Does The Solar Eclipse Affect Your Period? Some Women Say It Really Does

Today, August 21, 2017, a solar eclipse will be visible across nearly all of the United States for the first time since February 26, 1979. While this is a pretty rare and exciting moment in astrological history, some women are claiming that the solar eclipse is also causing some... weird side effects. Namely, to their menstrual cycle. Can the solar eclipse affect your period? Is this a real thing we have to be concerned with now?

Tamar Lesnoy, 29, told Cosmopolitan.com that her period has been "like clockwork for years. "But for the last month, it's been bizarre. Never in my life has happened." Gigi Engle, 26, echoed a similar sentiment when she said her cramping this week has been "unreal." "So intense that I feel like I have to breathe through them like contractions and down fistfuls of Advil," she continued. "I finished my cycle last week, but starting yesterday I've been experiencing terrible cramping again. I almost thought I had PID [pelvic inflammatory disease]."

To be perfectly honest, I'm not usually someone who is susceptible to crying at work, but last week, when I was on my period, I straight up sobbed in my boss's office. I just couldn't control the flow of tears! Christ, it was so embarrassing. I don't think I've cried that hard since... wow, probably since I went through my last breakup, which happened in January. Can I seriously blame the solar eclipse?

Some experts say maybe.

A key thing to remember is that during a solar eclipse, a new moon cycle starts, and that could be what's giving us these crazy periods and abnormal mood swings: "Traditionally, the new moon is associated with menstruation, when a woman's body is shedding, releasing, and bleeding," Allison Walton, a women's health and integrative nutrition specialist in Richmond, Virginia, told Cosmopolitan.com. "Known as the White Moon Cycle, it's a time to deeply nurture and honor the body, allowing plenty of space to restore."

So if a new moon cycle is beginning, that means it'll take about 28 days (that's how long a lunar month is) for the moon to go through four phases: new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter. Women also take about 28 days to through four phases of their menstrual cycle: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal. HMMMM. COULD THERE BE A CONNECTION?

"We tend to feel the strongest pulls during the full moon, which may result in heightened emotions and feelings of heaviness on a physical and energetic level," she continued. "Think about the power of the moon's gravitational pull on the tides. Now imagine what that may do to our body as well."

There's not much additional research on this topic, but it's interesting to keep in mind if you've been feeling particularly PMS-y this month. You really could be experiencing the effects of the solar eclipse.