Claim: Some social media users claimed that newborn baby girls can menstruate shortly after birth, sparking widespread debate and confusion among parents and caregivers.

Verdict

Misleading. Medical experts explain that while some newborn girls may experience light vaginal bleeding within the first week of life, this is not menstruation, but a normal, temporary hormonal response known as neonatal uterine bleeding or pseudomenstruation. It is usually harmless and resolves on its own within a few days.

Full Text

Last week, social media posts surfaced claiming that newborn baby girls can “menstruate” shortly after birth. The claim sparked shock, confusion, and debate among many users, while others dismissed it as a myth.

The claim gained traction after health advocate and paediatrician Dr Ayobola Adebowale and obstetrician-gynaecologist Dr Ose Etiobhio shared explanatory posts on their X (formerly Twitter) handles.

Adebowale explained in a video that newborns can experience light bleeding after birth due to hormonal withdrawal.

“Let me tell you something. Have you heard about a newborn menstruating before? It can happen in newborns. It is not a new thing, and it shouldn’t be a worry. When the child was in her mother’s womb, she got exposed to her mother’s hormones, so when she comes out and doesn’t have access to the mother’s hormones again, she can start menstruating, and it lasts for about 3 days, after which it stops, and usually doesn’t occur again,” she said.

Ose Etiobhio supported this explanation in a poetic thread describing it as a “mini menstruation.”

“Yes, a newborn baby girl can menstruate. New mothers and fathers, get in here… While she was still curled inside you, she lived on your hormones… And then, suddenly, she was born. The cord was cut, the rhythm changed, and her little body realised Mama’s hormones are gone. And so, her tiny womb, still remembering what it was taught, sheds its lining one last time,” she wrote.

Their posts received wide engagement, with many users resharing, commenting, and quoting the term “newborn menstruation,” which contributed to the claim spreading rapidly online.

This prompted questions among parents and caregivers about whether the phenomenon is medically accurate, how common it is, and if it signals any health issue.

Medical experts, however, say the claim is misunderstood. What happens in some newborn girls is not menstruation in the menstrual cycle sense, but a short period of vaginal bleeding triggered by maternal hormonal withdrawal after birth. This physiological response is known as neonatal uterine bleeding or pseudomenstruation, and it is documented in scientific literature.

Verification

To verify the claim, The Guardian looked at a systematic review published in Biomed Hub in 2021 by Judith Dekker and colleagues.

The review analysed data from 10 cohort studies spanning several decades to understand the prevalence, timing, and characteristics of neonatal uterine bleeding.

The researchers reviewed over 1,900 articles and found consistent patterns despite variations in screening methods. The review remains one of the most comprehensive scientific assessments of this phenomenon to date.

According to the study, “the prevalence of visible bleeding ranged from 3.3 to 53.8% and the prevalence of occult bleeding from 25.4 to 96.7%. The occurrence was the highest between the 3rd and 7th day postpartum (PP) and the bleeding lasted for 3–4 days on average.”

These findings were further supported by a 2017 study by Maria Chiara Lucchetti and colleagues, published in the American Journal of Pediatrics and Neonatology.

The researchers also examined the prevalence and biological basis of neonatal uterine bleeding.

They noted that, “Neonatal uterine bleeding (NUB) occurs in approximately 5% of newborns and represents, similarly as menstrual bleeding, a progesterone (PG) withdrawal bleeding.”

“While evident NUB is relatively rare, biochemical proofs of vaginal bleeding can be found in 25–61% of neonates, depending on different methods used to detect it.”

Taken together, both studies confirm that neonatal uterine bleeding is a well-documented physiological phenomenon, usually appearing within the first week of life and resolving naturally without intervention.

Experts’ Opinions

Paediatric Surgeon at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Dr. Felix Alakaloko, described the claim that newborn girls menstruate as “slightly misleading.”

He explained that the bleeding observed in some newborns happens as a result of maternal hormonal withdrawal, not actual menstruation
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“What happens is that the female child is exposed to the hormones of the mother. The sudden withdrawal of the hormone can make the child bleed. It’s not menstruation or something,” he told The Guardian.

Alakaloko clarified that menstruation implies cyclical monthly shedding, which is not the case in newborns.
“When you say menstruation, that means cyclical — every month, there will be shedding of blood. But for those children, that’s not a monthly affair,” he noted.

He added that while the occurrence is not very common, it is occasionally seen in Nigeria.

He advised parents to visit a hospital for proper evaluation rather than panic.

“If mothers notice that, they should just come to the hospital. They will be reassured. Of course, we usually do investigations to be sure what the source is. Bleeding is not something you just take lightly,” he said.

Consultant Paediatrician and Senior Research Fellow at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Dr Salako Olurotimi, described the occurrence as pseudomenstruation, a common physiological response in female newborns.

He explained that pseudomenstruation occurs due to the sudden drop in maternal oestrogen levels after birth, which can lead to withdrawal bleeding.

“Pseudomenstruation in newborns is a common phenomenon where female newborns may exhibit vaginal bleeding or spotting shortly after birth. This occurs due to the sudden drop in maternal estrogen levels after birth, which can cause withdrawal bleeding,” he said.

Salako highlighted the key medical points:

Causes: Hormonal changes, specifically the decrease in oestrogen levels after birth.

Symptoms: Vaginal bleeding or spotting, sometimes with a white or clear discharge.

Duration: Typically resolves on its own within a few days to a week.

Treatment: None required, as it’s a self-limiting condition.

Importance: It is crucial to distinguish pseudomenstruation from other causes of vaginal bleeding, such as infection or trauma.

He advised that parents should always consult healthcare professionals if they have concerns, to ensure proper evaluation and guidance.

Conclusion

The claim that newborn girls menstruate is misleading. What occurs in some newborn girls is not menstruation, but a normal and temporary hormonal response known as neonatal uterine bleeding or pseudomenstruation.

It typically occurs between the 3rd and 7th day after birth, lasts a few days, and resolves without treatment.

Medical experts advise parents not to panic, but to seek medical evaluation to rule out other possible causes if needed.