"It's not like it's poison...it's just blood, it won't do anything to you..." says Jessica G, a 20-year-old woman who has sex during her period.

Sexual intercourse during the menstrual cycle is taboo or simply forbidden in some cultures, nonetheless there are many women (and men) who indulge. And doctors say there are health benefits.

However, because of the controversy surrounding the issue, many people do not readily admit to engaging in the act.
Jessica admits that she has had several sexual encounters during her time of the month. She recalled one particular instance, when she visited her boyfriend's house.

"My period lasts for five days, it was about day two...I had sex more than once," she said.

Before doing it, Jessica confessed to hesitating as she thought this kind of coupling was abnormal.
"It's gross," she said, "I thought he was joking at first but he wasn't."

While Jessica G is quite frank about getting intimate at that time of the month, she maintains that her boyfriend would never admit to doing it. "He's one of those guys who act bad and pretend that they'd never do that," she said.

Ayesha L readily identifies with Jessica's encounter and shared a similar story. Now an attractive 21-year-old, Ayesha admitted to engaging in these experiences since she was 17.

"I always have strong urges, so sometimes I just can't wait," she said. "And he wouldn't either. He was for the experimenting." But unlike Jessica, who used day two of her period, Ayesha waited until the last day when her flow was lighter.

Information from the website www.clitical.com reveals that the average woman has 500 periods during her lifetime: "She menstruates for around five days at a time, every 28 days or so, for what amounts to approximately half of her life," the site says. "With menstruation playing such a large role in a woman's life and therefore the life of her partner, it's inevitable that menstruation will affect her sex life at some point."

But does it lead to better sex?
"I wouldn't say it's better; I don't think great sex is dependent on your period," Ayesha said.

Jessica shared a similar opinion."I guess it's the adventure of trying something that's taboo that intensified the moment. That's just it with sex. We're all just little freaks."
If Jessica's theory is right, then, by her standards, Andrew M is a freak.

"I really don't see anything wrong with it," he said. He admitted to doing it on several occasions.
Dr Errol Daley, gynaecologist at Gynae Associates believes that there is nothing wrong with a couple who engages in intercourse while the woman is menstruating. Jokingly, he told all woman of an allusion to the story of Moses that might explain the issue a little better. "If the Red Sea assails thee, stretch for thy rod, lash both sides and press on," he said.
He added that a great majority of women, although they find it aesthetically displeasing, are more inclined to have sex during their period, as it is around this time that they are most aroused. "The reason for that may be hormonal/psychological," he said.

And gynaecologist Dr Monique Rainford agrees with her colleague and added an advantage: "If a woman has an orgasm during her menses it can relieve cramps and other menstrual pains," she said.

She cautioned however that unprotected sex during this time increases the chance of contracting HIV/AIDS, other Sexually Transmitted Infections as well as Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.

But while there might not be strong medical opposition, there are some religious ones. Ainsley Henriquez, director of the United Congregation of Israelites, said the [orthodox] Jewish community within Jamaica stands by the laws of the Old Testament, which stipulate that women, during their period, must not engage in sexual relations.

"After the end of the menstrual cycle, [the women] go through a ritual bath call Mikzeh - a cleansing," he added. They are, however, not totally separated from their husbands and children, as he said, women are a vital part of the family unit in Jewish tradition. Jews are not the only ones, who oppose this, so does Kerisha Williams, a 21-year-old student.

"I'm not willing to find out whether or not it's pleasurable because I think it's disgusting," she said. "Any guy that's not willing to wait until my period is finished can just go have sex with some other person."

An equally repulsed 18-year-old Namardo Narcisse agreed with her. "That's nasty, I'm not going to run the red light; me will wait 'til it done," he said.

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