ABSTRACT
A thirty-year-old woman, who was a virgin, had twice been on the point of yielding to a lover's advances when menstruation had suddenly set in on both occasions, once at the very last minute. The ambivalent nature of menstruation is clearly seen in this case, both as a means of seduction and, at the same time, of refusal. The defensive function of menstrual bleeding is quite clear. The fact that this defence is brought about by a bleeding from the genitals points to its being, physiologically, a genital hyperaemia, and therefore an expression of genital excitation. While having nothing against her sister's enjoying herself during the visit, she felt it was too much that it should be with this very man and under her very nose. The flow was quite normal, as was usual with her, but in another two weeks, that is to say, at the regular time, it returned.
