In the last week, the talk of the town in the consulting room was the eclipse and its effects on pregnancy. Snehal’s (name changed) full family came to my consulting room only to discuss ” How to safe guard Snehal from the Sun in eclipse?”. The topic of effect of eclipse on pregnant woman and her unborn was discussed so widely that the relatives forgot to ask the medical questions completely! Soon my phone started buzzing with frenzied SMSs, calls and emails on eclipse and its effects on pregnancy. Soon i was enriched with some interesting, new myths around the topic. Here are some of them:
• Do not look at the sky/ sun/moon during the eclipse. Don’t go out.
• Cover the windows with dark films so that the natural light will not come in the house.
• Do not eat or drink anything during the eclipse.
• Do not use sharp objects to cut any thing. Don’t even keep sharp object close by… if you do so the baby will have cleft lip or torn lip.
• Do not move! Just sit at one place. Do not sleep.
• Do not watch TV or browse the internet. (Then what do you do?)
• Make fresh food after the eclipse. Throw away the food made before the eclipse.
The height of this was when someone asked me, “Doctor, will bad rays spread in the house, if we see the pictures of the eclipse on the TV/ computer? Interestingly everyone will tell “What not to do” but no one tells you “What is allowed to be done during eclipse?”
I tried to logically analyse the scientific material on the subject. I also checked the ‘so called’ material available on the ‘so called’ consumer sites for pregnant women. All say the same thing: Why take a chance? It is a matter of few hours. So follow the rituals. Be happy and elder’s at home happy.
But is there any scientific evidence for these concerns? Or they are baseless myths?
I have been in medical practice since 1996. In general, every year a minimum of 2 lunar and 2 solar eclipse occur. This number can go up to 7 per year at times. Thus,as i write this I can say that in my career as a gynaecologist, I have witnessed at least 100 eclipses. There have been many occasions when a woman has come in labour or delivered during the eclipse. I have not seen a single baby born with deformity during this time. I have not seen mother having some unexplained complication either.
Is it true that some different or harmful rays are emitted by the sun or moon during this time?
NASA has clarified that it is untrue that some harmful rays are emitted during eclipse. Even if we apply simple logic this is the way it goes:
The distance between the earth and the sun is some 150 million kilometres. The distance between earth and moon is 385 thousand kilometres. When the moon comes in between sun and earth you get solar eclipse. The sun does not have any brain or processing unit that it gets upset with the moon blocking it’s way and starts emitting harmful rays. And these so called rays are not some laser guided missiles which will not fall in straight line but hunt for pregnant women on the earth and target them.
Why were we taught not to look at sun directly during eclipse?
In the darkness the pupils of the eye dilate allowing more light to pass into eyes. During the day, the pupils contract. During the day it is impossible to look at the Sun. Excess exposure to rays can injure the eyes. During the eclipse, as the sun gets covered, there is darkness due to which the pupils dilate while one is looking at the sun with naked eyes. The moon moves away quickly due to which the intensity of light suddenly changes or increases exposure of the retina to the high intensity of light, thus damaging the eye.
In short there is nothing to do with good or bad rays from Sun.
Why so many myths around the eclipse?
Myths around Eclipse are not limited only to India. Almost across the globe, all communities, societies, religions have some or the other myths around eclipse. imagine the mankind few thousand years back. The whole life was dependent on the Sun and sunlight. The Sun and the moon were too objects which were sure and permanent and predictable in human life. No one knew the relationship of Sun, moon and earth. Suddenly at noon, if the Sun starts disappearing in unpredictable manner for some time, what would they think? A bad omen! In the absence of light or electricity, most of the work was finished during sunshine. So doing the work, going out, cooking or preparing food in dark.. all was probably risky. These things must have led to such myths.
But the myths are so wide spread that NASA had to publish a guidance on the subject (https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-misconceptions)
Now we need to decide whether to believe non scientific, irrational myths or believe in the science. In fact not eating for long or taking water for long can be more harmful to pregnant woman. So choice is yours entirely.