Maine Senate Hopeful Reportedly Claims Monthly Rectal Bleeding Is a “Period”

An extraordinary series of Reddit posts attributed to Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Ashley Webb is raising eyebrows—and some very obvious medical questions.

Ashley Webb, a transgender and self-described intersex candidate seeking Maine’s Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, has reportedly claimed that monthly rectal bleeding is the result of menstruation—even though medical scans have apparently found no uterus or ovaries.

Yes, you read that correctly.

The statements appeared in older Reddit posts allegedly written under the username “sparky603.” That account recently published a campaign announcement closely resembling Webb’s official campaign messaging, describing its author as a transgender and intersex woman from Farmington who was personally managing a long-shot Senate campaign.

Webb’s candidacy itself is genuine. The Maine Democratic Party lists Webb among the contenders seeking its Senate nomination, while a Portland Press Herald voter guide identifies Webb as a former New Hampshire legislative candidate now managing both the campaign and its finances. Maine Democratic Party, Portland Press Herald voter guide

What has not been independently established is whether Webb wrote every older post attributed to “sparky603,” or whether the medical assertions contained in them have ever been substantiated.

According to excerpts published by Breitbart, the Reddit author described having an XY karyotype and male external anatomy but nevertheless expressed a belief that internal female reproductive organs might be present.

The author reportedly claimed to feel recurring pain near the abdomen and bladder, followed by bleeding from the rectum. The explanation offered was that menstrual blood had somehow formed an “exit connection” through the colon because no vaginal opening was available.

That is quite a claim.

The author also acknowledged that colonoscopies had reportedly found no explanation for the bleeding and that CT scans had failed to locate either a uterus or ovaries. Nevertheless, the posts continued to characterize the episodes as monthly periods.

No medical records, diagnostic reports or statements from treating physicians were presented to support that conclusion.

Recurring rectal bleeding can have numerous causes and warrants evaluation by a qualified medical professional. Calling it menstruation does not make it menstruation—particularly when the reproductive organs required for menstruation have not been medically identified.

Despite the attention surrounding these assertions, Webb has emphasized that the campaign is not centered on gender identity.

“My platform is healthcare accountability, rural infrastructure investment, corporate accountability, government transparency, and where I stand on foreign policy,” Webb reportedly wrote. “Representation matters, but I’m not asking anyone to vote for me just because of who I am.”

That may be the intended campaign message. But when a candidate reportedly claims unexplained rectal bleeding is evidence of a monthly period, voters—and probably more than a few physicians—are inevitably going to have follow-up questions.

Editor’s note: The Reddit account appears connected to Webb’s campaign announcement, but the authorship of every historical post and the medical claims contained in those posts have not been independently verified.