The Body
Your body is your vehicle for living – a means to express your sexual identity and needs, to feel pleasure and to communicate with others. The more in touch you are with your body (literally), the more likely you are to take care of it and enjoy it. In this section, you can learn about reproductive anatomy, puberty, menstruation, sexual arousal, health examinations and masturbation. Throughout your lifetime, your body will grow and change considerably. Learning about your body and sexual health is a continual process.
In North America we are surrounded by images and messages about how we should look, most of which are unattainable and unrealistic. Pressure to conform to an ideal concept of what’s attractive makes people feel bad about themselves, and can even cause health problems. Advertising will promise to fix our insecurities with products. Don’t have many insecurities? Ads will help you develop some, especially as your body goes through its own natural aging processes. These messages and images can make us feel unattractive and can even try to tell us what types of bodies we should find attractive. Just try to remember your body is one part of you – an important part – but only one part.
Try this….stand in front of a mirror and take a look at your body. What thoughts go through your mind? It is tempting to focus on the parts we don’t like – “My hips are too big”, “I’m too short”, “I’m fat”, “I’m too skinny, “my arms look weak”. Notice any negative messages that enter your thoughts and replace them with messages about how great your body is – “My hips are strong”, “I look healthy”, “My arms look normal”, “I’m just right”.
It may take wilful effort to work against negative stereotypes of what our bodies should look like but you are worth it.
If life is a symphony, then the body is your instrument. Take care of it...tune it...play with it...and it will fill the world with its music.
Is it true if a girl doesn’t bleed the first time she isn’t a virgin?
No. Many people believe that if a woman has never had sex before her hymen will tear the first time. The hymen is a piece of skin that partially covers the opening to the vagina. Not all women are born with a hymen, and the hymen can be very thin and stretch out with normal physical activity as a child (riding a bike or a horse, etc.) In some cultures the presence of a hymen and bleeding on her wedding night is a way to see if she has had sex before. Some women have a hymen and still don't bleed the first time they have sex. Every woman is a bit different. If a woman or girl doesn't bleed or doesn't have a hymen it does not mean she has had sex.
Is it normal for part of the vagina to hang out (what they call the lips) is it unhealthy?
Yes it is normal and completely healthy! What you are seeing are the inner lips (also known as inner labia or labia minora - pretty words, no?). They help protect the vaginal opening. They also play an important role in female pleasure because they are attached to the hood of skin which covers and rubs against the clitoris.
Why does it hurt so bad to be hit in the testes?
Many sensitive areas of our bodies are protected by bone, however the testes hang outside the body in the scrotum to stay cool enough for sperm to live. The testicles are attached to nerves which run deep inside the body, and this is why injury to them causes severe pain and nausea. If the pain lasts more than an hour, see a doctor.
Is it true you can figure out a guy’s penis size by the size of his hands or feet or nose?
No, definitely not. You also can't tell by how tall or short he is. And you can’t know how big a man’s erection will be how it looks when it is soft.
Is it normal to have three (3) testicles?
Everyone is built differently and although it is not very common to be born with 3 testicles, it does happen, and it's not unhealthy. People come with 3 testicles, 2 testicles and even 1. A boy or man with 3 testicles is called a polyorchid!
Can you get pregnant by masturbating beside each other?
For there to be a risk of pregnancy pre-come and or semen need to be on the vulva, in the vagina, or around the anus (because it is mere inches from the vagina). This is a very low risk activity for pregnancy and STIs, if the male partner ejaculates far from his partner's genitals, and washes his hands and body well afterwards.
Why don’t women always orgasm during sex and guys do?
This is not exactly true. Some females orgasm regularly during sex and others don’t. The same is true for men.Some people need lots of stimulation in order to have an orgasm. Sometimes people take medication or drugs or drink too much alcohol and this affects how their bodies react. The brain plays a big role in sexual arousal. If a person is self-conscious, nervous or just preoccupied with something else, this can affect the body. The whole point of sex is not just to have an orgasm. Lots of people enjoy sex whether they orgasm or not. It can be a good idea to experiment by yourself and together to figure out what each person likes and what feels good. Communication is the most important part of any healthy sexual relationship.
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