Pregnant women just might be able to influence when they give birth, according to the new study from the Yale School of Public Health, reports the Daily Mail.
After analyzing birth-certificate information for all births across 11 years, U.S. researchers noted some statistical anomalies when it came to Halloween and Valentine’s Day.
Researchers found that, on Halloween – a holiday associated with scary costumes and the dead – spontaneous births decreased 5.3 percent and caesarean births by 16.9 percent.
However, on Valentine’s Day – a holiday associated with love and romance – there was a 3.6 percent increase in spontaneous childbirth, and a 12.1 percent increase in caesarean births.
Researchers concluded that cultural beliefs may have an effect on mothers-to-be, who might have some control or influence over the timing of spontaneous births, according to the findings published in the journal Social Science and Medicine.
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