Period Sex: Let's Talk Benefits & Mess-Free Tips

Period sex – one of these topics where people’s opinions and lack of adequate knowledge surprise me every time it comes up. You think a woman’s natural bodily fluids are disgusting? You think period sex is dangerous? Vagina owners don’t want sex when they are on their period? You’ve got some unlearning and learning to do my friend!

A woman’s menstrual cycle and period is an integral and natural part of the woman’s body. Can we please stop telling women that parts of their bodies are ‘disgusting’? It upholds the notion that women’s bodies are shameful. Women have had their periods for as long as time, and they will probably keep having them, so I think it’s time we all get informed and start normalising our uterine activities. Period sex is a great opportunity to break gender stereotypes and by celebrating periods instead of stigmatising them we can get one step closer to gender equality. So, why is period sex great? What are the benefits? What do I need to do to have great period sex? Here are some useful tips and tricks for having some bloody fun!

Do you know why period blood is being kept out of porn? Spoiler alert: It’s censorship.

You might think you don’t see period blood in porn because people don’t want to see it. While there might be some truth to this statement, because we’ve done absolutely everything we can to stigmatise periods and women who practice period sex for the past decades, this is only a tiny little fraction of the problem. The real reason behind the lack of representation of period sex in porn is the sexist guidelines and preferences of credit card processors (Vice). Even processors who call themselves ‘porn friendly’ often have ridiculous rules for production companies to comply to if they want to be able to process payments for a movie. And unfortunately, there is no way around it. So ultimately, your credit card companies and payment processors are dictating your fantasies and sex life. To me, that’s scary and more people need to know about this.

If you’re a porn producer, your distribution website will be labelled as a so called “high risk” site. Big companies like Visa, MasterCard and PayPal don’t process payments from high risk sites. As a result, producers have to go to smaller, porn friendly processors to be able to process payments from customers. These smaller third party companies have strict guidelines in their user agreements that ban porn which depicts excessive violence, incest, and bodily fluids — including menstrual blood. While I think we can all agree that we want to keep the internet and porn sites as safe as possible and free of illegal content – how exactly is showing period blood a danger to society??!! If you don’t comply to these guidelines as a company, you risk losing your payment processor and the ability to take credit card payments which is an absolute necessity for your business to survive and grow.

Benefits of period sex

Pain Relief

Sex, wether it is with yourself or with a partner, is a natural pain killer due to the release of dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins. It helps with cramps and other period related pains like headaches! Sex is also a form of exercise which increases blood circulation and ultimately decreases pain. Plus, having sex while you are on your period can actually shorten the length of your period because it helps getting rid of the blood and uterine lining (Women’s Health Mag).

Many women experience increased levels of arousal when they are on their period

Yes you heard right. Many vagina owners are SUPER horny during their period. This can also be explained with hormones. The hormone progesterone which is often responsible for lowering your libido is at it’s lowest during your period (Huffpost). Therefore, you might experience increased levels of libido. There is not a whole lot of research about this though, so if you don’t feel especially horny during your period – don’t worry about it! Everyone works differently.

Blood = Natural lubricant

No more need for lube! Blood is the most natural and cheapest lubrication there is.

Break stereotypes and create intimacy

I think this point speaks for itself ?

Things to keep in mind

Is it true that women can not get pregnant while they’re on their period?

Not entirely no. Women are a lot less likely to get pregnant if they have a regular menstrual cycle, which means a cycle length of somewhere between 28 and 30 days. This means that if you have sex whilst on your period, you’re not likely to ovulate until several days later (Healthline). The likelihood that a woman will get pregnant one to two days after she starts bleeding is nearly zero. But the likelihood starts to increase again with each successive day, even though she’s still bleeding. Keep in mind that a man’s sperm can live inside a woman for up to 72 hours after ejaculation. Toward the end of your period, your chances of becoming pregnant will increase.

What about STDs/STIs?

From what I’ve read on health forums and articles, it is a common misconception that period sex lowers the risk of transmitting STI’s and STDs. Having sex while on your period does not protect you from STDs and STIs! I had to look up why exactly that is myself and found a comprehensive article on besafemeds.com. According to them, menstruation happens when a woman’s uterus is shedding the uterine lining, which has to pass through the cervix, which opens slightly during this time of the month. So, while blood comes out through the cervix, STIs can go in the opposite direction more easily into the uterus and fallopian tubes. They also explain that during her period, the pH of a woman’s vagina changes from being acidic to more alkaline. Acidity protects the body from infections, similar to what happens in our stomachs (a very acidic organ). Thus, the vagina becoming more alkaline makes the body more susceptible to disease and infection. But generally, if you are not experiencing any health issues, there’s no problem with increased infection during your period. The only increased risk exists if you have a blood-born health condition like for example HIV or hepatitis. You would have an increased chance of giving your partner the disease without a condom.

Tips and tricks for mess-free period sex

Move it to the shower! It’s easy and it’s fun.

Have you heard about the Ziggy Cup?
Refinery29 published an article about the so called Ziggy Cup! The Ziggy Cup is a reusable menstrual cup that can be worn during sex for a mess free experience! Check it out.

What’s your favourite thing about period sex? Let’s get past the taboo and talk about it on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter or leave a comment on my blog!

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Read what the media says about it:

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XConfessions app helps couples talk about their fantasies (Bustle)
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