Influência do ciclo lunar no parto: mito ou constatação científica?

Abstract

Superstitions are found everywhere in our lives, and medicine, a profession that is prides itself on an evidence-based approach to treatment, is not exempt. A superstition that pervades the labor and delivery floor is that it is busier during certain phases of the lunar cycle, specifically the full moon. Although some studies have demonstrated an increase in deliveries that are related to the lunar cycle, there has been disagreement about when, in the lunar cycle, the peak volume occurs. Front to the divergence of the existent results in the literature to relate the events of the lunar cycle with deliveries, the aim of this review was to accomplish the literature in the attempt of explaining this popular culture with base in the results presented by different researchers.

Influência Do Ciclo Lunar Na Frequência De Admissões Hospitalares Na Maternidade: Estudo Retrospectivo

“…Ainda que em pequeno número, estudos com grupos populacionais em diversas regiões do mundo utilizaram diferentes metodologias para correlacionar o processo de parturição às fases lunares, encontrando resultados contraditórios. No que se refere às pesquisas brasileiras, não são encontradas publicações que busquem associações ou comprovações dessa hipótese (8)(9) . Estudos dessa natureza podem contribuir com o entendimento do misticismo que envolve a Lua, permeia as maternidades e instiga os profissionais.…”

Lunar cycles at mating do not influence sex ratio at birth in horses

“…In contrast, in another Italian study on 1248 spontaneous deliveries, a connection between the distribution of births and the lunar phases was observed, particularly in multiparae cases, with mean day of birth being the first 2 days after the full moon (Ghiandoni et al, 1998). An interesting literature revision including nine scientific publications on this topic was done by Brazilian researchers (Bueno et al, 2010). It was concluded that although some variations in delivery rates were found amongst lunar phases, no statistical evidence showing this relationship was found except in one.…”