here are a few myths surrounding fertility, sex and the desire to have children. Perhaps you also have some questions about this that make you think, hmm, what exactly was that again, but maybe you don't feel comfortable asking? No problem, that's what we're here for. And, very importantly, there are no embarrassing or stupid questions, only stupid answers.
In our blog post Sex when you want to have children we have already looked at 6 myths that are NOT true if you want to get pregnant faster. Today we want to look at 16 general myths about sex, the desire to have children and fertility that you may have heard, but which are definitely false. Are you ready?
Myth 1: You can't get pregnant while breastfeeding
Yes, it is true that you are less likely to get pregnant while breastfeeding, as the hormone prolactin can prevent ovulation and it can generally take a while for your natural cycle to stabilise again after giving birth. Nevertheless, you do not have a 100% contraceptive guarantee and should definitely use additional contraception if you do not want to get pregnant again immediately.
Myth 2: If a man ejaculates into a pool, you can get pregnant
Suppose you are in a swimming pool or a spa and a man ejaculates into the water - can you get pregnant? The answer here is clear: no, you can't. If you ejaculate in water, the sperm die within a few seconds, as they are very sensitive to external influences and need an environment with the pH value of a vagina in order to remain viable.
Myth 3: Frequent male masturbation reduces fertility
No, that's not true either. Although it can take up to 24 hours for the full amount of sperm to be restored after ejaculation, the frequency of masturbation or sex does not reduce a man's fertility.
Myth 4: When you're pregnant, you have to eat for two
It would be nice. And it actually sounds quite logical, after all, you are now "two of a kind". It's true that your energy requirements increase by around 250 kcal per day during pregnancy, but we're not talking about a doubling of calories. What is certain, however, is that you now need more vitamins and minerals so that your baby can develop optimally, which is why a healthy and balanced diet is particularly important during pregnancy.
Myth 5: Like a man's nose, so is his John
You've probably heard this phrase before, right? However, this is just a myth: the size of certain parts of a man's body, such as his nose or fingers, bears no relation to the size of his "best piece".
Myth 6: The vagina is loose and stretched out after giving birth
This is a myth that frankly makes us a little angry. To summarise once again: The female vagina is a muscle that contracts again after childbirth. However, it makes sense to strengthen your pelvic floor as part of postnatal exercises, as the weight of the baby presses on the pelvic floor for 9 months during pregnancy and can weaken it.
Myth 7: Men get semen retention from too little sex or masturbation
Bad news for all men who like to use this statement as an excuse. If men do not ejaculate for a longer period of time and a "sperm blockage" forms as a result, the excess sperm is simply broken down again by the body.
Myth 8: Semen helps against sore throats
Semen is not a miracle cure and does not help against sore throats, nor does it contain many vitamins or the like. Male ejaculate consists of 95% water and only 5% proteins, enzymes, hormones, pheromones and electrolytes.
Myth 9: There are vaginal and clitoral orgasms
This myth is also persistent. What many people don't realise: The clitoris is bigger than you think and its thighs surround your vagina on both sides. That's why the clitoris is always present during orgasms, regardless of the type of penetration.
Myth 10: Sex can reduce athletic performance
Perhaps you have also heard that some sports coachesinside athleteThe reason for this is that athletes are told not to have sex before competitions, as this is said to be bad for their physical performance. However, there are no studies that correlate sexual activity with a decline in physical performance.
Myth 11: Sex can lead to premature induction of labour in pregnant women
Sex shortly before birth cannot trigger premature labour. In 2006, researchers from the Ohio University Medical Centre even published a study which found that women who were sexually active in the last three weeks of their pregnancy tended to give birth a little later. However, there have been no more studies in this direction since then, which is why no generalised conclusions should (yet) be drawn.
Myth 12: It depends on the size
Dieser Fakt wird einige Männer beruhigen, denn die Größe des Penis hat keine Auswirkung darauf, ob der Sex „gut“ oder „schlecht“ wahrgenommen wird. Rein biologisch gesehen ist es sogar so, dass die Vagina im Schnitt nur 8-10 cm lang ist und deshalb keine gewisse Penisgröße vonnöten ist, um eine Frau befriedigen zu können. Und generell, die Stimulierung der Klitoris ist ja sowieso Key 😉
Myth 13: Oysters and chocolate stimulate your sex drive
Certain foods, such as oysters or chocolate, are said to have an aphrodisiac effect, but there are no validated studies to confirm such assumptions.
Myth 14: The pull-out method is a safe method of contraception
In principle, the idea of pulling the penis out of the vagina before ejaculation to prevent sperm contact and thus avoid pregnancy is not a bad one. Unfortunately, it's not always that easy in practice. Small amounts of sperm can already be present in the so-called "pleasure drop", which is why we cannot recommend this method as a reliable method of contraception.
Although the "pleasure drop" or pre-ejaculate does not contain any sperm per se, a few sperm can still be present in the urethra after ejaculation and be flushed out together with the pleasure drop. In addition, sperm can also enter the urethra from the epididymis and vas deferens during sexual arousal.
Myth 15: You can't get pregnant during your period
As you already know, a woman has about 6 fertile days a month and can only be fertile during the time around her Ovulation become pregnant. Assuming a 28-day cycle, ovulation occurs around the 14th day. However, some women also have significantly shorter cycles, so it is quite possible for a woman to become pregnant during her period if she ovulates soon afterwards and sperm can survive in the fallopian tubes and uterus for around 3-5 days.
Want to know exactly when you're ovulating? Then we recommend our smart femSense ovulation tracker. The sensor patch measures your post-ovulatory temperature rise and tells you exactly when you are at your most fertile in the accompanying free app.
Myth 16: Sex burns a high amount of calories
If you thought that regular sex would mean you could confidently do without other sporting activities, then we're sorry to disappoint you. Of course, it depends on the duration, intensity, positions, etc., but on average you only burn around 85 to 150 calories during a 30-minute session. So as you can see, there's no harm in doing something for your physical fitness apart from sex.
Have you learnt something new, or did you already know that these are all just myths? Let us know on our Instagram and if you can think of any more myths about sex and fertility, keep them coming!
Sources:
Pregnancy myths: true or false? (26.01.2024)
12 sex myths and their truth content (26.01.2024)
Arsovski (26/01/2024), Myths about sexuality that you most likely still believe in
Sex in the pool: will the sperm survive? (26.01.2024)
Rudolf-Müller (26/01/2024), Pleasure drops
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