For thousands of years the moon has been a symbol of fertility and the menstrual cycle.
For thousands of years, across many cultures, women, the menstrual cycle and fertility have been associated with the moon. The moon is a symbol of femininity and fertility in many cultures. The average menstrual cycle length is approximately 28-30 days. The lunar orbit around the earth takes 28 days. It takes 29.5 days from one full moon to the next, known as the lunar month. This is almost identical to the average woman’s monthly fertility cycle.
BioRhythmic Lunar Fertility Charting
A while ago I listened to an interesting talk on natural fertility management for couples diagnosed with infertility, by naturopathic doctor Jaclyn Chasse of the Northeast Integrative Medicine Clinic in New Hampshire. As part of her talk she brought up a subject I had heard of, but never really learned anything about: the Lunar BioRhythmic Fertility Cycle. According to Dr. Chasse the Lunar BioRhythmic Cycle is similar to how the moon affects the ocean as seen by the changing tides. This ebb and flow the moon has on the ocean also affects all living things on earth, including the female menstrual cycle. The effect the moon has on the female menstrual cycle may also affect a woman’s peak fertile time. It has been observed that many women conceive away from their expected and charted hormonal ovulation period, but rather in line with their lunar peak.
What is the lunar peak? The Lunar BioRhythmic Cycle is a calculation of the natal angle (phase of the moon) at the time of the woman’s birth. The lunar peak is the return of this natal angle each month. Dr. Chasse challenged her listeners to cross check the lunar phase of the moon on the date of conception of their own children, with the lunar phase on the exact date and time of their own birth. She notes that she and many other natural healthcare practitioners have observed many conception dates aligning with the lunar peak rather than a woman’s typical expected hormonal ovulation date. Today, many natural healthcare practitioners help their clients learn to chart their natal angle to optimize their chances of natural conception.
This idea piqued my interest. Though I have never actually worked with a client who has done this, nor do I know anyone who has conceived during their lunar peak, I find the subject fascinating. This fascination led me to learn more about BioRhythmic Lunar Charting and where this concept came from.
Where Did This Concept Come From?
In 1956, Czech psychiatrist and gynecologist Dr. Eugen Jonas began researching a way to help Catholic women avoid pregnancy who were following the rhythm method. He was curious as to why many women were conceiving outside of their charted mid-cycle ovulation date. He observed that the rhythm method had a very low success rate. Dr. Jonas wanted to help these women avoid abortion. He was also interested in astrology. This led Dr. Jonas to study and calculate the patterns of conception dates of many of his patients. He found that many women conceived well outside of their charted mid-cycle ovulation. According to Jonas’ findings, a woman is most fertile when the sun and moon are at a relative angle as they were at the exact time of her birth.
His clinical observations led him to conduct studies based on the premise that women can only conceive during their lunar cycle. Because his theories were largely based on astrology and cosmobiology, his work has not been taken seriously by the larger scientific community. Despite the skepticism from some, his clinical success rate for preventing conception through abstinence during the lunar fertile period only was 85%.
Dr. Kurt Rechnitz took Dr. Jonas’ work a step further by combining the rhythm method charting practices and lunar fertility charting. The rhythm method typically includes taking basal body temperature and noting cervical mucus changes throughout the menstrual cycle. Dr. Rechnitz used the knowledge of hormonal ovulation and lunar fertility by creating a two fertile period rule. He implemented this rule in his clinical practice with a 98% contraceptive success rate. This is an astounding finding and is comparable to the success rates of modern birth control such as condoms (90-98%) and the Pill (93%-99%).
How to Optimize Your Chances of Conception with BioRhythmic Lunar Charting
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CURRENT MOON
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It is pretty simple, first, learn the phase of the moon at the date and time of your birth. You can easily do this by going to this great moon phase catalog at the NASA website. Second, get busy trying for a baby during your lunar peak.
To optimize your chances of natural conception, be sure to combine this method with BBT, OPK or cervical mucous observation charting. Couples may increase their chance of successful natural conception by trying during their mid-cycle hormonal fertile time and during the lunar peak fertile time.
There are a variety of websites that offer computer software to help you chart your exact lunar peak. While I am not 100% sure about this method because I know so little about it myself, I thought that I should share its positive possibility for aiding in natural conception efforts.
Dr. Jonas’ findings have been tested and evaluated for over 50 years. BioRhythmic Lunar Fertility Charting has been established as a way to enhance conception efforts, while also aiding those women in avoiding conception should they so choose. What is nice about lunar fertility charting is that it doesn’t require you to take any kind of hormonal medications and it is simple to do.
