pregnant faster. If you turn the light out when the moon is new and you're ovulating, you will get the benefits of the darkness at ovulation and the potential benefits of the negative ions.

One other possibility that occurs to me for pink swayers is the notion of keeping the light on ALL THE TIME. Artificial light has been proven to wreak havoc with the body http://www.conceiveonline.com/fertility-health/light-and-fertility/Page-1/?Itemid=0 , lowers melatonin (melatonin may improve fertility and therefore sway blue http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art29772.asp), so if you're trying for pink it may be that sleeping with a light on or tv going could help.

AFTER CONCEPTION FOR EITHER GENDER - It may help to prevent miscarriage by sleeping in a darkened room. This isn't proven but it certainly doesn't hurt to try it!!

FOR MORE INFO ABOUT MOON SIGNS AND SWAYING - http://genderdreaming.com/forum/showthread.php?776-Where-to-find-lunar-dates-for-swaying

TTC5
February 18th, 2011, 09:42 PM
My midwives often told me that during a full moon they had a big surge of labouring women!

atomic sagebrush
April 15th, 2011, 12:38 PM
More interesting threads about the moon - http://genderdreaming.com/forum/showthread.php?2554-Full-Moon-in-July-is-pretty-close-to-when-I-will-be-ovulating

http://genderdreaming.com/forum/showthread.php?776-Where-to-find-lunar-dates-for-swaying

atomic sagebrush
April 16th, 2011, 09:34 AM
Try and reduce fertility in other ways!

You can also try to sleep in the pitch black when you are actually Oing and then turn the light on when you WANT to O.

Tulips
April 17th, 2011, 04:09 AM
One website I belong to many girls were trying a form of this to improve fertility. They went so far as to buy blackout material for their windows and to go to bed before it was dark so their body would not 'see' the natural moon phase. They would then turn on a low white light when they wanted to O and then add a second light to make it brighter a few days later, they would then take away the second light after a few days and then turn off the other light. A number of them did manage to align their cycles with the moon like this and some did improve fertility I think. I thought it was interesting but wasn't convinced to try it.

atomic sagebrush
April 17th, 2011, 11:47 AM
One website I belong to many girls were trying a form of this to improve fertility. They went so far as to buy blackout material for their windows and to go to bed before it was dark so their body would not 'see' the natural moon phase. They would then turn on a low white light when they wanted to O and then add a second light to make it brighter a few days later, they would then take away the second light after a few days and then turn off the other light. A number of them did manage to align their cycles with the moon like this and some did improve fertility I think. I thought it was interesting but wasn't convinced to try it. Exactly! There was at least one study done and this helped people who had a short luteal phase to get their phases back to 12-14 days again.

chocolate
November 16th, 2011, 04:17 AM
Did a search on moons and came up with this thread so thought Id tag on.

Im due to ovulate very near to a full moon, possibly the day before.
I now have a rock salt lamp that emits negative ions, so would it be sensible to take this away with me and leave on at night as much as possible around ovulation?

Blimmin typical we are going to butlins the weekend of ovulation or just after so have to do the stupid diet when all there is to eat is the buffet lunches, not fair lol

amari
November 16th, 2011, 08:02 AM
How close to a new moon makes a difference if you believe it makes a difference at all? Do you still use negative ions like lavender and the fans around this time or do you drop it then? If you do drop it how close to the new moon do you drop them? thanks, chicas!

chocolate
November 16th, 2011, 08:59 AM
I think if you believe in the ions the more negative ions the better, particularly around a full moon. I have my lamp on as much as possible all the time.

amari
November 16th, 2011, 09:36 AM
Chocoate-do you use negative ions even at a new moon? i'm just trying to understand how it works.

auroara78
November 16th, 2011, 09:44 AM
From what I've been told and read, when swaying girl you want as much - ions as you can, so even in a new moon, you want to really go overboard on - ions just in case.

atomic sagebrush
November 18th, 2011, 12:26 PM
Yep, you can't overdose on ions.

Goodthings
February 13th, 2013, 07:35 PM
should i change my cycle to try to fit into a girl biorhythm??

atomic sagebrush
February 17th, 2013, 11:29 AM
should i change my cycle to try to fit into a girl biorhythm??

