The 7 most common misconceptions about sex

We review the most common and outdated myths about our intimate life.

Despite the wide access to information that we currently have thanks to the Internet, there are still myths or erroneous beliefs related to sexuality, there are still myths or erroneous beliefs related to sexuality, which to a greater or lesser extent that to a greater or lesser extent condition our sexual experience.

The fact is that the availability of information does not always make our lives easier or help prevent problems if that information is inadequate because it is adjusted to macho patterns or is not based on scientific conclusions. This is what happens in many websites with little contrasted contents, based on purely popular beliefs about different aspects of sexuality.

Although this inappropriate information can influence everyone, regardless of their age, it is the child-adolescent population that is most vulnerable to this erroneous content. Once again, education becomes a key tool to counteract the possible harmful effects that all this may entail.

Most frequent myths or erroneous beliefs about sex

In our experience within Sex Education programs that we carry out in schools in different cities, we have found that many of these myths are perpetuated throughout the generations. In this way, many of these erroneous beliefs that a large part of adolescents currently have, were held by adults when they were at that stage of the evolutionary cycle. In this sense, there is an unquestionable perpetuation over time of sexual attitudes that in some cases are not desirable/healthy.

Next, we explain the myths or erroneous beliefs that we most frequently encounter in the classes.

The first time intercourse (vaginal penetration) there is no possibility of pregnancy and it always hurts.

It must be said that there is no relationship between the first time this sexual practice is performed and the greater or lesser probability of pregnancy, since it is the use of an effective contraceptive method that reduces the possibility of pregnancy.

We also say that the first coital intercourse does not have to hurt unconditionally for physiological reasons, since the vagina is an elastic structure capable of "welcoming" any size of penis, as it is designed, among other things, for that purpose.

It is true that sometimes pain may appear during that first time due to the importance that in our culture represents the intercourse.. This makes both men and women go to their first intercourse with high expectations that in many cases, produces nervousness, anxiety and even fear (due to the appearance of pain). All this can cause in the case of women a decrease in arousal (due to nervousness, fear, etc.) so that the level of lubrication decreases and therefore it is more likely the onset of pain.

2. "Sexual intercourse is the most pleasurable sexual practice".

There are no Biological elements that allow us to confirm such an affirmation, on the other hand There are many social conditioning factors that cause us to fall into a coitocentric vision of sexuality.or, in other words, to make sex revolve around sexual intercourse. In this way, this sexual practice can be as pleasurable as many others: masturbation, oral sex, etc. We can find numerous cases of couples who, without having intercourse, feel a high degree of sexual satisfaction. Everything will depend on taste and preferences.

3. "The size of the penis is very important in sexual relations".

Ehis belief is widespread in today's society and consists of giving excessive importance to the size of the penis.. Thus, it is believed that a large penis is associated with more sexual potency or even with obtaining a higher level of pleasure. The truth is that size is relatively important in itself, unless the person's taste or preference is along those lines. In any case and in general terms, sexual potency has little to do with the size of the penis since there are many elements in the sexual scene that will determine whether or not to feel satisfied.

Consequently, it is important not to fall into this obsession and to think more in terms of functionality than in terms of size, that is, to focus more on whether the penis is functional (if it fulfills the pleasurable, physiological and reproductive function it has) than on the centimeters it measures. If the penis is functional, the rest (size, shape, etc.) is secondary.

4. "The man is the one who has to carry the active part of the sexual relation".

Gender culture has attributed some roles to men and others to women. Thus, the former must be active, take the initiative in the relationship and be responsible for the woman's pleasure (in the case of heterosexual relations). Women should be more passive and "let themselves be done". It is important to consider that both men and women have the same sexual rights and therefore adopt the desired role regardless of what the culture dictates.

5. "The 'reversal' is a good contraceptive method."

This practice consists of having intercourse without using any contraceptive method and withdrawing the penis from the vagina when the man is about to ejaculate, doing it outside the vagina. To think that "reverse intercourse" is an effective contraceptive method is a dangerous and erroneous belief, in addition to being wrong. Firstly, because before ejaculating, the man emits pre-seminal fluid which, although it does not contain sperm, could drag sperm located in the urethra from past ejaculations, so the risk of pregnancy would be important.

On the other hand, it does not protect us from Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) since contact between genitals and especially vaginal penetration is the greatest risk of infection (along with unprotected anal intercourse).

6. "The condom takes away sensitivity, it cuts the roll".

Incorporating the use of condoms (male or female) in our sexual relations is one of the healthiest practices we can do. we can do. The condom has a thickness of approximately one millimeter, this makes the "loss" of sensitivity is minimal. Going into sexual intercourse thinking that the condom is going to take away my sensitivity is going to predispose me to this happening, so the attitude should not be that, but rather that I gain much more than I "lose" (if I lose anything) by using it.

7. "If the man loses his erection, it is because he does not consider his partner attractive".

When erection loss occurs frequently we can raise the possibility that there is an erection problem, which is rarely caused by the fact that he does not consider his partner attractive.This is rarely caused by the fact that the partner is unattractive. The most frequent causes of this problem have to do with the anxiety generated by the fact that it will happen again, the fear of failure or the desire to make the grade, among others.

As we see once again, training is the most effective tool to combat these beliefs. At Formación Psicológica we have been teaching a Sex Education Instructor course for more than ten years. which enables the person who takes it to carry out educational projects in schools and secondary education institutes where they can work on this and other areas of sexuality.