Vaginal Sexual Intercourse during Menstruation

The role of vaginal sexual intercourse during menstruation in the occurrence of endometriosis is controversial.

Key Points

Highlights:

• Sexual intercourse without protection during menstruation is likely to be the time of the greatest microbial contamination of the reproductive tract since pathogens can be passed on more easily during menstruation.

Importance:

• It is not a perversion to have vaginal sexual intercourse during menstruation. If the rules of safe sex are known and applied, an undesirable pregnancy, the development of sexually transmitted diseases or possible endometriosis can be prevented.

What's done here:

• The vaginal sexual intercourse during menstruation is examined and discussed from a biblical as well as modern medical point of view, in a scientific way.

Key Results:

• According to the Old Testament (Provisions of clean and unclean of the Mosaic Law), a menstruating woman or a man who had sexual relations with her were perceived as unclean for 7 days. Any unclean Israelites who participated in a ritual or a worshiping event would be killed because of their impurity and defiling God’s tabernacle.
• According to the New Testament, sexual contact during menstruation is considered as prostitution, since its unique purpose is usually the achievement of pleasure, not childbirth.
• The main aim of the Provisions was to promote the Israelites’ health, prevent them from contracting sexually transmitted diseases, and increase their fertility and the birth of healthy offspring.
• From today’s medical point of view, vaginal sexual intercourse without precaution during or shortly after menstruation is a risk factor for sexually transmitted diseases (HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea etc.).
• Vaginal sexual intercourse during menstruation may cause the period to stop faster than usual, since increased contractions in the uterus resulting in the menstrual material to expel more quickly.
• The likelihood of getting pregnant during unprotected menstrual sexual contact is very low.
• The role of menstrual sexual intercourse in the occurrence of endometriosis is controversial. Filer and Wu found that infertility patients who had menstrual sexual intercourse were almost twice more likely to have endometriosis than those who did not have. Increased intrauterine pressure during orgasm may assist in the transport of endometrial debris to an ectopic site. In the study of Darrow et al., no association was found between orgasm and sexual penetration during menstruation and endometriosis.
• Sexual intercourse during menstruation can negatively affect the man’s and woman’s sexual desire.
• Taking precautions (e.g., use of a condom) during menstrual sexual intercourse prevent health risks.
• Menstruating women should be released from prejudices that make her guilty and must have a healthy attitude toward her body.

Lay Summary

Mazokopakis and Samonis from Greece examined and discussed the vaginal sexual intercourse during menstruation from a biblical as well as a modern medical point of view in their paper published in MAEDICA – a Journal of Clinical Medicine in September 2018.

According to the Old Testament (Provisions of clean and unclean of the Mosaic Law), menstruating women were perceived as unclean for 7 days and must not be approached to have sexual intercourse by men. Otherwise, men will be regarded as unclean for 7 days and both must be cut off from the community. If any Israelites who were unclean participated in any ritual or worshiping event, they would be killed because of their impurity and defiling God’s tabernacle.

According to the New Testament, sexual contact during menstruation is considered as prostitution, since its unique purpose is usually the satisfaction of sexual instinct and the achievement of pleasure, not childbirth. These Provisions were essentially hygiene rules imposed by the social and cultural circumstances of that time which aimed to promote the Israelites’ health, prevent them from contracting sexually transmitted diseases, and increase their fertility and the birth of healthy offspring. In addition to Judaism and Christianity, Islam also forbids vaginal sexual intercourse during menstruation.

From today’s medical point of view, the health risks from sexual intercourse with a menstruating woman are the following: sexually transmitted diseases, the cessation of the period faster than usual, a minimal risk of undesired pregnancy, a questionable risk of endometriosis, negative effects on sexual desire.

Although Old Testament and the Mosaic Codes provided the basis for modern public health and preventive medicine today, regarding menstruating women as unclean and considering sexual contact during menstruation as prostitution, is undoubtedly a violation of women’s personality.

If the couples know and apply the rules of safe sex, an undesirable pregnancy and to prevent the development of sexually transmitted diseases or possible endometriosis can be prevented.

Research Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6290188/