6 MYTHS ABOUT SEXE
MYTH: A man’s shoe size tells you everything you need to know...
IN 2002, researchers at University College London measured the genitalia of more than 100 men and concluded the theory that penis size is linked to shoe size has no scientific basis. Writing in the British Journal of Urology International, they explained the average length was 13cm, while the average shoe size was 9, approximately 25cm. In other words, there is no correlation.
MYTH: You can’t get pregnant if you’re breastfeeding
A WOMAN tends to be less fertile, but not infertile, while breastfeeding because it curbs the hormones that trigger ovulation. So it’s possible you may still be ovulating while breastfeeding and not realise, because you’ve not had a period, says gynaecologist Tania Adib. ‘You can’t take the Pill while breastfeeding, but you can take the progesterone-only mini-pill, or use condoms.’
MYTH: Condoms protect against all STIs
SOME sexually transmitted Some inspections (STs), such as herpes, genital warts and suphilis, are passed through skin-to-skin contact, says Dr Mark Lawton, a sexual health specialist, And a condom does't protect all the skin is the genital
MYTH: Making love is a good workout
MANY people believe sex counts as exercise and can burn up to 300 calories — the same as a 50-minute tennis game. However, you may not be getting as much of a workout as you think. A 2013 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that on average sex lasts six minutes and burns a measly 21 calories.
MYTH: Men think about it every seven seconds
THAT’S about 8,000 times a day — unsurprisingly, research suggests the real figure is much lower. In a study at Ohio State University in 2011, psychologists found that, on average, men thought about sex 19 times a day — and had a similar number of thoughts about food and sleep — while women thought about it ten times a day.
MYTH: It’s all downhill in the bedroom after the menopause
‘IT DOESN’T have to be,’ says menopause expert and gynaecologist Dr Heather Currie. ‘The main problem is many women are embarrassed to talk about their menopausal symptoms to get them sorted.’ A study last year from Trinity College Dublin found that 59 per cent of over-50s were still regularly sexually active, with 69 per cent of them having sex on a weekly or monthly basis.