NO. Biorhythms were totally made up by a mental patient and have been debunked in 134 studies.

black&gold
March 10th, 2013, 02:20 PM
Regardless of the gender you want to sway.. How is the best way to do this if I'm wanting to lengthen my Luteal phase (at this point I'll try anything!) I have a 28- 29 day cycle but I O around day 20 (have an 9 day LP). I definitely used to O on cd14 when I had both my other children so how do I work the lights if I want to get back to a CD14 O?

atomic sagebrush
March 10th, 2013, 02:23 PM
We may be able to harness the power of light to help us regulate our cycles. One study involving over 2,000 women with irregular cycles found that just by keeping the light on while they sleep during the three days of ovulation (regardless of when those were) over half of the women were able to achieve regular 28/29 day cycles with 14 day LP. If you want to regulate your cycle or if you are having issues with short LP (less than 12-14 days), try keeping the light on for three days at ovulation and see if it helps you. Can't hurt, may help, and it doesn't cost a thing!

atomic sagebrush
March 10th, 2013, 02:28 PM
Try keeping it on when you O NO MATTER what day it is. It helps set things straight again.

black&gold
March 10th, 2013, 02:43 PM
So you don't turn the light on when you WANT to O? (In my case CD14) You turn it on when you actually O, even though it's late in the cycle with a short LP?

atomic sagebrush
March 10th, 2013, 05:11 PM
Yes, turn it on when you ACTUALLY O. It may help get your cycle back to normal again (I know it's counterintuitive just roll with it :))

The only time you should turn the light on at a different time than when you O is if you are trying to RESET your O date to be in line with moon phase.

black&gold
March 10th, 2013, 05:57 PM
Weird.... I don't understand how it's supposed to reset the LP than! Everything I've read on line is all conflicting so I wasn't sure.

atomic sagebrush
March 11th, 2013, 10:16 AM
It's because you are tricking your body into feeling in sync with Mother Nature. The idea of this theory is that it's "natural" for women to ovulate with the full moon and so if your body senses light at ovulation, you're working with nature and that can help correct issues with your hormones and get your cycle working right again. it actually makes a ton of sense to me.

black&gold
March 11th, 2013, 01:59 PM
Oh okay, interesting! I guess why not try it! I actually looked up the moon phase last month and I ovulated on the full moon.. not sure if it's coincidence, but we left our drapes open all month (I didn't want it to effect my temps) so it makes me wonder...

Sarajoy
April 10th, 2013, 12:16 PM
I work 12 hour night shifts for 2 years, and basically take naps to keep me going or crash and sleep tons some weeks. Hoping this will sway for a girl :) I don't have blackout drapes but just last week hung up a large blanket (man I slept SO much better)

Alyssasmom789
May 3rd, 2013, 01:38 PM
Can someone tell me what LP is? I'm so dumb when it comes to these things....should've done much more research before ttc #3 :((( I usually ovulate on cd11 and its always short like a few hours. Also, for my next attempt if. Don't go ht....I'm def taking into consider moon, bio and Chinese only because its right with all 3 of my kids!!!! What are the odds of that?

Sihaya
May 3rd, 2013, 02:04 PM
Atomic just wrote an essay to explain what a luteal phase is: http://genderdreaming.com/forum/gender-swaying-general-discussion/28989-help-whats-luteal-phase-lp.html

atomic sagebrush
May 4th, 2013, 09:21 AM
We've done tons of polls on Chinese Gender Predictor here and on IG and it's never been anything other than 50-50. Biorhytms have been debunked in 134 studies. The moon may actually sway a bit and you can use the Lunaception to help.

pinkpetals
May 9th, 2013, 06:57 AM
Hi All,

I do not think it sways at all, but maybe you can check: Horoscope and Astrology - Homepage - Astrodienst (http://www.astro.com), then extended chart seletion, then astrodiens special, then select lunar fertility phase calendar, set the date and show the chart. Just for fun! or www.lunarium.co.uk/jonasphp

bye

a&jmummy
May 11th, 2013, 11:20 AM
oh yeah ! i have always slept with tv on ! yet again no wonder i have girls !!

TV is coming out of bedroom NOW !lol

atomic sagebrush
May 11th, 2013, 11:50 AM
You know A&J I just realized that is another thing I did different between my boys and my girl - I did often fall asleep with the TV on all night because I was breastfeeding and kept falling asleep (I was really really exhausted so I would fall asleep at the drop of a hat). Then the TV would stay on all night.

black&gold
June 22nd, 2013, 11:50 AM
Just thought I'd post my experience with lunaception and the success I had with it!

So it's a long story, but before we started TTC baby #3 I found gender dreaming and started swaying. We tried for 4 months with no success - 3 of which I was temping so I knew exactly when ovulation was occurring. I started to notice that I was ovulating on CD 21-22 of a 28 day cycle so pregnancy was going to be very unlikely with that short of a LP. There were many months where I totally felt the early signs of pregnancy but then AF happened. I started to wonder after the fact if I might of had a few chemicals because I easily became pregnant with both boys. My doctor basically told us that if we wanted another we'd have to go see a fertility specialist as I'd probably need clomid or some other drug to help fix things. I was interested in using Soy Iso as I'd heard it can help, same with Vitex.. but was very hesitant knowing that I had a specialist appt. coming up and I wanted my body hormones to be as "normal" as possible so they truly knew what they were dealing with. I had heard a few things about lunaception and figured why not try it - I knew it was a complete shot in the dark but figured it was "natural" so it couldn't hurt. Here's what we did..

