The Moon And Your Menstrual Cycle

 

This blog was written by yoga instructor and wellness instructor Karalee Reed

It can be said that when we bleed during certain phases of the Moon we are being called to action in different aspects of our life. The New Moon encourages us to enter into the inner world, to nourish and tend to the greater needs of the self. Whereas the Waxing Moon is an invitation into playfulness and discovery, to be open to the endless opportunities available to us. When we bleed with the Full Moon we are being called to blend our vitality and potent power to bring forth some magic in the outer world, for all beings, whilst the Wanning Moon is a time to find clarity and solidify your ideas and put them into motion and bring them to fruition.

The spiritual significance of the Moon has been recorded throughout history, but can the moon actually have an impact on our emotions or alter our menstrual cycle?

We can see the power of the Moon and its gravitational pull that affects the tides in our oceans and seas. This pull is at its most powerful during the New Moon and the Full Moon where we witness our lowest and highest tides. Subsequently as the 'water-beings' that we are, being made up of 70% water, we experience our undeniable connection to the Moon with our own ebbs and flows. Emotions being brought to the surface, changes to sleep patterns and for Women, menstruation, have all been linked to the different phases of the Moon.

But there must be more to it?

It is important when considering the Moon cycle and our own menstruation cycle that we consider the affect that light has on the production or suppression of hormones in the body. Certain body processes impacted by light exposure, such as the production of the hormone melatonin, are greatly impacted by the amount of light around us at night. Therefore, when the Moon is Full our circadian rhythm is disrupted as the body’s internal representation of night duration is confused by the Luna light. This increase in the amount of light at night during the moon’s various phases exerts a suppressive effect on melatonin levels. This hormone regulates the start of menstruation, influences the length of ovulation cycles and also menopause. So, generally speaking, during the Full Moon, we can experience disrupted sleep, irritability and the feeling of being a little ‘off balance’. It is even recorded that low levels of Melatonin equals greater PMS symptoms!

 

So yeah! There is some Science behind all this stuff but let’s remember that we as human beings co-exist in a reciprocal relationship with the natural world around us. And the coming of modern day external factors and the business of our modern lives has greatly affected the flow of things. It’s a great idea to begin writing a Luna diary and record the relationship that you share with the Moon phases.