by Stephanie

Ever feel like there’s a mass market for wrong information about Women's sex and sexual health? Do you leave a conversation with a friend or finish reading an article or website and wonder if what you’ve learned is the truth or one of those nasty myths? Just about any subject you’d hear about has them … and here we find no exception. Now Scarleteen’s taking the time to debunk some of the most common misconceptions.

We believe that all sex should be something anyone chooses for themselves, based on sound, realistic information. In order to do this, it is vitally important to be able to distinguish between the facts and the myths about what is safe. Do you know the facts about women's sex and sexual health, or have you fallen for some myths?

MYTH: All men have one set preference when it comes to women’s genitals (Small labia’s or shaven)

FACT: All people have the same favorite type of ice cream. Sound logical? It’s not really.

Just as every person is different and there’s no one way for people to look, everyone has their own personal preferences. In this same idea, everyone has a way that they feel most comfortable, and because of this whether a woman chooses to shave or not is about what they’re most comfortable with. As per what a woman’s genitals look like, aside from having the same parts the look varies from person to person. There’s certainly not a right or wrong way for a person’s genitals to be.

Check the research:
The Vagina Monologues: Eve Ensler,
Scarleteen: Anatomy: Pink Parts - Female Sexual Anatomy, Teenwire: Female External Diagram.

MYTH: Discharge is a bad reaction and is dirty.

FACT: While at times it may seem odd to think, discharge is actually a very normal and healthy part of the reproductive system. Discharge is actually the vagina’s way of self-cleansing which helps not only to keep infections away but to maintain the acidic ph balance that keeps good bacteria alive.

Discharge that is not normal and may indicate an infection can be chunky or very heavy, very watery or profuse, have a strong odor, or be colored gray, green, yellow, or pink. Because the vagina has this system of cleaning itself, it’s never a good idea to try and cleanse the vagina with soaps as it can disturb the ph balance and cause infections.

Check the research:
Cleveland Clinic: Vaginal Discharge Overview, Kids Health: Are Changes In My Vaginal Discharge OK?, Scarleteen: Honorably Discharged: A Guide to Vaginal Secretions.

MYTH: Discharge is always a noticeable sign of arousal.

FACT: This is actually a commonly misunderstood idea. Vaginal discharge is fluid produced to cleanse the vagina of bad bacteria and prevent infections.

When a woman is aroused, the vagina produces a type of slippery lubrication that is necessary for sex of any sort to be comfortable. It’s not uncommon for women to find that they need to use some additional purchased lubricant – especially when using latex condoms – to make any sex comfortable for any length of time. Discharge isn’t about arousal – rather about keeping the vagina healthy.

Check the research: Go Ask Alice: Vaginal mucus or turned on?, Scarleteen: Sexual Response & Orgasm: A Users Guide, Teenwire: All About Arousal: The Science of Sex.

MYTH: Douching and feminine sprays are a good way to make the vagina fresher.

FACT: Years ago it was believed that douching was a helpful manner to cleanse the vagina – but now it’s understood that the vagina does a good job of that itself.

This manner of freshening the vagina now is considered a bad idea. Because the natural acidic ph level is so delicate, douching can actually alter it quite easily, killing the good bacteria present. Actually, infections can happen as a result of douching and feminine sprays.

Check the research: 4woman.gov: Douching, About.com: Vaginal Douching - To Douche or Not to Douche - The Douche Debate Continues, Scarleteen: Honorably Discharged: A Guide to Vaginal Secretions.

MYTH: Even using oral contraceptives women ovulate because they continue to have periods.

FACT: Oral contraceptives work in three ways, to prevent ovulation, thicken cervical mucus to prevent sperm from reaching an egg, and make the lining of the uterus thinner and less likely for a fertilized egg to implant. The last two are more of a back up in case one way doesn’t work at any given time.

Menstruation is the shedding of the egg and the uterine lining. Because the pill works by preventing an egg from being released by the ovaries women don’t have a period. The lining is still shed, and thus doctors term this bleeding as a withdrawal bleed.

Check the research: Mayo Clinic: Birth control pill FAQ: Benefits, risks and choices, Planned Parenthood: Birth Control Pill, Scarleteen: Birth Control Bingo: The Combination Pill.