We slept in a pitch black room from CD1-13, and I mean dark.. we taped all the cracks around our window with garbage bags and made sure no light was coming in anywhere. On CD14 I turned on a relatively bright nightlight next to my side of the bed and slept with it on until CD17. From CD17-AF or BFP we made the room pitch black again. The day following the night light coming on (CD14) I could feel my body preparing itself to O. Late CD17, or super early CD18 I O'd - roughly 5 days earlier than I had any other month. I was convinced without a doubt that it HAD to be the lunaception (or else God, because I was praying like crazy to not have to see a specialist). That month we got our BFP and #3 is due December, 2013! I am so beyond shocked it actually worked. Looking back with both my DS's we lived in a different house with our bedroom letting in full moonlight every night as we had no drapes for those 2-3 years. Once we moved to our current house, we were so inconsistent with leaving the drapes open or not. The month before we got our BFP we had the curtains open for the entire month. I looked back at the moon cycles and noticed I actually O'd on the full moon that month... maybe just a coincidence, but something worth noting!

I'd definitely recommend giving it a shot if you're wanting to try and move O without any medical intervention. You never know, it might actually get your that BFP :)

atomic sagebrush
June 22nd, 2013, 11:59 AM
thank you so much Mrs. B!!!

Cauliflower
June 22nd, 2013, 06:41 PM
Interesting. It is too late for me now anyway, but I was thinking about quitting BCP a little later, so Ibcokd concieve n new moon. I thought it did not mean too much.
I usually sleep with drapes down. But here is te thing, up here north, the sun does not set until midnight and some places it oes not even set at all, this happensn summer. In winters we ont see te un too much, like 6-8 hours a day maybe. I dont know if my body registers the moonlight in summer at all, bcz we only see the moon between midnight and 2 o clock :)

Cauliflower
June 22nd, 2013, 06:41 PM
So tht is why I m thinking, maybe I shouldnt worry too much about it....

atomic sagebrush
June 23rd, 2013, 12:13 PM
Interesting. It is too late for me now anyway, but I was thinking about quitting BCP a little later, so Ibcokd concieve n new moon. I thought it did not mean too much.
I usually sleep with drapes down. But here is te thing, up here north, the sun does not set until midnight and some places it oes not even set at all, this happensn summer. In winters we ont see te un too much, like 6-8 hours a day maybe. I dont know if my body registers the moonlight in summer at all, bcz we only see the moon between midnight and 2 o clock :)

There is no guarantee though because many times your ovulation will just wait till it "wants" to come anyway.

I agree that it may potentially be beneficial for anyone who lives in the far north to TTC when it's light all day. My sister just conceived a baby girl in Alaska and she conceived her in summertime, when it was light all the time. We just don't KNOW how any of this may work.

Rabbitmama85
August 14th, 2013, 12:55 PM
Okay, so help me get technical with this. And swaying boy, for reference.

Is it best to really be in line with the moon? And if so, should I attempt to make my ovulation happen earlier?

I am predicted to ovulate on the 28th, but the full moon is the 21st. Should I attempt to ovulate a week early? That would mean ovulation on cd8, is that even possible? Or should I just stimulate the full moon around my cd14-16 and ignore the moon until it lines up a little more closely?

I'm on cycle 4 of ttc blue. So I don't want to do anything too crazy and mess up my sway, and I'm in a little bit of a hurry (my midwife goes on holiday during the summer, so if I get pregnant, I might have to look elsewhere).

And then next month, if I keep it the same and it doesn't change LP, should I try to mimic full moon early, like on cd 11-13?

This is interesting, I wish I learned about this months ago because I would have started getting my body prepared before ttc.

mollisol
August 14th, 2013, 01:01 PM
I find this very interesting, but there is no way my DH would let me sleep with a light on.
Rabbitmama- cd8 seems very early to me, but I'm no expert.

Rabbitmama85
August 14th, 2013, 01:32 PM
From what I have read, you don't need to sleep with the lights completely on. Just a hallway light, or keeping the windows open.

We already sleep in almost complete darkness, but I could probably improve a little bit.

atomic sagebrush
August 21st, 2013, 12:32 PM
Okay, so help me get technical with this. And swaying boy, for reference.

Is it best to really be in line with the moon? And if so, should I attempt to make my ovulation happen earlier?

