6 Sex Myths and Facts

A lot of what we know about sex comes from gossiping with friends, sex education at school and maybe a sprinkling of social media and TV thrown in there too. Because of this, there are likely a couple of myths mixed in with what we think to be truths. 

There is so much miseducation out there – and some myths don’t even seem to make sense! So we’ve laid out some of the most popular misconceptions and bizarre sex myths we’ve heard. Get ready for some serious debunking…

‘You can’t get pregnant standing up because the sperm can’t travel’, and ‘you can’t get pregnant on your first time’. We’ve heard them all. We don’t know who started these rumours, but we are here to clear them up and tell you that is not the case! Whatever the position, whatever the time, if you have unprotected sex you are at risk of pregnancy – even if it’s your first time. 

If you find yourself in a situation where you’re at risk of unplanned pregnancy, ellaOne® is here to help put your mind at ease. ellaOne® helps prevent pregnancy by delaying ovulation, so any sperm that has got into the female reproductive system cannot find an egg to fertilise, and no pregnancy can occur.

If you have the ability to get pregnant or get someone else pregnant, and you’re having sex and aren’t planning for a child, you definitely need to be ready to have a conversation about contraception. Men or people without uteruses often feel that as they cannot get pregnant, contraception is not their responsibility, but deciding to have sex is a joint decision and everyone involved should be prepared. Moreover, having unprotected sex puts both parties at risk of STIs! Have an open conversation with your sexual partner(s) about how you plan to protect yourselves against pregnancies and STIs, and choose a contraception method that works for you both.

Some people with uteruses will bleed the first time they have penetrative sex, and some won’t. But there is nothing wrong with either of these outcomes. In fact, both are perfectly normal.

Bleeding or experiencing slight pain during penetrative sex for the first time is due to the hymen – a thin piece of skin-like tissue that partially covers the opening of the vagina – stretching or tearing. But having a stretched or torn hymen can happen relatively easily before penetrative sex, such as through sports, masturbation or even use of tampons.

Everyone’s hymen is different. Some people are born with a small amount of tissue to begin with so it may seem like they do not have a hymen at all. So whether you bleed or not during your first time, do not fret. However, if you find you are bleeding regularly after penetration, we recommend seeing a doctor. 

If you find you are regularly struggling with penetrative sex or it is causing more discomfort than feels natural, this could be a sign of vaginismus. Vaginismus is an uncontrollable reaction that can occur during penetration, whether this is a penis, a tampon or a medical device. It is an automatic, subconscious response and symptoms can include pain, discomfort or anxiety related to penetration, or an inability to insert a tampon, finger or penis into the vagina. Vaginismus is treatable but we recommend speaking to a healthcare professional who can help to rule out any medical conditions and can create a treatment plan.

While we can understand some of the logic behind this, it can actually be less protective than wearing just one! This is because the condoms can rub against each other, causing friction and making them more likely to rip or tear. In turn, this creates a greater risk of STIs or unplanned pregnancies. 

When used correctly, external condoms can be up to 98% effective at preventing pregnancy and if used incorrectly they are still 82% effective*. This means that wearing just a condom is a reliable contraceptive method on its own, so there’s no need for a second!

You may have heard of or even tried the ‘withdrawal method’, more commonly known as ‘the pull-out method’ or even ‘coitus interruptus’. This is what it is called when taking the penis out of the vagina pre-ejaculation to prevent pregnancy.

This method is around 78% effective at preventing pregnancy and while this may sound like a pretty high number, it means that around 22 out of 100 people using this method will get pregnant each year**. That’s roughly 1 in every 5! While the withdrawal method may be successful for some, we do not recommend it as a regular form of contraception, especially if you are having regular sex. Precum is a thing and, while unlikely, it is still possible to get pregnant even if the person with the penis doesn’t ejaculate inside you. Sometimes people also mistime the withdrawal or get carried away. If you want to avoid pregnancy, we suggest looking into a more reliable method of contraception. 

While ‘pulling out’ may be able to help prevent pregnancy, it does not protect against STIs. Some STIs, such as herpes, can be spread through skin-to-skin contact, and some, such as chlamydia, can be carried in precum. So even if you manage to avoid a pregnancy with this method, STIs are even more difficult to avoid and are best prevented by using condoms.

Despite the popular nickname, emergency contraceptive pills, like ellaOne®, can be taken at any time of day or night. ellaOne® helps prevent or delay ovulation until all the sperm have died (up to 5 days), so there is no egg for them to fertilise and no pregnancy can take place. It is, however, important to take ellaOne® as soon as possible for it to be most effective. It is important to note that if ovulation has already taken place, no morning after pill will be effective. 

Feel like you learnt a thing or two? You might enjoy busting a few more myths! Why not check out some Morning After Pill Myths or maybe even some Pregnancy Myths while you’re at it?

* NHS, 2024

** Planned Parenthood

ellaOne® 30mg film-coated tablet contains ulipristal acetate and is indicated for emergency contraception within 120 hours (5 days) of unprotected sexual intercourse or contraceptive failure. Always read the label.