RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To study time distribution of spontaneous deliveries. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 1,791 spontaneous deliveries over a 4-year period (1993-1996) was made at the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Civil Hospital, Fano, Italy. Circular statistics techniques (maximization of mean vector length) were used. RESULTS: Some unexpected infradian disuniformities (with 60- and 90-hour periods) were observed. Moreover, a correlation between the distribution of spontaneous deliveries and the lunar phases was found. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, some unexpected infradian disuniformities were found. However, no biological explanations appear to be reasonable in light of current knowledge, so the interpretation of these results remains an open question.
Asunto(s)
Parto Obstétrico/estadística & datos numéricos , Periodicidad , Femenino , Humanos , Embarazo , Estudios RetrospectivosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between lunar position and the day of delivery; to investigate the synodic distribution of spontaneous deliveries, especially in relation to the presence of a full moon. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of 1248 spontaneous full-term deliveries in three-year period (36 lunar months), setted at Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Civil Hospital, Fano (Marche, Italy), using circular statistics techniques. RESULTS: A connection between the distribution of spontaneous full-term deliveries and the lunar month was found. The effect of the phases of the moon seems to be particularly relevant in multiparae and plurigravidae; in these cases, the mean day of delivery corresponds to the first or second day after the full moon. CONCLUSIONS: In this paper the effect of lunar phases on the time of delivery is shown. This influence seems to be especially relevant in the case of multiparae and plurigravidae. Nevertheless, it is too weak to allow for prediction regarding the days with the highest frequency of deliveries.
Asunto(s)
Parto Obstétrico/estadística & datos numéricos , Luna , Embarazo Múltiple/estadística & datos numéricos , Intervalos de Confianza , Femenino , Humanos , Paridad , Embarazo , Estudios RetrospectivosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To point out the influence of the lunar position on the distribution of deliveries. METHODS: We examined all the full-term spontaneous deliveries that occurred at the Civil Hospital in Fano (March) throughout 24 synodic months in a 2-year period (1993-1994). In order to perform the statistical analysis, each delivery was considered as a single measure. We used techniques of circular statistics to execute data analysis. RESULTS: A significant relationship between lunar position and distribution of deliveries was pointed out in multigravidae (in detail, the deliveries resulted clustered around the full moon phase). On the contrary, no significant relation was observed in primigravidae. CONCLUSIONS: The observed results evidence a significant influence of the position of the moon on the distribution of deliveries, especially in multigravidae.