I am predicted to ovulate on the 28th, but the full moon is the 21st. Should I attempt to ovulate a week early? That would mean ovulation on cd8, is that even possible? Or should I just stimulate the full moon around my cd14-16 and ignore the moon until it lines up a little more closely?

I'm on cycle 4 of ttc blue. So I don't want to do anything too crazy and mess up my sway, and I'm in a little bit of a hurry (my midwife goes on holiday during the summer, so if I get pregnant, I might have to look elsewhere).

And then next month, if I keep it the same and it doesn't change LP, should I try to mimic full moon early, like on cd 11-13?

This is interesting, I wish I learned about this months ago because I would have started getting my body prepared before ttc.

We don't know what is best, it's just a theory.

I think you're best off just turning on the light when you are due to ovulate and not worrying about the moon otherwise. I think it's the light that is doing something and your body doesn't know what the moon is doing.

CD 8 is too early. If this works it will mess up your body clock to do that. I think you should stick to using the light to simulate moonlight when you're due to ovulate.

black&gold
August 27th, 2013, 12:54 PM
Atmoic, Does lunaception "sway" a certain way? I just did it in hopes it would help with ovulation because we really needed to get a BFP after 5 months of nothing. I feel like I've read people saying that full moon or whatever sways blue.. so does that mean using a night light sways blue, or would that maybe sway pink like you were suggesting (with watching TV when you conceived your DD) because it's artificial light? I still O'd late compared to normal and maybe it was all coincidence, but I slept with the light on when I O'd. Just curious!

3littleladies
August 27th, 2013, 11:12 PM
I had a calendar made up for me from Odan Institute which is based on lunar months, it failed because I had a Girl!

atomic sagebrush
August 28th, 2013, 11:42 AM
I had a calendar made up for me from Odan Institute which is based on lunar months, it failed because I had a Girl!

This method has NOTHING to do with lunar months or astrology or ions. I am thinking you didn't read the essay (which is fine and you certainly don't need to) I just want to clarify for anyone reading this, it's not a "lunar month" thing, it's about the light during certian parts of your cycle possibly affecting fertility overall.

atomic sagebrush
August 28th, 2013, 11:53 AM
Atmoic, Does lunaception "sway" a certain way? I just did it in hopes it would help with ovulation because we really needed to get a BFP after 5 months of nothing. I feel like I've read people saying that full moon or whatever sways blue.. so does that mean using a night light sways blue, or would that maybe sway pink like you were suggesting (with watching TV when you conceived your DD) because it's artificial light? I still O'd late compared to normal and maybe it was all coincidence, but I slept with the light on when I O'd. Just curious!

I think that the way you did it might sway slightly blue if you did it for month in and month out, but didn't you get pg THAT month?? So it just helped extend your LP but probably did nothing whatsoever for your sway. And even tho I do think it could sway a bit blue, I doubt it would be more than the teensiest lil bit anyway.

With me having the TV on, It's disrupting the pattern of light that matters. The body ~~~may! because please keep in mind this is very speculative~~~ "expects" there to be dark at some times and light at others because it's "used" to the lunar cycle. Having the light on all the time may "confuse" the body and decline fertility that way.

black&gold
August 28th, 2013, 01:19 PM
I think that the way you did it might sway slightly blue if you did it for month in and month out, but didn't you get pg THAT month?? So it just helped extend your LP but probably did nothing whatsoever for your sway. And even tho I do think it could sway a bit blue, I doubt it would be more than the teensiest lil bit anyway.

With me having the TV on, It's disrupting the pattern of light that matters. The body ~~~may! because please keep in mind this is very speculative~~~ "expects" there to be dark at some times and light at others because it's "used" to the lunar cycle. Having the light on all the time may "confuse" the body and decline fertility that way.

Yes, I did it only the month I got pregnant and left the light on for 5 nights. The month before we slept with our blinds open the whole month (just by chance - didn't know anything about lunaception) and I didn't O until CD22 of 28 cycle.

I figured anything that helps you get pregnant must sway blue to some degree so I was just curious .

atomic sagebrush
August 28th, 2013, 01:22 PM
In a sense true but there are lots of different aspects to fertility. I personally believe it's only the "getting more sperm to egg" part of fertility (sperm count, EWCM) that really does the swaying.

atomic sagebrush
December 24th, 2017, 02:38 PM
bump

atomic sagebrush
May 29th, 2018, 04:06 PM
Hey, someone kindly messaged me some interesting links debunking lunar phase for gender swaying so I'm sharing them with you guys!

https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1080/00016340802233090

https://siths.enschool.org/ourpages/auto/2010/9/27/62682537/ARTICLE-2B_moon.pdf