Sex: True Or False?
Sex: there's so much to talk about, but can you tell the difference between the rumours and the hard facts? Check your knowledge with five sex truths and five myths...
istockphotoFor extra protection, get your man to wear two condoms
FALSE. Layering two condoms together doesn’t add protection. Instead, the friction caused by the two condoms rubbing together is likely to cause them to tear – and even if the tears are microscopic, that means that you are getting less, rather than more, protection. Stick with one condom and make sure it comes in a packet that’s labelled with the European ‘CE’ mark – this means that it’s up to European standards.
Rex FeaturesSex may be better if you keep your socks on
TRUE. Yes, it’s an unfortunate look, but medical studies have found that both men and women have an easier time reaching climax if they keep their feet covered in a cool room – apparently, actual cold feet can really put a damper on proceedings. For something a bit sexier, of course, we recommend utilising the duvet rather than an argyle sock.
istockphotoToo much enthusiastic shagging can break a man’s member
FALSE. There’s no bone in the human penis – this actually sets us apart from many mammals, including other primates, whose bits and pieces do include bone. Anyway, this means that you don’t have to worry that your fella’s going to end up in a cast. Yes, on rare occasions, it is possible for him to end up a bruised...but they really are rare.
Rex FeaturesMost people don’t want to make love all night
TRUE. In fact, a recent survey found that far from desiring tantric all-night sex sessions, most people agreed that seven minutes was an 'adequate' amount of time for intercourse to last – anything shorter is a bit disappointing, but anything over ten minutes or so is apparently ‘too long’.
Rex FeaturesMen always want more sex than women
FALSE. Everyone’s libido is different. Yes, men produce higher levels of testosterone, the hormone that increases sex drives in both men and women, so on average they do want sex more often. But there are lots of other emotional and physical factors that determine whether an individual man – or woman – is up for it. And more often than not, these factors are dynamic. Basically, you and your man aren’t always going to be in complete agreement about when and how often you have sex – the trick is to listen to each other so that you can strike a balance that works for you both.
Rex FeaturesSex can replace your workout
TRUE...ish. A vigorous half-hour romp in the sack burns 200 calories. Other kinds of workouts that have the same effect? Half an hour of cycling, fifteen minutes of swimming, half an hour of jogging. We know which one we’d rather do to take care of that sneaky cupcake.
Rex FeaturesOral sex is safe sex
FALSE. While you can’t get pregnant through oral sex, you can still contract STIs that are transmitted through bodily fluid, like chlamydia, gonorrhoea and genital herpes. If you are having a one-off or you and your partner haven’t both been tested for STIs since you got together, you should be using condoms for this, too (that’s what the flavoured ones are for, you know).
istockphotoWomen are most likely to want sex when they’re ovulating
TRUE. Whether or not you have any interest in having children, we are all slaves to our hormones, to some extent – when you ovulate, the hormones that cause sexual desire also peak, which means that if your cycle is like clockwork, you can probably predict the days when you’ll be feeling at your sexiest...and plan your evenings accordingly.
Rex FeaturesIf you sleep with a guy on the first date, you're ruining any chance of a relationship
FALSE. There’s no automatic rule in guy-land that if you get together with him on the first night you meet that you’re not relationship material (and would you want to go out with a guy who would judge you like that, anyway? No). But are there reasons to wait? Perhaps: establishing physical intimacy before you have any emotional intimacy with a guy can sometimes make it seem difficult to get to know each other once you’ve surfaced from under the duvet.
istockphotoFemale orgasms from intercourse are the exception, rather than the rule
TRUE. Research indicates that less than half of women (depending on which study you read, between 30 and 40 per cent) actually can orgasm through intercourse alone - the good news, of course, is that your clitoris is specially designed to give you pleasure. Unfortunately, quite a lot of guys are not quite aware of this fact, so if your fella is a little clueless in this department, don’t hesitate to (gently) let him know how much you enjoy foreplay...
