Spoiler Alert: the title does, in fact, refer to period sex. Like it or leave it, that’s the sex-ed you’re getting.

When I first started dating my boyfriend, I declined some dinner-and-drinks dates because of my period. When eventually the “I’m too tired” excuse became suspicious at 2pm, I had to tell him the reason why I wouldn’t bang him for five days a month. So, I said I didn’t want to come (no pun intended) because my body was in the midst of a civil war and girls are off limits during that time of the month, right? He texted back, “I’ll see you in an hour.”

I hate blood, to the point where it’s almost cruel that I have to deal with it every month. I am rarely horny on my period, and the last thing I ever thought I would want to do is have sex with someone while on it. However, after my experience with period sex, there is something rather intimate about it. In particular, letting someone into the most personal aspect of your body and having them not only accept it, but love it. This was something I was not used to, and perhaps that is why girls feel exposed on their period. They don’t want to be touched or loved during this time because they’ve endured a lifetime of menstruation stigma and tampon taxes. Once you let go of that fear, once you embrace who you are as a person and as a woman, you open a door with your partner, a mecca of mutual respect and understanding. At the end of the day, isn’t that what sex is actually about?

I have a theory that things are considered “taboo” because there is a widespread culture of pretending you haven’t spent a few hours googling it. I act like I don’t partake in period sex because my friend turns her nose up at it. What if my pretending makes her assume I too think it’s weird and it’s just one big cycle of nodding our heads at the idea that t what makes us women is unfuckable? Great day for feminism, ladies.

The point is, do not be ashamed of your reproductive system, because, guess what, that’s how life does or (hopefully at this stage) does not begin. It’s really a beautiful thing. As is the sex you have when you realise you are, in fact, not carrying a foetus for another month. If that doesn’t turn you on, I’m not sure what will. Also, I am almost certain that as long as your partner is sticking something inside you and it’s a nice, warm, wet hole for them, they will take it. But, in the spirit of consent, make sure you tell them first.

Here are some tips that I am going to share with you. Put a towel down. Have your undies or a tampon nearby. Take caution when using lube as it can make the blood a bit more runny. Don’t laugh when he says “you’re so wet” because he has forgotten about the situation. Be vigilant. If you’re changing positions or taking it out, have some tissues beside you and do it slowly.

At the end of the day, sex is one of the most animalistic things humans do for pleasure. I mean, there is literally a part of my vulva there for nothing else but pleasure. Orgasms are transcending, like you are lifted into another realm and it’s just you and him. So,  that’s what you focus on, the glory of the orgasm, not the teaspoon of blood trickling out of you. Loosen up, talk it out, and try it. And, like always, enjoy it. (If you’re still paranoid about it, you can always do it in the shower … and don’t forget that the shower head has more than one use!).

You should love your body for everything it is. The good, the bad, and the blood. It is 2017, our ancestors didn’t fight for us to have the right to vote, access to contraception, and equal educational opportunities, only for us to be ashamed of our bodies. Or not have sex for five days a month. My vote is tell him you’re on the blob and see what happens. Period sex is completely natural, organic even. It’s time we started loving our bodies for what they are.