Sexual intercourse during the period is a common practice. According to a survey by a hygiene products company, 82% of the 500 women surveyed between the ages of 18 and 50 had sex during these days. However, prejudices and misinformation persist. Many wonder if it is possible to get pregnant during menstruation, if they can get infections from having sex, in addition to other doubts about the benefits and possible side effects.
Healthline notes that sexual intercourse during menstruation is quite safe and has some benefits, such as reducing menstrual pain, decreasing bleeding time by speeding up the emptying of the uterus, increasing libido and relieving migraine attacks.
But, like all sexual contact, it is not without risk. Those who do not use condoms can contract sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as hepatitis, a virus that lives in the blood and can be transmitted through contact with infected menstrual blood. The recommendation is to use condoms, which protect against many types of STIs, including chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV.
It should also be noted that sex with menstruation, depending on the abundance of the flow at that time, can cause quite a mess. Blood can fill you, your partner, the sheets, or any surface you are on.
Yes, It Is Possible to Get Pregnant on Your Period
By having unprotected sex you are exposed to infections and pregnancy. Although the chances of pregnancy are lower during your period, it cannot be completely ruled out.
Ovulation usually occurs between days 12 and 14 of the menstrual cycle, but this varies greatly from person to person. For those with a 35-day cycle, ovulation occurs on day 21, and for those with 21-day cycles, they ovulate on day 7.
This means that unless you track your cycle, it can be a challenge to know exactly when you ovulate and for some people the time between menstruation and ovulation can be quite short.
Once an egg is released from the ovary, it lives for 12 to 24 hours, while sperm can live for several days. This depends on where it is ejaculated, how it is stored and how quickly it dries. Frozen sperm can last for years in a controlled environment, but sperm ejaculated in a woman can live inside the uterus for 5 days. As a result, fertilization can occur within 24 hours of ovulation.
The chance of getting pregnant during the first two days of menstruation is considered to be very low, increasing with each passing day, so if you have unprotected sex at the end of your period, you are risking pregnancy.
Not all bleeding is period-related, some women have bleeding during ovulation or mid-cycle, which can be mistaken for menstruation, but would expose you to an even greater risk of pregnancy if you had unprotected sex during that time.
Your Cycle Is Part of Your Health
Historically, menstruation has been stigmatized by different cultures, which associate it to this day with something impure and shameful that has to be hidden from public view.
Sex during menstruation can be a very pleasurable experience that comes to rescue those days for the enjoyment of the body and sexuality, and to change that retrograde narrative to reclaim the days of the period as an opportunity to choose pleasure, empowerment and satisfaction.
Contact us! We are here to accompany you in your sexual and reproductive health decisions.
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