SEX DURING YOUR PERIOD: TOP FACTS

If you thought that sex during menstruation is off-limits, think again. Many of us are hesitant to try it, because we’re culturally conditioned to think it’s unclean. 

Text: David Joshua Jennings
Image: OLJ Studio
20 March 2015

From a purely medical standpoint, however, sex during menstruation is completely normal. It even has a lot of benefits for both partners. Here are some top facts…

1. Sex during menstruation isn’t harmful
   There’s a pervasive myth out there that menstrual blood is dirty and full of impurities that might harm the penis. This is nonsense! Menstrual blood is a mixture of healthy blood and the discarded tissues that line the uterus each month in preparation for pregnancy. Coming in contact with this blood will not harm the penis in any way. In fact, menstruation blood serves as a great (and harmless) lubricant.
   
   There is also a common misconception that the penis can hurt the uterus during sex while she’s having her period. Although it’s true that a tiny opening corps up in the uterus to pass menstrual blood during her period, this hole is impossibly small for the penis to enter. Sex during menstruation causes absolutely no harm to a woman’s uterus.
2. Menstruation may increase a woman’s sex drive
   Many women feel a higher sex drive during their menstrual cycle. There is a lot of conflicting and confusing information about why this happens. But one reason, according to Sara Gottfried, M.D., author of The Hormone Cure, is that a woman’s estrogen is at an all-time low at the beginning of her period. As her estrogen levels rise over the following week, her testosterone levels rise as well, helping her be turned on more easily.
   
   Another factor may be the increased blood flow and lubrication in the genital region, a heaviness that could translate into arousal. The possibility of getting pregnant is also lower during this time, which might make women feel more sexually liberal. Also, some women may become aroused by the thought of doing something sexually forbidden or unconventional.
3. You can still get pregnant
   The chances of becoming pregnant during menstruation are extremely small, but it can still happen. Though generally it is a very safe time to have unprotected sex if you’re trying to avoid pregnancy, a man’s sperm has the ability to survive inside the woman’s body for a few days and there is a small chance that an early ovulation could cause pregnancy. If you want to avoid getting pregnant, it is best to use contraceptives.
4. Sex during menstruation can relieve cramps 
   Having an orgasm during the period may give you pain relief from cramps by releasing pain-reducing endorphins into the bloodstream. Also, according to some scientists, sex during this time provides further relief by using up chemicals, which are responsible for menstrual cramps.
   
   Sex during menstruation could also knock a few days off your period. This is because the extra contractions your uterus experiences during orgasm help get rid of menstrual blood faster, ending your cycle sooner than usual. But, you can expect a heavy flow during the initial days.
5. It’s more often women, not men, opposed to the idea
   According to a recent survey conducted on MensHealth.com, it's women, rather than men, who choose to shut down sexual activities during menstruation. More than 75 percent of the men who were surveyed said they had no issues about having sex during their partner’s period, though 54 percent said they would only do it with a wife or serious girlfriend.
    

Do you know some more interesting facts about sex during the period? Share your knowledge with us – leave a comment below or on Facebook.