Last updated on October 21, 2020
Question:
Is there any danger to having sex during your menstrual period?
Answer:
Sex during a woman’s menstrual period was forbidden under the Old Testament law. It is a derivative of the laws of uncleanness when a woman is having her monthly period. “If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening” (Leviticus 15:19). Hence, to purposely ignore this law was willful disobedience. “Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness as long as she is in her customary impurity” (Leviticus 18:19). The punishment was exile for both the man and the woman. “If there is a man who lies with a menstruous woman and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her flow, and she has exposed the flow of her blood; thus both of them shall be cut off from among their people” (Leviticus 20:18).
Today we recognized that many of the Mosaical laws of uncleanness encouraged common sense health practices. Blood is rich in nutrients and can easily become a breeding ground for many germs. The chance of passing a disease is significantly higher during your blood flow.
Because we tend to be more sanitary (we bathe frequently) sex during a wife’s period is considered safe. It is unlikely that your husband will pass on anything to you to which you have not already been exposed. However, this is not the case in fornication. Those having sex outside of marriage typically have numerous partners and can carry diseases from one partner to the next. This transfer of disease is more likely to occur during a woman’s menses. This makes the warnings concerning disease amongst unmarried couples engaging in sex more significant. “And you mourn at last, when your flesh and your body are consumed” (Proverbs 5:11). “Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; he who does so destroys his own soul. Wounds and dishonor he will get” (Proverbs 6:32-33).