I have never had period sex before.

Well, that's not entirely true. I had never had period sex up until I met my current girlfriend. The thing is though, if you read that first statement out loud, you'd be sure to get a lot of mixed reactions from a lot of different people.

Some of them would present you with a look of pure disgust, as if mentioning the phraseperiod sex was the same as if you had placed a bag of burning feces at their doorstep. Others would just look at you, shrug, and then go about their merry way.

Then there are those who would look at you shocked and appalled that you have never tried it before, because for some people, the pleasure from period sex was like regular sex on steroids. (Gentlemen: take note. It's like you've gained a temporary superpower).

When it comes to myself, it's sad to say I used to fall into the first category. When I was younger, I pictured a woman being on her period was similar to having Niagara Falls in between her legs and she had Mary Poppin's bag for a tampon or pad. Needless to say, this graphic depiction of a logistically impossible situation had me running to the hills before anyone could finish the words Tampax Pearl.

So when my girlfriend told me she was on her period, but still wanted to have sex, I immediately blurted out “Say what now?!” She looked at my perplexed face and inquired, “You've never had period sex before?”

I made a slight micro-expression of a grimace before responding “No. I haven't. Have you?” I didn't know if I expected her to laugh, to be disappointed, or to say she was completely joking. Instead, she smiled at me and told me to sit next to her on the bed.

She pulled out a towel from her drawer, placed it over the sheets, and guess what? We had sex as if it was any other ordinary day.

When I looked down at the towel, I braced myself to see the scene straight out of American Psycho.

Nothing. The towel was clean. The bed sheets were clean. The only real indication that she was even on her period was in her words.

“Surprised?” she asked, “I typically have a medium flow, but it's nearing the end of my cycle anyway.”

And that's when it hit me. Period sex wasn't some crazy, weird taboo act. It wasn't disgusting or cringe-worthy. Sure it can be a little messy, depending on the person, but it's nothing unmanageable. It's just sex... on her period.

That's when I had period sex for the first time.
That's when I realized that period sex is as normal as any other day of sex.

Written by Arthur Chen