MYTH: Sex causes the vagina to become loose.

FACT: This question is probably one of the most common concerns of women and misconceptions of men and women alike. The vagina is a muscle – just like any of the other muscles that we have in our bodies.

When something is inside the vagina, the walls contract to hold what’s inside. A short time after it’s removed, the vagina will return to the state it was in prior to insertion. When nothing’s in the vagina the walls close against one another – otherwise there’d be a never ending infection from the bacteria that would be entering the vagina constantly.

Check the research:
Vaginas: An Owner's Manual by Carol Livoti, Elizabeth Topp
, Scarleteen: Is my vagina really loose?, Scarleteen: Let’s Let's let this be the last word on "worn out" vaginas, shall we?.

MYTH: The only day that there’s a risk of pregnancy is the day you ovulate.

FACT: While there are some days when a woman can become pregnant and less likely days, some days even very unlikely, a woman can technically become pregnant at any time from live semen being present in the cervix.

The egg once released remains viable for a couple of days – meaning that for a couple of days the egg can still be fertilized. Male sperm can live in the female reproductive tract for several days – so even having sex during menstruation isn’t a sure way to avoid unwanted pregnancies as every woman’s cycle is a bit different.

Check the research: Estronaut: Pregnancy Risk, Pregnancy Insurance: Common Ovulation Question, Scarleteen: Where DID I Come From? A Refresher Course in Human Reproduction.

MYTH: Virginity can be seen through an examination of the color, shape, and size of the vagina.

FACT: The examination of this question would actually be easier if there were some tell tale sign that said someone was a virgin or not. Virginity is really more of a social term to begin with – and because of this fact every person decides for themselves what virginity truly means.

In past years it was thought that an intact hymen was the true sign of virginity, but now it’s understood that natural everyday activities wear away the hymen. Even a gynecologist can’t tell whether someone’s a virgin or not unless sex occurred very close to the appointment time. The only way to know if someone is a virgin is to ask.

Check the research:
Virgin: The Untouched History: Hanne Blank,
Scarleteen: 20 Questions About Virginity: Scarleteen Interviews Hanne Blank, Scarleteen: Magical Cups & Bloody Brides: Virginity in Context.

MYTH: Yeast infections are something that you should treat yourself without being checked out first because their symptoms aren't like symptoms for any other health problems.

FACT: Yeast infections actually cause symptoms that are considered to be nonspecific – this means that aside from yeast infections, these symptoms can be caused by numerous other conditions.

Self diagnosing yeast infections isn’t a great idea unless you’re positive that’s what the symptoms are from. Using medicines or plain yogurt to treat a yeast infection when that isn’t the problem can actually disturb the natural ph balance more and cause a yeast infection or other bacterial infection.

Check the research: Scarleteen: Sexual Health 101: Hers, Teen Growth: What are the symptoms of a yeast infection?, Womenshealth.gov: Vaginal Yeast Infections.

MYTH: You can predict ovulation by counting days - 14 days after your last period.

FACT: Every woman is a little bit different, and this means that although the general processes are the same, the way in which a woman’s body works differs from one to another. Some women’s periods occur for three or four days, others between five and seven.

Ovulation is also an individual process. Some women ovulate on average closer to their period than others. Because of this, counting days to predict ovulation as a method of preventing pregnancy risks isn’t a reliable method. The family planning method is a more accurate representation of charting fertility.

Check the research:
Honoring Our Cycles: A Natural Family Planning Workbook by Katie Singer,
Pregnancy Insurance: Common Ovulation Questions, Scarleteen: Get With the Flow: All About FAM.

Take a Look At the Scarleteen Misconception Series:

• Misconception Mayhem: Separating Body Myths from Facts
• Misconception Mayhem: Separating Bisexuality and Homosexuality Myths from Facts
• Misconception Mayhem: Separating Men’s Sex 411 and Sexual Health Myths from Facts
• Misconception Mayhem: Separating Pregnancy and Pregnancy Risk Myths from Facts
• Misconception Mayhem: Separating Relationship Myths from Facts
• Misconception Mayhem: Separating Sexual Myths from Facts
• Misconception Mayhem: Separating STI Myths from Facts