Sexual intercourse during menstruation eases cramps in women – Gynaecologist

Dr. Teddy Agida, an obstetrician and gynaecologist with the University Teaching Hospital Gwagwalada, Abuja, said sexual intercourse during menstruation can ease cramps.

Agida said this on Thursday in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.

He said it was absolutely safe to have sexual intercourse when a woman is menstruating, adding that some women observed it could reduce cramps.

He said: “Sex while you are menstruating can help ease the symptoms of pre-menstrual syndrome.

“Many women say that orgasm can ease their cramps and the orgasmic contractions of the uterus offer a soothing internal massage.

“Many women also prefer having sex more when they are menstruating because of increased feelings of fullness in the pelvic and genital areas.”

The expert, however, noted that the chances of sexually transmitted diseases and infections were high during this period, warning that the cervix is open to allow blood to pass through.


Agida further said that passage of blood created the pathway for bacteria to travel deep into the pelvic cavity.

He said: “If any of the couple is infected with blood borne diseases like HIV and hepatitis, it can be transmitted during menstruation and more likely to develop yeast or bacterial infections.

“Yeast can grow because the vagina’s pH during menstruation is less acidic.”


The gynaecologist also observed that pregnancy could be achieved during menstruation depending on the cycle of the woman.

He said: “Normally, every woman follows a 28 to 32-day cycle.

“In less common scenarios, a woman with a shorter menstrual cycle may be 24 days could have seven days of bleeding.

“She could have intercourse on her final day of bleeding and ovulate three days later and as sperms live for three to five days, she could definitely get pregnant.”

Agida also said some women experienced breakthrough spotting or bleeding between periods.

He said it occurred during ovulation and could be mistaken for a period, making it difficult to establish the exact place in the menstrual cycle.

Agida suggested that the option of contraception should not be forgone if the woman was not expecting to have a baby.

According to him, perceiving intercourse as unsafe during menstruation was a myth that originated largely from religious texts.

He said: “Many people wrongly believed that women were dirty or unclean while menstruating.

“And for this reason, contact with menstruating women was limited or forbidden entirely.

“In fact, some religions still adhere to these practices.

“However, medically and secularly speaking, there is no reason not to have sex on your period.”

Agida, however, advised that irrespective of individual religious beliefs, it was necessary couples had the understanding and ensure that intercourse was for the benefit of both.

He also suggested that couples could explore kissing and oral means of satisfying each other during menstruation or rather abstain.