Reply #14: If he's willing and I'm in the mood, we're doing it!

[LibLover]

Sex During That Time of Month

Is it dangerous to have sex during a woman's period?

By Sandor Gardos, PhD
WebMD Answers to Questions

Unfortunately there is still a great deal of misinformation circulating about women's menstrual cycles. We're past the days when we believed a menstruating woman would curdle milk with which she came into contact. Yet many still wonder whether menstrual blood isn't somehow "dirty." The belief that sex during a woman's period could be somehow dangerous or unhealthy has its origins in myths such as these.

The reality is that menstrual blood is nothing more than the remains of the uterine lining, shed after it's no longer needed. This lining builds up to prepare for the possible implanting of a fertilized egg. But if a woman doesn't become pregnant, then it's shed over the course of several days and a new lining begins to build.

Sex during menstruation doesn't pose any additional health risk to you or your partner. If either of you has a sexually transmittable infection, the blood can make it easier to transmit. However, there would always be a chance of transmission even if you weren't having your period. If this is at all a concern for you, you should be using a condom -- menstrual cycle or not!

Remember that just because you're having your period doesn't mean you can't get pregnant. Be sure to continue using birth control unless you are trying to become pregnant.

Of course, sex during a woman's period is a little messier. Many couples, however, take great pleasure in the extra lubrication and "earthiness" of it. About the only "precaution" you need to take is putting down a towel first if you are worried about staining the sheets (and maybe having a few moist towels laying around for use afterwards). But beyond that, and the caveat about infections such as HIV, there's no other reason to be concerned.

And many women find sex eases the cramps that sometimes come with menstruation. It seems to be the orgasms that do it: Many women report that an orgasm or two -- with or without intercourse -- works better than any drug. Of course, having sex also gives you a great distraction!

So feel free to have all the sex you want during your period. In fact, if it helps your cramps, then you can even say, "Doctor's orders!"