Earlyface

If you're having your period, you may be assuming that sex is off-limits. Maybe you don't feel comfortable being intimate during your period, or you often feel unattractive or just unclean. Maybe your partner isn't comfortable with intimacy while you're menstruating.

In the end, choosing to have sex during ?that time of month? is a personal choice that both you and your partner have to be comfortable with. If you want to, however, there's no reason you can't enjoy intimacy at all times of your menstrual cycle. In fact, it may bring real health benefits.

Having sex during your period may help provide pain relief for menstrual cramps by providing feel-good endorphins that are released during orgasm. Sex during your period could also help to shorten your period by a few days: You will still have a normal, healthy period, but the additional contractions that your uterus experiences during orgasm might help shed your menstrual blood faster, therefore ending your period a bit sooner than usual.

Step One: Get Comfortable With the Idea

You and your partner should clearly discuss your concerns about having menstruation sex because you both need to be comfortable and able to enjoy yourselves. "Menstrual blood actually makes a very nice lubricant and may enhance sexual satisfaction for some couples," says Kellie Flood-Shaffer, MD, an associate professor and division director of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

"Unless personal, religious, or cultural tradition restricts sex during menstruation, it is not any more dangerous, uncomfortable, or, for that matter, particularly more messy in most situations," says Dr. Flood-Shaffer.

"Personal comfort with sex during menstruation is both a male and female issue, as many women are taught that they are 'dirty' during that time, and many men are taught that menstrual blood can be 'dangerous' to their prowess ? neither of which has any scientific basis, but cultural taboos can be very strong and are important," Flood-Shaffer notes.

So talk to your partner about concerns that each of you have ? including ways to stay safe and to contain any mess ? and about the potential pleasure and benefits that you can both enjoy.

Keeping Menstruation Sex Less Messy

There are plenty of ways to avoid making a mess if you have sex during your period. "Menstrual flow is what it is. It is a little 'messy,' but most couples who enjoy sex during menstruation are prepared with a towel on the bed" under the pelvic area, says Flood-Shaffer. "And, depending on the amount of bleeding, having a warm, wet, washcloth nearby to freshen up with afterwards or taking a quick shower are helpful."

You can also position yourself to lessen the mess. Try sex with the woman lying on her back to reduce bleeding. And use a type of depression that can also help to contain menstrual blood: A cervical cap or diaphragm can help protect you from pregnancy as well as lessening menstrual bleeding during sex by covering the cervix, the opening of the uterus through which the period blood flows.

Menstruation Sex Should Still Be Safe

Just because you are having sex during your period doesn't mean that it's safe to have unprotected sex. "We recommend the usual safe-sex practices when having sex during menstruation," says Flood-Shaffer. "Yes, you can still contract an STD [sexually transmitted disease], so use a condom. This may not apply to monogamous couples who have been together for a long time in a committed relationship."

And although not common, pregnancy risks are still a concern, even during menstruation. "Although it is very rare, there are reported cases of pregnancy in couples who only had sex during menstruation," says Flood-Shaffer. "The likelihood is extremely small but not zero. Generally speaking, this is a very safe time to have intercourse if you?re trying to avoid pregnancy."

"In a committed couple, information about the safety of sexual relations during menstruation may give them a comfort level," she says. "Never understate the importance of safe sexual practices."

For couples who want to explore sex during menstruation, just remember to take your normal safety precautions to prevent unwanted pregnancy and STDs. And with a few alterations to your normal routine, you can enjoy a whole new sexual experience.