Is sex during period safe?

There are some things that are just not okay. Kicking puppies, flirting with your friend’s partner and having sex while menstruating. While the first two make me roaring mad, the idea of getting intimate, forget having sex during my period, makes me want to puke. It’s dirty and wet and not in a good way. But a girl i know (name withheld), is surprisingly okay with the idea. “Sex is sex. It doesn’t matter what day it is,” she says. “If we are in the mood, we just go for it. We’ve stained bedsheets, couches and what not! But I make sure that he always wears protection.”

The upside
Most of us curl up in our beds with hot packs, or seek comfort from a cup of cocoa or work our way through with the help of painkillers when we have our period. But there are many like her who have sex during their period with not a care in the world. Keeping the enjoyment factor aside, is it okay to have sex during your period?

“Some women claim sex during menstruation eases some of the usual discomfort of that time,” says sex expert Dr Mahinder Watsa. “An orgasm seems to relieve cramps and tension. Some women even say that sex helps soothe menstruation-related headaches and irritability. So sex is generally permitted during the menstrual cycle, especially when the flow is not so heavy.” Interestingly, some women are more aroused during their period and others find it easier to have orgasms during this time. “This may be due, at least in part, to the fact that periods are associated with a feeling of ‘fullness’ in a woman’s genital area,” says Dr Watsa.

Red flags
So how safe is sex during menstruation? It totally depends on whether the couple uses protection or is free from STDs or blood-borne diseases. In other words, it involves the same risks as unsafe sex at any other time of the month. During menstruation, a woman’s cervix opens to allow blood to pass through. This makes her more vulnerable to STIs. She’s also likely to pass blood-borne infections to her sexual partner during this time. Even yeast infections can occur during menstruation because of changes in the vagina’s pH balance.

People who are not certain they are in monogamous relationships are usually advised to use condoms or abstain. Some people may be under the impression that they need not worry about pregnancy during menstruation. The truth is, however, that it is possible for sperms that enter the body during menstruation to survive long enough to impregnate a woman. Though not likely, it is even possible for an egg to be released while a woman is still menstruating.

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