Yes, I agree, this statement is quite irrational on many levels, and I do not believe the Buddha said anything like it. If he did, he was superstitious, sexist, and wrong!
It is found in various other Vinaya texts. In my view, this, and the whole narrative of the ordination of Mahapajapati as we have it today, were added around 100 years after the Buddha’s death, some time around the Second Council.