When I first started dating at 16, I was sure of only two major rules of dating: always abide by the three days rule and don't expect a guy to want anything to do with you during your time of the month.

I never even though to question that logic, I mean, I didn't even want to deal with my own period so how could I expect anyone to want to do the same? All the logistics and accommodations all just seemed like a hassle anyway so I figured sitting out a week for the rest of my life wouldn't kill anybody.

Flash forward to the first weekend my current long-distance boyfriend was able to see me in a while and my period decided to come a few days early. What started off as an offhand joke by me turned into a "well...why not?" from him.

So we tried period sex, and this is what happened.

Everything does feel more heightened

Ironically, your time of the month ends up being when you are the most turned on. This phenomenon does have a psychical explanation, your body is a hormonal mess during those few days so its natural to have an increase in sex drive due to all that. But there's also the mental aspect that society has made us consider period sex to be so taboo that even the thought of it makes us feel a little dirty.

I will admit, as it was happening a little part of me knew that this was "forbidden" but that just made feel all the better.

There were barely any hiccups

The actual experience required minimal assistance. In my life, there have been moments where I just was not enjoying myself until I finally admitted defeat, rolled over, and poured some KY Intense in my hand. In this situation, there was much more natural lubrication that everything went off without a hitch. So while it literally feels better, knowing everyone is comfortable and enjoying themselves also adds to that.

It's not for the faint of heart though. My partner and I opted to dim the lights down so neither of us had to see too much of what was going on. Unless you're into that, then go right ahead.

It actually helped my symptoms

My entire life I have been battling severe menstrual cramps, the possibility that I may not even be up for any sort of activity was my main reservation about it in the first place. The next day, however, I found that I actually benefitted from the whole thing. My cramps had significantly lessened and my fatigue was no more.

Orgasms have been known to be a great natural alternative to pain relievers. Dr. Jennifer Wilder was quoted on POPSUGAR saying, "The reason that having an orgasm can help ease menstrual cramps is that when a woman climaxes, more blood rushes to the uterus, which can help with cramps. Essentially, your orgasms are performing a double service for you"

It actually shortened my period too. Since I am currently not on any sort of birth control I like to keep track on my periods, as I was tracking I noticed this time it ended two days faster than usual. A quick Google search showed that orgasms contracts the uterus and causes everything to flush out faster.

The fallout was also a major factor

There was a lot of accommodations that had to be made such as location and surface area. We tried to plan everything to avoid as little mess as possible which is about the least sexiest thing to do before having sex. Plus since everything had to be set there was almost no way of it being a spur of the moment activity, which for some people, is one of the things they most enjoy.

While it actually ended up being a lot less of a mess than I anticipated, it was still nice knowing we had planned ahead of time to make sure nothing suffered too much damage. Be prepared to lay down some defenses or have a big clean-up afterward.

The verdict

While it was overall a positive experience between the two of us, it will probably still continue to be a once in a while thing and that is all because of personal preference. It had some major benefits, but it still required an extra effort that we probably will not want to do once a month. Which again is just for us, you may end up trying it and insisting it is a monthly occurrence. It's your sex life, you're the one in charge.

There are a bunch of reasons why period sex needs to shed all the negative stigma that is attached to it, try it out next time you can if you're up for it. Who knows, you may like it more than you think you would.