Lunaception: Using the Light of the Sun and the Moon to Stimulate Ovulation and Increase Fertility
When it comes to a woman’s menstrual cycle, the sun and the moon work together to regulate ovulation and menstruation. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, sunlight may be considered to be a “Yang” force, with moonlight being a “Yin” force; the two must both be present in order to encourage balance in a woman’s monthly cycle. Studies have now shown what ancient women likely took for granted, that the light of the moon does indeed regulate menstrual cycles, and that sunlight, too, can help increase fertility.
A Brief Overview of Circadian Rhythms
To understand how Lunaception (a term first used by a woman named Louise Lacey, who brought this form of fertility management back into more common use) works, it’s important to first understand a little bit about circadian rhythms and how the body responds to the environment. These rhythms govern everything in our day-to-day lives, and tell us when we feel hungry, when we feel tired, when we feel wakeful, and more. Circadian rhythms not only regulate sleep-wake cycles, but also play an important and vital role in hormone health and the female menstrual cycle.There are 2 locations in the female body where there are circadian oscillators: the brain and the ovaries (in men, there are circadian oscillators in the testes). In the brain, the circadian oscillator responds to light, or darkness, detected by your eyes. When it’s dark out, your eyes transmit this data and the circadian oscillator relays this to the hypothalamus. Then, the hypothalamus directs the pineal gland to start producing melatonin in preparation for sleep (melatonin is a natural hormone that causes us to feel sleepy). When there’s light in the environment again, the same process happens, except this time, the pineal gland is directed to stop producing melatonin, thus stimulating wakefulness.
Read more about pineal gland calcification and how to treat it here.
The ovarian circadian oscillators also produce melatonin, similar to the pineal gland, and are, through the data that the hypothalamus receives, sensitive to light and dark. The circadian oscillators in the ovaries not only produce melatonin, but also have been shown to control levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). Because the ovaries also are directly connected to the patterns of light and dark in the environment, the reproductive system also suffers from “jet-lag” and problems associated with exposure to blue light from electronic devices.
So now that you have a basic understanding of circadian rhythms, let’s move on to what exactly moonlight and sunlight do in the female body to stimulate and regulate ovulation and menstruation.
The Power of Moonlight
According to the natural rhythms of the female body, ancient women would have likely ovulated around the full moon, and had their period at the new moon. This isn’t just a guess, but rather a fact of nature, given the effect that the specific light frequency of the moon has on women and their monthly cycles. Scientific studies have indeed analyzed how frequencies of light matching those of the moon affect ovulation and menstruation times.When a woman normally sleeps in complete darkness, exposure to moonlight (or a white-blue light with the same or similar light frequency) during the middle of the menstrual cycle can stimulate ovulation. This is because melatonin secretion by the ovaries ultimately suppresses ovulation, while lower levels of ovarian-secreted melatonin mean that ovulation can occur. So, sleeping in complete darkness promotes the production and secretion of melatonin by the ovaries, thus suppressing ovulation. When a woman then turns on an appropriate light, or is exposed to direct moonlight while sleeping, the ovaries stop producing so much melatonin, and ovulation can occur.
Researchers have observed that women who used Lunaception techniques had an increased amount of “egg white” cervical mucus on the nights when they were exposed to moonlight or another similar light source. This type of cervical mucus is associated with increased fertility, since it supports the journey that sperm must make to reach the egg. So, not only does moonlight stimulate actual ovulation, but it also encourages the vaginal environment to become hospitable to sperm cells.
Note that, interestingly, firelight doesn’t have the same effects on the female menstrual cycle as does moonlight, so the cycles of our female ancestors wouldn’t have been negatively influenced by exposure to light from a fire during the evenings or nights. Only the light from the moon (around 400 nanometers of light, which can be sufficiently simulated with the light from a white, 100-watt bulb) can stimulate ovulation.
Louise Lacy and a group of 27 friends successfully synced up their menstrual cycles with the cycles of the moon, and were able to avoid unwanted pregnancies for the rest of their reproductive years using Lunaception techniques. And, not only can Lunaception be used as a contraceptive/fertility-boosting technique, but also as a treatment for:
- Irregular menstrual cycles
- Abnormally high or low FSH levels
- High levels are associated with premature ovarian failure, primary ovarian insufficiency, and Turner syndrome
- Low levels are associated with hypopituitarism (a rare condition)
- Spotting in between periods
- Recurrent miscarriage (Lunaception reduces the risk of miscarriage)
- Pre-menopause symptoms
How to Use Lunaception for Fertility Management
One of the first principles of Lunaception is that of sleeping in total darkness for all but 3-4 days in the middle of the month. This means that you should be using blackout curtains, blocking the light from the bathroom or other areas of the house where there might be light, and avoiding all artificial light sources when you go to sleep (this means no smartphones, TVs, iPads, or other similar devices). Some sources say that using a quality eye cover can also work if you’re not able to block out all light from your environment, but other sources say that the pineal gland can sense light even without data from the eyes, so making sure that your environment is as dark as possible is ideal.Next, either plan to let in the moonlight, if you can, when the moon is full. If you’re not able to let in pure moonlight, you can use a small, white light instead to mimic the light from the moon. The light doesn’t have to be bright. In fact, it should be a soft light, similar to what moonlight would bring in through a window; a small desk light or a nightlight can work well for this purpose (a 40-watt bulb in the room with you, or a 75-watt bulb in a nearby room with an open door are good choices). Expose yourself to the moon or the white light while you sleep for three days: the day preceding the full moon, the day following the full moon, and the day after the full moon. Then, return to sleeping in total darkness for the rest of your cycle until the next full moon.