I would love to hear from anyone who has tried this method or thoughts from those interested in trying it. I hope to hear from you!
- Eugen Jonas. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugen_Jonas
- Best time to conceive a baby. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://astroelite.com/article/astrology-fertility-en.asp
- The Art of Lunar Fertility. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ovatel.com/the-art-of-lunar-fertility/
- The Lunar Cycle – Natural Fertility. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.naturalparenting.com.au/blog/article/the-lunar-cycle-natural-fertility/
Practicing natural health and herbalism for over 18 years, Dalene received her training and herbal certification under the guidance of Lynn Albers at Yarmony Mt. Herbal College in Colorado in 2000. She went on to become a Certified Birth Doula at Birthingway College of Midwifery in Portland, Oregon in 2007. As a Birth Doula, Dalene has helped to bring many new lives in to this world. Dalene has written 280+ fertility articles and with her vast array of herbal and holistic healing knowledge has helped 1000’s of women on their journey to Motherhood.
Hi, have you seen this new wearable that keeps you in touch with your moon phase? https://moontrak.com/
Hi Alma!
I have! It’s interesting.
Hi. Yes I used the BioRhythmic Lunar chart for contraception after the birth of my 3rd child back in 1997. This required abstinence at the Lunar peak fertility as well as ovulation time (ideal was to get them to coincide!). A chart was made up and sent to me by Francesca Naish, with those dates, even including the hour. It was recommended to me by my health practitioner, who also used it to successfully conceive when she was 40!
Thank you for this website! Your page on natural alternatives to Clomid helped return an absent (10 years no period) period. I used Vitex and Tribulus and now my period is regular many cycles 29.5 days! I have paid attention to the lunar peak method. During this cycle we timed the deed to 1/2 to one day prior my lunar peak. I had acid and nausea within two days. So I might be pregnant already. Of course it was one week prior to the hormonal cycle so this will potentially be a Three week wait! Will visit back to let you know the results! And if you are surprised that symptoms can be discerned 1 – 2 days after… Very common for 1-2 days to experience this.
Thank you for sharing of your success! All my best and I hope you see your BFP soon!
Wow! Interesting.
Two questions please:
1) I do not know the exact time of the day when I was born. My mom does not know it either. What do I do?
2) It is wonderful that there is the second opportunity but what happens exactly, biologically during the second opportunity? Does all the same stuff happen as during a midcycle ovulation? So estrogen goes up, follicles increase in size, temp goes up ad there is fertile mucous etc.? How is it possible? From what I know estrogen increases only once during a cycle. How would the body have an opportunity to do it twice? Please clarify.
Thank you in advance.
Hello Alana!
I am not an expert in BioRhythmic Lunar Fertility Charting. It would be best to seek the guidance of a practitioner who specializes in BioRhythmic Lunar Charting (we have had a practitioner comment on this article, perhaps she and her colleague may be of much better help than I).
Ovulation can only happen once each menstrual cycle, mid-cycle, but a woman can “ovulate” (meaning the ovary releases) two eggs in one cycle as is the case with fraternal twins. Each woman’s ovulatory phase will happen at a different time in her cycle, but science has proven her fertile window only lasts 5 days (three days prior to, the day of and day after ovulation).
I hope you are able to find support from an expert!
All my best!
Good day,
Thank you for the interesting article. I have one question though, what if you were born in the Southern Hemisphere and are living now in the Northern Hemisphere. Do you take the lunar phase of the Southern Hemisphere on the day you were born and then work with the Northern Hemisphere’s lunar phases?
Dear Rika,
The is a fabulous, hard question! 😉
While it makes sense to me to use the lunar phase of the Southern Hemisphere in which you were born, but I am honestly not qualified to guide you further. I’m sorry! As shared, there are a variety of websites that offer computer software to help you chart your exact lunar peak, or consider an internet search for a practitioner who specializes in BioRhythmic Lunar Charting (we have had a practitioner comment, perhaps she and her colleague may be of much better help than I).
All my best!
Francesca Naish and I have worked with the lunar biorhythm for many years, and while most conception take place at ovulation on the ‘hormonal cycle’, we have certainly observed many lunar conceptions, and signs of fertility – mucus and temperature, on the lunar angle return, when this is well separated from ‘mid-cycle’ ovulation. Great to see you writing about it. Thanks