Women's menstrual cycles are completely out of sync with the changing phases of the moon, according to a new study.
For decades, alternative health experts have argued that lunar cycles influence our sleep and therefore can be used to predict when your period will come.
According to a new study by European scientists, New York-based fertility expert Dr. However, as Steven Palter presented on social media, this is a complete myth.
“New soon-to-be-published research from over 300,000 menstrual cycles analyzed shows that most people’s cycles begin on a Thursday or Friday,” said Dr. Palter in a clip posted to his TikTok channel, where he has 187,000 followers.
Dr. Palter showed viewers a fascinating graph showing how many cycles in the sample began on one of those two days.
Meanwhile, the cycles were least likely to begin on a Tuesday.
He further explained that the scientists also analyzed whether women's menstrual cycles are in any way related to the 28-day lunar cycle, as has long been suspected.
“It actually had nothing to do with the full moon,” he said. “Fertility doctors think it’s a full moon every day – that wasn’t the case.”
So how can the first day of your period be related to the day of the week?
For most women, the menstrual cycle lasts 28 days and consists of four main phases, although this cycle can vary greatly from woman to woman.
The hypothesis, explains Dr. Palter, is that it is related to your sleep, diet and stress patterns.
And these are thought to be more extreme or dysregulated at the start of the week than towards the end as the weekend approaches.
Previous studies have shown that increased stress, which can also be triggered by lack of sleep, can lead to an increase in levels of the hormone cortisol, which affects the reproductive hormones that determine when your period comes.
Dr. Palter added that the pattern is strongest in women with normal length or longer cycles (28 days+) and is less applicable in women with shorter cycles.
Gynecologist explains the fascinating reason why most women start their period on a Thursday or Friday