05/27/2026
The better we understand women’s physiology the better we can treat & service pain around reproductive disfunction. Please enjoy today’s adhd hyperfixation, and checkout my sources below:
📚 Primary studies:
Helfrich-Förster et al. (2021). “Women temporarily synchronize their menstrual cycles with the luminance and gravimetric cycles of the Moon.” Science Advances, 7(5). — The 22 women / 32 years study.Helfrich-Förster et al. (2025). “Synchronization of women’s menstruation with the Moon has decreased but remains detectable when gravitational pull is strong.” Science Advances. — The post-2010 follow-up.Cutler, W.B. (1980). “Lunar and menstrual phase locking.” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 137(7). — Early signal study.Law, S.P. (1986). “The regulation of menstrual cycle and its relationship to the moon.” Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 65(1).🌙 Light, melatonin & reproductive biology:
Reiter et al. (2014). “Melatonin and the circadian system: contributions to successful female reproduction.” Fertility and Sterility, 102(2).Stocker et al. (2014). “Influence of shift work on early reproductive outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Obstetrics & Gynecology, 124(1). — Shift work + menstrual irregularity.Lawson et al. (2015). “Rotating shift work and menstrual cycle characteristics.” Epidemiology, 26(5).🔥 Melatonin + endometriosis:
Schwertner et al. (2013). “Efficacy of melatonin in the treatment of endometriosis: a phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.” Pain, 154(6). — The one most cited for melatonin + endo pain.Yilmaz et al. (2015). “Melatonin: a novel candidate for the treatment of endometriosis.” Gynecological Endocrinology.📜 Historical:
Pliny the Elder, Natural History, Book XXVIII, Chapter 23. (Perseus Tufts has it free online.)Buckley, T. (1982). “Menstruation and the Power of Yurok Women.” American Ethnologist, 9(1).King, H. (1998). Hippocrates’ Woman: Reading the Female Body in Ancient Greece. Routledge.
