Avoiding intercourse during a woman's period is a common taboo throughout the world, in many different cultures and time periods. In some societies, women were isolated from the rest of the community during the menses. Women were thought to have special powers during "that time of the month." Plus many other superstitious believes were and are still prevalent in many parts of the world. Such superstitions kept changing with the growth of literacy.

For the average, mutually monogamous couple with no sexually transmitted disease, there is no medical reason to avoid sex during menses. Blood is a good medium for certain infectious agents to grow in, and blood does transmit the HIV virus, so certainly those at risk should not have sex during a period -- or ever have sex without a condom.

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