Q: My husband and I have just been married for 2 months, and he is one of those who is particularly energetic. When I menstruate, he also has sex. Do you know if having sex during menstruation can lead to pregnancy? Is menstrual sex harmful to the body?
Expert answer: Generally, the probability of pregnancy during menstruation is relatively low, but it is also possible to become pregnant. Additionally, during menstruation, women's body resistance is weak, and sexual activity can cause inflammation. Therefore, sexual activity during menstruation is not recommended. Below, we will explain to you the dangers of menstrual sex!
1. Causing sexual apathy in women
The menstrual period is influenced by endocrine factors, leading to a decrease in brain excitability and often accompanied by mild fatigue, depression, or irritability. Generally, women are also unwilling to have sexual intercourse during this period. Even during sexual intercourse, it is often difficult to obtain pleasure due to emotional influence, and over time, it is also one of the reasons for women's frigidity.
2. Reproductive system infection
When a woman's menstrual cycle comes, the endometrium (the layer of tissue inside the uterus) peels down and falls off in blocks. During menstrual intercourse in women, it is easy to bring bacteria from the external genitalia and perineum (the area between the vaginal opening and anus) into the vagina, cervix, and even into the uterus. Bacteria grow and multiply in the area with blood, causing inflammation on the spot, called endometritis. Not only does it cause fever and lower abdominal pain, but it also increases menstrual bleeding and prolongs the menstrual period.
If the bacterial virulence of the infection is strong, it may also spread to the outside of the uterus through the lymphatic vessels of the endometrium, entering the pelvic cavity, causing acute adnexitis (including fallopian tubes and ovaries) and pelvic peritonitis, which not only causes fever and abdominal pain, but may also affect future fertility. Once the fallopian tubes become inflamed, adhesion can occur. In severe cases, the lumen is blocked, and sperm cannot pass through, preventing conception.
3. Endometriosis
If the woman experiences sexual activity during menstruation, when the excitement reaches its peak, the uterus will contract. At this time, endometrial fragments that have already fallen off in the uterine cavity can enter the fallopian tubes with the pressure of uterine contraction, enter the abdominal cavity and pelvic cavity along the fallopian tubes, and no matter where they fall and grow locally, endometriosis will occur.
This disease can cause adhesions between the fallopian tubes, uterus, and pelvic cavity, as well as surface hypertrophy of the ovaries and blood storage. It can disrupt the normal development and growth of eggs and also affect ovulation, ultimately leading to infertility. Therefore, sexual intercourse is not advisable during menstruation.
4. Irregular menstruation
During menstruation, the endometrium is extensively congested. If sexual activity occurs, coupled with a series of nerve reflexes caused by the stimulation of sexual activity, it can cause varying degrees of uterine contraction, exacerbating congestion in the sexual organs. Menstruation becomes irregular, manifested as an increase in menstrual blood volume, prolonged menstruation, or incomplete menstruation. It can also exacerbate discomfort during menstruation, such as restlessness, breast pain, and lower back pain.
5. Endometritis
Usually, there is cervical mucus in the cervical canal, which can prevent vaginal secretions from entering the uterus and play a self-defense role. If the uterine opening is opened during menstruation, this mucus rushes out with the menstrual blood, and the endometrium is also in the process of shedding, forming a new wound on the endometrium. Sexual intercourse may inevitably bring bacteria into the female reproductive tract. If bacteria enter the uterine cavity for a long time and encounter the wound on the endometrium, it is conducive to bacterial reproduction, which may lead to endometritis and even cause incurable pelvic inflammatory disease (gynecological), Causing pain to the female partner and damaging the health of the wife.
6. Reduced ability to resist diseases and diseases
Due to extensive congestion of pelvic organs during menstruation, the ability to resist diseases also decreases. Therefore, during sexual activity during menstruation, the chances of inducing urinary tract infections also increase. Bacteria mixed in menstrual blood, vaginal discharge, semen or urine, and retrograde invasion of the urethra can lead to frequent urination, urgency, painful urination, or bloody urination.
7. Urethral irritation symptoms
Sexual intercourse during menstruation can also have adverse effects on the male body, leading to symptoms of urethral irritation, which is caused by menstrual secretions entering the male urethra. Sexual intercourse during menstruation can be inconvenient, so even during first marriages or family visits, as well as some men with strong sexual desire, it is important to control sexual impulses during the woman's menstrual period.