Common MYTHS

What is a myth?

A myth is a statement that has either proven to be false or there is no evidence to support that it is true. It is not true

MYTH: Everyone you know is doing it.

FACT: Not true. Everyone you know maybe thinking or talking about sex but not everyone is doing it. Consider the statistics. More than half of teenagers are virgins until they’re at least 17 years old. That means the other half is not doing it. Don’t believe everything you hear. People lie, and exaggerate, and can talk a good game when it comes to sexual antics. In the end, it doesn’t matter who’s telling the truth or not. The only truth that matters is what’s best for you.

MYTH: A girl cannot get pregnant the first time she has sexual intercourse.

FACT: FALSE.  If a girl has begun puberty and/or had her first period she can get pregnant. If a woman begins to ovulate (when the egg leaves the ovary and travels down the fallopian tube) she is considered fertile and she may or may not have had her first period at the time.

MYTH: Having sexual intercourse and then jumping up and down, or peeing to ‘deter’ the sperm from ‘doing their job’ will prevent pregnancy.

FACT: None of these ‘methods’ will prevent pregnancy. Sperm can survive for several days inside a female’s body and they are genetically programmed to find their way to the egg.

MYTH: There is really something wrong with a guy who has not had sex by 18 years old.

FACT: There is no magical age by which anyone needs to have sex. There is nothing wrong with being a virgin. You have a right to wait until you are in a relationship or marriage where you can feel good about having sex. There are many people who do not have sex before the age 18.

MYTH: Men are always ready, willing and wanting sex.

FACT: Many men do not want sex all the time. Men aren’t Super Sexual Beings. Men may not be ready for sex because of age, religious beliefs, or they have not found the ‘right’ partner. Even if a man is sexually active, it does not mean that he is ready and willing to go at any time.

MYTH: I can't get pregnant while I have my period.

FACT: Most women's cycles (especially teenagers') are irregular, and some women ovulate - the time when an egg is released and a woman is most fertile - very close to the time that they have their periods. Plus, sperm can live in a woman's body for up to seven days waiting for ovulation to happen. So just because a woman isn't ovulating when she has her period doesn't mean she can't get pregnant.

The only 100 percent effective way of preventing pregnancy is to abstain from vaginal intercourse.

So instead of playing Russian roulette with guessing when you might be fertile, messing around with pulling out, or treating your vagina to ineffective and unhealthy douches, think about preventing pregnancy with birth control that has been proven to be safe and effective before you decide to have sex.

MYTH: Others can tell if you’re a virgin or not.
FACT: Look in the mirror. Is there a sign on your forehead that says, "Virgin!", or a big "V" sewn onto your shirt? With sex, it’s really tough to tell how experienced anyone is. Often, the people who talk the most about sex have the least real knowledge of it. Whether you’ve had sex or not, you should never be ashamed of your "status". It’s who you are. Regardless of how many people give you a hard time about it, you have to make the choices that are right for you. It’s much more important to be healthy

MYTH: Movies and TV portray sex as it really is.
FACT: Uhhh...That would be "NO!". Movies and TV are entertainment, not instructional Sex Ed films, and are designed to give us all an escapist fantasy. Maybe we’d all like sex to involve hot music, great lighting, and no talk of STD’s or birth control, but we can’t forget the difference between this dream world and reality. Sex is never what it is on the big or small screen, or even in books or magazines. Whether it’s awkward, embarrassing, hysterical, disastrous, mediocre, or earth-shatteringly fabulous, it’s different for every two people, every time, with different emotions, experience, and circumstances. It’s more complicated than a patchouli-scented candle and the right CD on the stereo.

MYTH: Sex is the most important thing to a teen.
FACT: Nobody likes to be generalized, and as you hopefully know by now, every individual is different. Sure, it’s important. Sure, the average teen fights a Death Match with their hormones on a daily basis. But that doesn’t mean she or he values someone’s companionship, trust, friendship, or love more than the mattress mambo. If someone acts like a Sex Machine in front of their friends, chalk it up to peer pressure and get to know what really matters to him or her.

MYTH: Sex produces instant adulthood.

FACT: In their desire to become adults quickly, some adolescents believe that engaging in adult activities (sexual intercourse, smoking, drinking alcohol, driving, etc.) will make them adults. With sex, it leads to two bad effects. It may push teenagers into situations they do not want — romantic commitments, pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases. On the other hand, if teenagers feel these activities have actually made them fully mature, it may inhibit their growth and development in other areas.

MYTH: Sex means love.

FACT: Young women are more likely to believe that love and sex go together. Teenagers may feel sexual advances indicate love and commitment and are very disappointed when this is not the case. Or they may feel that love (which is not necessary for sex) will be an inevitable outcome of having sexual intercourse. Young people often believe that if you have sex with someone, he or she will be more likely to love them. While it does happen at times, it more often leads to feelings of disappointment and possibly betrayal.

AN ADULT SEXUAL MYTH: Knowledge leads to sexual activity.

FACT: Some parents and other adults are reluctant to give young people accurate sexual information. They fear that knowledge about sexuality leads to premature sexual activity — or that talking openly about sex stimulates casual sexual relationships. Whether or not sexual information is given, a certain portion of teenagers will be sexually active.

Adults who try to protect their children from the information that they need to make responsible sexual decisions simply push sexually active adolescents toward irresponsible sex. Talking about sexual issues openly encourages responsibility. Timely, effective sex education — rather than too little information given too late — helps to postpone first sexual intercourse, helps prevent pregnancy and sexual diseases when sexual activity does begin, and develops increased respect for one's self and others.

There is no question of whether your children will receive information about sex, the only question is how. An informal sex education from peers and the media is riddled with confusion and misinformation. With effective sexual education from home and school, adolescents can be provided with factual information to make wise decisions about their behavior. This is not a myth.