Nature Quickie: Orgasms as Backcountry Cramp Relief?

with nurse & bike tourist Mary Ann Thomas

Sex Outside Nature Quickies are short, 5-minute dives into a specific, practical topic about our bodies and the outdoors. This one features nurse and bike tourist Mary Ann Thomas as we explore if and how orgasms can help alleviate menstrual cramping and other period symptoms, and how to manage the potential mess of period sex in the outdoors.

Mentioned in this Bonus Content:

Additional Resources:

Mary Ann Thomas (Mat) in their element.

Mary Ann Thomas (Mat) in their element.


Sex Outside is a Ravel Media production.
Hosted by Laura Borichevsky.
Cover artwork by Hailey Hirst.
Music by Calica licensed via MusicBed.

TRANSCRIPT

Note: This transcript was lightly edited and created using a transcription service. As such it may contain spelling errors.

Laura Borichevsky - Narration:

You’re listening to a Sex Outside Nature Quickie-- a short 5-minute dive into a specific, practical topic about our bodies and the outdoors. I’m Laura Borichevsky.

Mary Ann Thomas:

I can go into more of why orgasms are good for cramps if you want. [ laughter ]

Laura Borichevsky:

Yeah-- I mean, that was going to be my next question. It piqued my curiosity, for sure. 

Laura Borichevsky - Narration:

That’s Mary Ann Thomas, who often goes by Mat. They recently joined me to take over an episode of our sister podcast, She Explores, where we talked at length about navigating menstruation when it comes to spending time outside. Mat is a queer brown femme, a current ICU nurse, a former travel nurse, a bike tourist, and a writer--- which means they were the perfect person to answer all of my questions about periods. And as we started talking about managing one less-loved, yet extremely common period symptom-- cramps-- Mat brought up a solution that we don’t often talk about. Orgasms. Specifically, orgasms as a way to alleviate menstrual cramping.

Mary Ann Thomas:

Orgasms are also a really great way to manage cramps, especially through solo sex. There's a lot of evidence around orgasms releasing endorphins, especially like oxytocin and dopamine. That flood of hormones can relieve pain. It can also relieve other periods symptoms like sadness, depression, irritability, those kinds of things. Those hormones are really good for your body.

Laura Borichevsky - Narration:

All the research says Mat’s totally spot on. In fact, in addition to relieving pain and boosting your mood from a natural hormone release after climaxing, a lot of the benefits you might feel from orgasming indoors-- like improved sleep, for example-- applies when you’re camping overnight somewhere, too. 

By the way, Mat noted solo sex, or masturbation-- intentionally in this case.

Mary Ann Thomas:

I mentioned solo sex in particular, because there are a variety of reasons. You might not want to have partner sex, or you might not have somebody who you have sex with on your trip. And I'll also say for a lot of people like penetrative sex is not necessary to have an orgasm and the orgasm is what's important. It doesn't have to be penetrative.

Laura Borichevsky - Narration:

So in short-- if this is about you alleviating cramps by way of orgasm, then don’t be shy about those needs, whether you’re solo or with a partner on your trip.

Something else to consider, especially outdoors, is the potential for additional mess with period sex-- even solo sex. This is a great time to experiment. If using a menstrual cup, some folks opt to keep it inserted while mastrubating, while others choose to leave period underwear on and focus on more external stimulation. There are endless ways to test the waters so next time you’re cramping, it’s worth trying out.

For partner sex, particularly vaginally penetrative period sex, there are additional things to think about too-- one of them being UTIs, or urinary tract infections, which can really put a damper on adventure time and even lead to serious complications if left untreated. I asked Mat what they thought about the possibility of contracting a UTI while outdoors and engaging in this type of sexual activity, and how to mitigate the risk. 

Mary Ann Thomas:

So I would say yes, there is an increased risk of UTI in the outdoors, generally, especially around sex. And there are some studies that show that there's an increased risk of yeast infections and UTIs during period sex. But that said, I really I'm grounded in harm reduction. And we can all understand the risks and we can make decisions using our agency, and understanding the risks associated with the behavior and make choices to reduce that risk. So yes, there are increased risks of UTI of yeast infections around vaginally penetrative period sex. But if you're going to have penetrative sex in outdoors, maybe do it when you're camped somewhere that has the running water source, right, where you can actually jump in a lake afterwards and get clean. Build in that kind of aftercare time. Precare: like make sure that you're clean beforehand. Make sure you wash up after-- like precare and aftercare for this activity so that you can, you know, have the kind of sex you want to have in the outdoors.

Oh, and peeing after sex. Of course. [ laughter ]

Laura Borichevsky - Narration:

Thanks so much to Mary Ann Thomas for joining us for this Sex Outside Nature Quickie. For more information to continue your research, tap the links in our profile. If you enjoyed this conversation, you’ll also want to check out the full interview with Mat and myself over on the She Explores podcast in an episode called “Taking Your Period Outdoors”. You can find more from Mat on their Instagram @postcardsfrommat, and follow along with us @sexoutsidepod for more action between episodes. Music is by Calica, licensed via musicbed. Sex Outside is a Ravel Media production. I’m Laura Borichevsky. Thanks for joining us. Until next time!


QuickieLaura BorichevskyOrgasms, MenstruationComment