Friday Five: Would you know all 5 Sex Ed “Basics”?💦
Sexual education, or sex ed, is essential for everyone, but sadly it is often not a mandatory part of one’s education. If it is included, many sex ed programs often provide outdated or incomplete information.
Social or cultural biases related to sexual freedom, gender and sexual orientation, among others, often result in the promotion of abstinence-based practices or the reluctance to share basic sex ed facts from early on.
This week at My Sex Bio, let’s discuss 5 sex ed “basics” that everyone should know before they engage in sexual activity — and are wise for regular sexual engagers to revisit or better understand —.know someone who would enjoy this information?— forward this email!)
1. Condoms
The preferred contraceptive method for many, condoms are one of (if not the) easiest methods to obtain and use.
According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC), some of the most important and best practices are:
❌ NEVER use more than one condom at a time.
❌ NEVER reuse condoms.
❌ NEVER use “oil-based products like baby oil, lotion, petroleum jelly, or cooking oil” as lube.
2. Erections
Does every erection happen because of sexual arousal? No. Here’s why:
“Orgasm and ejaculation are two separate physiological processes.” In other words, penis owners don’t always ejaculate when they reach orgasm, nor do they always orgasm when they ejaculate. Mayo Clinic describes a dry orgasm as an orgasm that “occurs when you reach sexual climax but don't release semen from the penis (ejaculate) — or you release very little semen.”
3. Menstruation
Sometimes a relief, sometimes a nightmare…the menstrual cycle is always a ride, and is frequently misunderstood. The cycle has 4 stages:
🩸 The menses phase (days 1 to around 5): It’s PERIOD time. This is the time when the thin layer of tissue attached to the uterus—the lining of the uterus (what would in a pregnancy become the placenta)—is expelled through the vagina.
🩸 Follicular phase (around days 6 to 14): The body starts to prepare again for a potential pregnancy. The lining of the uterus becomes thicker and follicles (small sacs of fluid that contain developing eggs) in the ovaries start to grow. Typically, only one of them will fully mature and become an egg.
🩸 Ovulation phase (around day 14): An ovary releases a mature egg. The egg travels down the fallopian tube toward the uterus to be fertilized by sperm. Given the viability periods for sperm and eggs, one can only get pregnant within a range of about 5 days before and 1 day after ovulation.
🩸 Luteal phase (around days 14 to 28): The change in hormones keeps the uterine lining thick and ready for a fertilized egg to implant. If one does get pregnant, the body will produce Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG). This is the hormone pregnancy tests detect.
If one doesn’t get pregnant, the levels of estrogen and progesterone decrease, the uterine lining starts to shed, and it’s PERIOD time...again!
4. Pregnancy
For human life to start, a lot of complex processes need to take place. What are these? When can pregnancy occur?
As with the menstrual cycle, pregnancy is a process with multiple stages. According to UCSF Health:
The first step is Sperm Transport. In this process, “the sperm must be deposited and transported to the site of fertilization [the fallopian tube].”
Next, Egg Transport takes place. In this stage, “ovulation must occur and the egg must be ‘picked up’ by the [fallopian] tube.” After ovulation, the released egg needs to be ‘transported’ from the ovary to the uterus.
Fertilization and Embryo Development occur next. Time to say hi! In this third stage, “union between the sperm and egg must result.''
Last but not least, “The embryo must implant and begin to grow in the uterus,” this is known as Implantation. When the sperm cells unite with the ovulated egg there is an opportunity for successful implantation, which takes place inside the uterus.
5. Pre-cum
What is it? How does pre-cum work? Can I get pregnant from pre-cum?
According to Chughtai B. et al, precum is “an alkaline mucus-like fluid”. This fluid is colorless and it comes out of the penis when an erection takes place, way before ejaculation.
Precum serves a crucial purpose when it comes to sperm survival. Unlike vulva owners, penis owners do not have different ‘paths’ or ‘conduits’ in the body for peeing and for all-things sex. Sperm comes out of the penis via the same path urine does. When the body is getting prepared to release sperm—usually when the individual starts to experience sexual arousal—precum starts to be released to cleanse the urethra, which would otherwise be too acidic for sperm cells to survive in.
Now, can I get pregnant from pre-cum?
Yes, and keep reading here to understand how often pre-cum leads to pregnancy, why it’s possible, and how to prevent unwanted pregnancy from it.
