Scarleteen

I have a friend who swears it is dangerous to swim in a lake or other body of water while on your period, because you can get an infection. This sounds completely crazy and illogical to me, especially since I have gone swimming in lakes while on my period many, many times over the years! Out of curiosity, I looked this up, but found absolutely nothing about being more vulnerable to infection if you swim in lakes on your period. So, I think my friend is nuts. And I am wondering where on earth she got that bit of misinformation. Has anyone ever heard a wives' tale similar to this?

This is definitely a new one for me. You're right that it's incorrect, and while we can't know where she got the idea from, it does sound to me like something that was a word of mouth rumor.