Universal Sexual Myths Among Teenagers

It is a time of grouping and fumbling, and not all of it is in the dark. Much of the cobwebbed confusion that plagues the adolescent years exists in those teenaged minds as they attempt to come to grips amidst their emerging sexuality. Because of the shroud of dark secrecy that has been flung over the subject, half truths about sex tumble, over self-delusion and jostles with antiquated falsehoods - adding to the turbulence of these troubled years.

Below, are the compendium of the confounding sexual myths that blight the teenage years and the 'whole truth' answers:

Myth #1: Masturbation Is Self-Abusive, A Dirty Word, It Makes You Week and Adversely Affects Sexual Enjoyment

No other form of sexual venture has been more frequently (or secretly) discussed among teenagers, more roundly condemned by their parents and more universally practiced by both generations.

Some teens, both boys, and girls attribute anything that goes wrong from acne to falling hair, to the fact that they masturbated, thus providing regular punishment for the enjoyment of a perfectly natural activity. What's worse, 'weakness' has also been connected with masturbation. Finally, the semen is thought to be a very precious fluid of which each man has only a limited supply, and therefore it’s loss through masturbation, it is feared, may cause them to lose their potency.

Many teenage girls, too, suppress the urge to masturbate because they fear it will hurt them, stop menstruation, retard breast growth, make them infertile, rupture the hymen or adversely affect their capacity for sexual enjoyment later in life.

Like boys, some girls also feel that the urge to masturbate is a sign that they are "abnormal" in some way. These disturbed feelings may manifest themselves in the form of psychosomatic symptoms like a headache, giddiness, shivering and breathlessness. Some girls even worry, that masturbating could make them pregnant.

However, the manual stimulation of the clitoris or by any other soft object like a towel does not cause damage. Nor will manual stimulation of the vagina rupture the hymen.

Finally, there is nothing abnormal about masturbation unless it interferes with normal daily activity or becomes an obsession, what is abnormal is its unnatural suppression.

Myth #2: Is It Abnormal To Have Sex Fantasies?

From adolescence on, fantasies become the order of the day or are kept a closely guarded secret is the fear of being met with disgust and contempt. In girls, they are at first usually romantic sex fantasies about dating idolized figures like film stars, pop singers, models, teachers, doctors, etc. Sometimes, they are more explicit or 'bold' involving situations such as stripping, violent sex and rape.

Among boys, the fantasies are more structured. They may feel mentally "size up," feel and enjoy the parts of a girl's body, and they often go the extent of fantasizing the whole sexual act.

Such "pastimes" involve the fantasizing teenagers with acquaintances or friends in sexual activities, which dreamer would find unthinkable in reality, and certainly embarrassing, even hurtful, to reveal. In a girl, any fantasies that involve her father or a father figure are nearly always severely suppressed.

It is natural for teenagers to fantasize about those in their immediate environment (family, school, college, and neighborhood) because of their limited exposure the outside world. In fact, to some extent, fantasizing is helpful is shaping a healthy sexuality provided the young boy or girl is not obsessed with them to the extent that they interfere with normal life. Sexual fantasies are no more dangerous than any other kind of day dreaming which also shows an upsurge in adolescence.

Myth #3: Genital Discharge Adversely Affects One's Health

From puberty on, most young men naturally have nocturnal emissions (wet dreams). This happens when the mind has been sexually stimulated during the day, or on the other hand, because of an accumulation of sperm that needs to be released. Often, it is a combination of both. This induces a secretion of the prostate gland, a secretion which serves as nourishment, a vehicle and a safety cover to the sperm. Many teenagers feel this discharge is abnormal and that it makes them weak and ill. This again, like the mourning of the loss of semen in masturbation, is not called for, since this emission is just a glandular secretion.

In women, the nocturnal emission is not as profuse. It is much less, of a more watery consistency and manifests itself as a slight wetness. Many girls feel embarrassed about it, and some even say they feel weak. It is a sign of a healthy sexuality.

Myth #4: The bigger the pennies/vagina, the greater the sexual satisfaction

Many boys and girls in their early teenage years get worried about the adequacy of their sexual organs. Many young girls, after their first painful, even disastrous sexua lexperience, spend miserable months or even years try to cope with the illusion that their vagina is 'too tight' or 'too small' to accommodate the penis. Most fears arise from ignorance about the genitals. As with the male penis, being sexually stimulated, the vagina also undergoes definite changes. The muscles of the vaginal opens, relax, secrete the vaginal fluid which serves as lubrication and in proportion to the sexual stimulation, the depth of the vaginal cavity increases. Worry (arising from fears about the size of the vagina) will not allow these changes to take place. The resulting nervousness and anxiety render the vaginal muscles rigid and impenetrable. Thus leads to painful intercourse, setting the stage for a vicious cycle.

Among boys, most worries concentrate on the length, shape and other dimensions of their penis, the more high sex drives and the greater the ability to achieve and maintain an erection. In fact, an abnormally large penis can cause women more sexual discomfort than pleasure. Also, penis which is small in the flaccid state increase in size for more than larger genitals during an erection. Besides, it is the upper third of the vagina that is most sensitive, and the upper two third that dilates to hold the penis firmly. The lower third of the vagina, the orgasmic platform', does not widen and so sexual satisfaction is unaffected if the penis does not reach there.

What's more, it's not the vagina that is the primary center for the woman's sexual sensitivity; it is the clitoris, located at the junction of labia.

Myth #5: The First Experience Is Always Painful

Many girls get the impression from books, friends, and relatives that the first sexual experience is extremely painful. The fact is that most first experiences are hasty and lack adequate foreplay. It inhibits sufficient vaginal lubrication and makes entry into the dry vagina painful. Besides, inadequate foreplay makes the girl less responsive and receptive. In an effort for the teenage boy to insert his masculinity, may use force, making it even more painful for the girl. The vagina only becomes ready to accept harder erection penis at a relatively advanced stage of sexual arousal, and this is some time after it gets lubricated. An understanding partner can help to minimize the pain to a great extent.