Coconut oil can’t change your menstrual cycle
The claim: Eating coconut oil can shorten periods and reduce bleeding
Coconut oil has come a long way since the 1950s when saturated fat was considered a dietary boogeyman by the medical community. From boosting weight loss and hair growth to improving brain function and heart health, the plant-based oil is considered a veritable superfood – even though some of its virtues appear to be more hype than evidence-based.
One supposed health benefit circulating on social media is that coconut oil can help a woman with her periods.
“Eating a lil coconut oil helps shorten your period and reduce bleeding ladies!” claims a tweet shared in an Aug. 9, 2017, Facebook post that has gained renewed traction online.
A second image accompanying the post asserts the “essential fatty acids and antioxidants” contained in the oil are able to “regulate your menstrual cycle” and essentially staunch bleeding. The image, which appears to be a screenshot of a September 2016 personal blog post titled, “How to Stop Your Period Early,” also provides instructions on how to optimally ingest coconut oil to achieve those results.
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There’s no truth to this claim.
A women’s menstrual cycle is guided by the complex interaction between a variety of hormones principally produced by the ovaries – a pair of reproductive organs each no bigger than an almond – and the brain. Diet can somewhat influence one’s period, but eating coconut oil cannot in any way reduce or affect menstrual bleeding, health experts told USA TODAY.
USA TODAY has reached out to the Facebook poster for comment.
No scientific evidence for coconut oil and periods
While there may be some evidence that a type of cholesterol-lowering fat found in vegetable oils and nuts – called polyunsaturated fatty acids – may relieve premenstrual syndrome symptoms like depression and fatigue, there’s no scientific backing for coconut oil, said Dr. Megan Evans, an OB/GYN and assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine.
“Although coconut oil is increasingly being used for a variety of ailments, there is no evidence that eating coconut oil will stop or lighten a person’s menstrual cycle,” Evans wrote in an email to USA TODAY.
Dr. Nisha Verma, a Georgia-based OB/GYN and Darney-Landy Fellow at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, agreed, telling USA TODAY, “There is no scientific evidence suggesting coconut oil alters a person’s period.”
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A heavier menstrual flow can happen for any number of reasons, including birth control or other medication use, hormone levels and any pre-existing medical conditions like thyroid issues, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, uterine fibroids and even certain gynecological cancer.
Heavier flows can also be more common depending on age. Girls who have just started their periods – because they typically don’t ovulate regularly – and women near the end of their reproductive years are considered more likely to have more bleeding, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim eating coconut oil can shorten one’s period and reduce bleeding. Medical experts say there’s no scientific evidence that can stop or alter a person’s menstrual cycle.
Our fact-check sources:
- American Oil Chemists’ Society, accessed Aug 18, Coconut oil boom
- The Guardian, July 9, 2017, Coconut oil: are the health benefits a big fat lie?
- Harvard Health Publishing, Oct. 14, 2020, Coconut oil: heart-healthy or just hype?
- Skin Treatmentz, accessed Aug. 19, How to Stop Your Period Early
- Endotext, Aug. 5, 2018, The Normal Menstrual Cycle and Control of Ovulation
- Mayo Clinic, accessed Aug. 19, Normal ovary
- Live Science, May 30, 2013, To Relieve PMS, Look to Fatty Acids
- Dr. Megan Evans, Aug. 18, Email to USA TODAY
- Dr. Nisha Verma, Aug. 18, Email to USA TODAY
- Mayo Clinic, July 1, 2020, Menorrhagia (heavy menstrual bleeding)
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Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.
