Temporal variation in sexually transmitted infection diagnoses across the lunar infradian rhythm: an 8-year retrospective analysis

We examined whether the timing of healthcare visits for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomonas was related to lunar phases. We retrospectively analyzed patients over a 7-year period who had testing for Neisseria gonorrhea, Chlamydia trachomatis, or Trichomonas vaginalis. We included 152,153 encounters in our analysis of which 10,106 (6.6%) tested positive for gonorrhea, chlamydia, or trichomonas. Female sex, age greater than 35 years, White race, married marital status, nonweekend visits, and nonemergency visits were all associated with lower likelihood of a positive test result for a sexually transmitted infection. In multivariable analysis (n = 141,370), the new moon was associated with lower likelihood of a positive test result for gonorrhea compared to the full moon (p = .05). No moon phase was associated with positive chlamydia test (n = 145,645). Multivariable modeling (n = 39,504) revealed lower likelihood of a positive test result for trichomonas (p = .04) with the waning crescent compared to the full moon. Although isolated significant findings were observed, they were inconsistent across STIs and likely reflect artifacts of multiple testing rather than robust results. Therefore, in conclusion, no consistent association was found between lunar infradian rhythms and likelihood of a positive test result for sexually transmitted infections.