If you see no reason to abstain from sex during menstruation, well, you've got plenty of company. Lots of couples think that's as ripe a time as any (especially ifshe's one of those women who are especially randy then). But if you just don't feel comfortable making love during that time of month, relax. Millions of other people feel the same way.

One ofthe most common objections is that it's messy, but if you both feel the urge, that's not an insoluble problem. Consider "that time of month" as a time for experimenting with making love in the shower, for example, or having an erotIc encounter that doesn't involve intercourse.

Or the woman can try wearing a diaphragm to dam the flow and then taking it out after intercourse. (If the diaphragm is your only birth control method, though, you'll have to use another kind of contraceptive as backup. Normally, a diaphragm should be left in place for 6 to 8 hours after intercourse; removing it right away increases your risk of pregnancy.)