For women who have long menstrual cycles, they may start by exposing themselves to light on days 14-16 of their menstrual cycle. They should start from the beginning of one period, count to day 14, then sleep with a nightlight or moonlight on nights 14, 15, and 16. Then, they should sleep in darkness until day 30. Then, regardless of whether or not they’ve started another period, they should restart counting from day 1, and continue the same pattern until the menstrual cycle has regularized. This may take a few months, but many women have had great success in regulating their cycles using this method.
Some women may choose to balance their cycles using artificial light sources, regardless of the phase of the moon, while others may wish to follow the moon phases directly (with or without the aid of artificial light sources). Either method is fine and effective. Again, keep in mind that if you choose to balance your menstrual cycle using Lunaception that it may take a few months for your cycles to balance and sync with the moon.
If you’re trying to conceive and boost fertility, sexual intercourse should be had on these three nights when the moon is full (of course, you can have sex on other nights of your cycle also, but it’s important to prioritize these three nights because these will become the nights when you’re ovulating and most fertile). If you’re trying to avoid getting pregnant, on the other hand, have sexual intercourse on any other night of the month other than these three nights.
The Power of Sunlight
Sunlight is a powerful medicine, and can be used to cure all kinds of diseases and ailments, including everything from autoimmune diseases to severe pathogenic diseases like tuberculosis. Throughout history, exposure to sunlight has been used therapeutically and encouraged to maintain health. Keep in mind, the healing powers of sunlight can only be accessed without wearing sunscreen; and, also be aware that Big Pharma would have you believe that the sun will cause skin problems (like melanoma), but in reality, sunlight exposure can cure skin cancer and other problems, and sunscreens are the main culprit in the development of these health issues due to their toxic, chemical ingredients.So if you’re planning to work with sunlight to enhance fertility and regulate your cycles, make sure to expose your bare skin, free of sunscreen, to the sun’s rays. Studies have shown that daily exposure to sunlight in the morning hours for at least 45 minutes, especially during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, can increase both FSH and LH levels, thus increasing the chances of ovulation.
Besides encouraging ovulation, sunlight exposure can also be beneficial for female fertility in terms of its healing effects on the liver specifically and the cells throughout the whole body. When your body is exposed to the sun, your skin produces not only an inactive form of vitamin D (which is activated in the liver and kidneys), but also a substance known as fumaric acid. Fumaric acid can be generated naturally by the body upon sunlight exposure, or it can be taken via the use of Fumaria officinalis, the Earth Smoke Plant. Fumaric acid is a powerful healer for the gallbladder and liver, and has been shown to help treat all kinds of health issues, including psoriasis, lupus and other autoimmune diseases, male and female sexual dysfunctions, kidney disorders, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and much more.
Learn more about fumaric acid and the Fumaria officinalis plant here.
Finally, sunlight encourages the release of singlet oxygens, a type of Reactive Oxygen Species that can travel throughout the body in order to target and kill pathogens. Fumaric acid can release any pathogens that may have been hiding out in the liver and gallbladder, and thus allow these singlet oxygens to get rid of the pathogens once and for all. Since the liver and gallbladder both play a vital role in hormone health, this is an important aspect of sunlight's function to consider when it comes to the use of sunlight as a treatment for female infertility.
Read more here about how the gallbladder and the thyroid work together to regulate hormones.
Click here to learn about the role of the gallbladder in morning sickness and other symptoms during pregnancy.
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Resources:
• Danilenko, Konstantin V., et. al. (2007). Stimulatory effect of morning bright light on reproductive hormones and ovulation: results of a controlled crossover trial. Retrieved December 5, 2022 from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17290302/#:~:text=Conclusions%3A%20Morning%20exposure%20to%20bright,with%20slightly%20lengthened%20menstrual%20cycles
• Stropes, Laura (n.d). Lunaception: How the Moon, Light & Dark Affect Fertility. Retrieved December 5, 2022 from: https://www.mayway.com/articles/lunaception-how-the-moon-light-dark-affect-fertility
• Drake, Michele (2022). Sunlight & Ovulation: What’s the Link. Retrieved December 5, 2022 from: https://www.tempdrop.com/blogs/blog/sunlight-and-ovulation-what-you-need-to-know
• N.A. (n.d). Lunaception. Retrieved December 6, 2022 from: https://www.bionity.com/en/encyclopedia/Lunaception.html#:~:text=During%20the%20three%20fullest%20days,into%20balance%20with%20the%20light.
• N.A. (2021). What is lunaception? Retrieved December 6, 2022 from: https://www.holisticrenegadebirth.com/post/what-is-lunaception
