5 Sex Myths Busted!
The Sex Ed East podcast, Do We Know Things? recently turned 1 year old! The first full episode was released on Nov 25, 2019. The podcast examines the things we think we know about sex and often focuses on myths and misunderstandings about sex.
To celebrate, on the latest episode, I did a recap of the Top 5 Sex Myths that were busted so far on the podcast. Here is my countdown:
Myth #5: All people with vaginas should be doing Kegels exercises regularly.
A “Kegel” exercise involves tensing and releasing the muscles in your pelvic floor: the muscles you would use to stop your urine mid-stream. Magazines, wellness websites, and other sources are always touting the necessity of doing these exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor. On episode 9, What is a Kegel Anyway? pelvic floor physiotherapist (a.k.a. kegel expert) Katie Kelly informed us that while strengthening the pelvic floor is important, some people are too tense and they actually need to relax their floor. There is no point in trying to flex your muscles if they are perpetually flexed! If you are concerned about your pelvic floor, if you pee when you sneeze, or have any pain in that region, I highly, highly recommend seeing a pelvic floor physio.
Myth #4: Penis size is important
This one really seems a lot more important to the penis-havers in the crowd, but the research shows it’s not that important to most women who have sex with them. On Episode 19: Awkward Questions from Confused Guys, I reviewed the research on this topic and found that, for heterosexual women at least, about 80% said they aren’t too concerned about penis size. There is so much more to good sex that penises. The people with penises are much more concerned with size.
Myth #3: Virginity is important.
In fact, virginity isn’t real! On Episode 22, student intern Julia Kaufmann reviewed the history and background of the concept of virginity. It turns out that the idea of virginity shifts and changes over time, just like our understanding of things like hymens and purity. Virginity tends to centre around women and be framed as something that can be “lost” or “given away.” But it is just not a thing! Virginity is a social construct, nothing more.
Myth #2: People with clitorises should have orgasms from penile penetration
This wasn’t a myth I specifically looked into. On Episode 1: Orgasms from PVI, I was looking into a stat that often circulates, which states that only 25% of women have orgasms from penile-vaginal-intercourse (PVI). That stat is probably close to correct, but I didn’t realize how many people still think that they are supposed to have orgasms from penetration alone. Most people with clitorises need direct clitoral stimulation to achieve orgasm, and for most, PVI doesn’t do that! I can’t believe this is still a thing people don’t know about. It really shows how male-centric our understanding of sex is!
Myth #1 - Peeing after sex prevents UTIs.
From my perspective, this is definitely the number one myth busted this year. There is no evidence that this is true. On Episode 11, To Pee or Not To Pee, I discuss my annoyance at medical professionals still recommending that people with vaginas pee after sex, while simultaneously saying there is no evidence that it does anything. UTIs are caused by bacteria, so the best way to prevent one is by all parties cleaning themselves BEFORE rubbing assorted body parts on one another. Reviewing this research and finding out that peeing after sex to prevent UTIs was a myth was truly the triumph of my year.