Menstruation Sex: Arguments and Facts
Text: Olga Lukinskaya
MENSTRUATION - NORMAL PART OF FEMALE PHYSIOLOGYbut in the social system of values a difficult attitude has been formed towards it. On the one hand, menarche (first menstruation) is an important point in growing up for a girl, about whom it is customary to arrange a holiday in some cultures. On the other hand, the onset of menstruation is often associated with such negative feelings and emotions as discomfort and shame. Women are forced to believe that periods are dirty and indecent, so they need to be hidden.
With such an attitude to menstruation, sex during it may also seem forbidden. The rationale for taboos ranges from medical explanations about the increased risk of infections to, again, the idea that menstruation is dirty and a man should not see them. Despite the eternal relevance of this problem, the available research and statistics on sex during menstruation is very small. One of the last large-scale surveys was conducted by the World Health Organization in the 80s. Then, 54% of women in the UK believed that sexual contact during menstruation should be avoided, and in more conservative regions, such as in Latin America and Asia, this figure reached 98%.
Prejudice is strong today: a recent study by the creators of the protective tampon-membrane Flex for sex during menstruation showed that many women avoid closeness during menstruation and refuse it twice as often as men. "Women told us that they are embarrassed to dirty everything around and to" spoil the moment "by telling the man about menstruation," says the founder of the company, Loren Schulte. In an attempt to dispel or confirm widespread doubts, we asked the gynecologists Oksana Bogdashevskaya and Natalya Artikova whether you can still have sex during menstruation.
Does the risk of infection increase during contact during menstruation?
It is known that viruses, including HIV, can be present in any body fluid, including menstrual blood. During menstruation, there is a slight expansion of the lumen of the cervix, devoid of protective mucus, rich in antibodies. This facilitates the entry of pathogens into the woman’s body, but does not mean that standard preventive measures will not be enough. According to Oksana Bogdashevskaya, in combination with abundant nutrient medium in the form of menstrual flow, ideal conditions are created for ascending infections. This may well lead to the development of inflammatory diseases in the pelvis and in the future, cause tubal-peritoneal infertility.
Another gynecologist Natalya Artikova believes that the risk of infection is relevant primarily in contacts with new partners (and then you must use condoms). If the partner has passed fire, water and copper pipes with you (translated into gynecological language, “stable and constant”), then the question of possible inflammatory diseases of the pelvic organs is not urgent. The environment of the vagina becomes more acidic during menstruation, and theoretically it can promote the growth of fungi that cause candidiasis. However, there is currently no evidence of any increase in the risk of thrush caused by sex during menstruation. Of course, one should not forget about individual risk factors. If you are not completely healthy, the possibility of the occurrence and exacerbation of chronic infections is not excluded, therefore consult a gynecologist who you trust.
Is it true during menstruation decreases libido
Traditionally it is believed that the libido in women reaches a peak during the period of ovulation and decreases at the beginning of the menstrual cycle, when the probability of conception is minimal. Nevertheless, more and more data from surveys and surveys suggest that during menstruation many women want intimacy. Perhaps these results are influenced by the fact that talking about sex and menstruation becomes less taboo. The flow of blood to the pelvic organs promotes rapid arousal, and the sensitivity of the uterus, which rejects the mucous membrane, promotes powerful orgasms. The effect of social and medical factors can also be noted. For example, amid hormonal contraception, ovulation and menstruation are absent, mood swings and libido are smoothed out, so the desire for sex during withdrawal bleeding may be the same as on other days.
With regard to aids, with the onset of menstruation, no special conditions also arise. Moreover, if on other days of the cycle you cannot do without a lubricant, it is quite possible that it will not be necessary during menstruation. If this need remains, choose a lubricant that you like best. In his research, writer and sex enlightener Corey Silverberg found out that during menstruation (as always), it is best to use water-based or silicone-based lubricants, depending on personal preferences: silicone does not dry out any longer, but water is friends with silicone sex -toes
Is it possible not to be afraid of getting pregnant
In the first days of the menstrual cycle, the probability of pregnancy is reduced to a minimum. Of course, this is not a reason to refuse a condom - unless it is a reason not to worry that it will break. Although the calendar method of contraception is recognized as one of the least reliable (the Pearl index is from 9 to 40, according to various studies), for many couples who continue to use it, menstruation is the period of least risk, and therefore the most pleasure.
Nevertheless, it should be remembered that pregnancy after unprotected sex during menstruation is not uncommon, especially if the contact occurs on the fourth or fifth day of the shortened (21-26 days) cycle. The menstrual cycle is not always stable: with a constant length of 28-30 days, with ovulation on the 12-14th day, sex during menstruation is safe, but with a short cycle (21-26 days), ovulation can occur shortly after menstruation, and spermatozoon quite able to wait an egg for three to five days.
Can sex relieve menstrual pain or make menstruation shorter
Light physical exertion in combination with oxytocin and endorphins, which are produced during orgasm, can alleviate the pain in the abdomen, weaken the headache and improve mood. The same effect can be achieved by training with low or medium intensity (the ban on physical education during menstruation is another popular myth). Sex helps to reduce pain due to three mechanisms: contraction and relaxation of muscles, the production of joy hormones, as well as arousal and pleasant emotions that allow you to escape from suffering. According to available data, at the time of orgasm, the perception of pain in women decreased by 75%.
Dr. Artikova states that sex during menstruation is useful for women with heavy bleeding; oxytocin (the pleasure hormone) increases the contraction of the smooth muscles of the uterus, with the result that its mucous membrane rejects faster, and the duration of menstruation can be reduced. According to the results of a study conducted by the University of Athens, more than half of the women in the pre-menopausal period showed excessively heavy bleeding; while 83% of them confirmed that they had sex during menstruation. Although, according to scientists, excessive bleeding was caused primarily by hormonal factors - it is possible that sex also played a certain role.
On the other hand, due to frequent and strong contractions during orgasm, the uterus gets the opportunity to reject the mucous membrane more quickly, which means that the number of menstruation days may decrease. There is an opinion that sex during menstruation is associated with the development of endometriosis, but it is not entirely justified. According to Dr. Bogdashevskaya, there is currently no answer to the question of whether sexual contact or orgasm can cause retrograde blood flow (its penetration from the fallopian tubes into the abdominal cavity), one of the recognized mechanisms for the development of endometriosis. There is even evidence that sex during menstruation reduces the risk of this disease.
How to find a compromise with a partner
Women in same-sex couples have fewer preconceptions about menstruation. With regard to sex with men, girls often think that menstruation can push a partner. And in vain: from a survey on the Reddit website, it follows that for most men there is nothing special about their periods. Many say that they do not prefer sex during menstruation sex on other days, but do not consider it to be something repulsive. Several respondents answered that they didn’t see a problem in this, unlike their girls, and only one wrote that he couldn’t stand the sight of blood, and he connected it with an incident in childhood, when he almost remained without a finger. Anyway, sex is a pleasure for both partners regardless of gender: refuse to be intimate if one of you doesn’t want it or is in discomfort.
Another argument is not in favor of sex during menstruation - the prospect of staining everything around, but the practical inconvenience can be avoided if you think about them in advance. Have sex in the shower, not on a beige textile sofa. Bed dark bedding, prepare wet wipes. In addition, sex does not have to be penetrating: you can do without external stimulation without removing the tampon. And most importantly - do not forget about mutual consent.
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