Biggest sex myths BUSTED ahead of Valentine's Day: From calorie burning to 'balloon condoms', here's the truth
It's that time of the year again, folks! And with couples mostly staying in to battle the Covid pandemic and the historic Valentine's Day cold, this year, we can tell that a lot of cuddling (and more) is set to happen across the country. You might not be able to go for that perfect amusement park date, but with a load of canoodling time coming up, it's a good idea to huddle up and laugh about or seriously ruminate on the sex myths that you probably (once) believed in, from crediting sex to burn a lot of calories or blaming pools for making you pregnant.
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1. Sex can burn a lot of calories
You may have heard this before — getting busy with your partner makes for a great workout. But even though it does get your blood pumping, sex as a significant form of exercise is an exaggeration, since caloric expenditure from sex is not as high as many people think. Every thirty minutes of sex burns 85 to 150 calories (you need to burn about 3,500 calories to lose a pound of body weight). But the problem is that most people don't have sex for half an hour. In fact, the average duration of sex is about three to seven minutes, reports The Healthy. Theoretically, you could lose one pound if you had sex 35 times, so that's something to really think about.
2. Floating semen in a pool can get your pregnant
No! There's no way for errant water-bound semen to swim their way into a vagina. Sperm are strong swimmers, yes, but only when they're inside a body. No one can get pregnant if you ejaculate into a swimming pool. Pregnancy is only possible when you ejaculate on or into someone's vagina. Floating semen will not impregnate you, although it does make for a really icky (and this is an understatement) situation.
3. You can't get pregnant if you stand up after sex
If you thought you could one-up the semen parade by standing up after intercourse, and thus, forcing them to retreat, you need to think again. Standing up after someone ejaculates inside you will not stop sperm from marching headlong towards the egg and doing their thing. No matter what position you are in, pregnancy can occur when a sperm contacts your vagina. And remember, ejaculation (and pre-ejaculate) carries about 200 million sperm, but it only takes one sperm to fertilize an egg. The best way to prevent pregnancy is by using a condom.
4. You can use plastic wrap or a balloon as a condom
No! Invest in a real condom, please. Plastic wrap and balloons are not good to use since they don’t fit well and can easily be torn during sex. Condoms are tested thoroughly and made specifically to provide a good fit and good protection during sex. So put away the saran wrap and sandwich bags because only actual condoms will effectively prevent pregnancy.
5. Shoe size equals package size
Admit it ladies... how many times have you looked at a man's shoes to gauge the size of his member? Boys with small feet and hands, rest easy. Much to the delight of men everywhere, a 2002 British Journal of Urology study that measured 104 men between the ages of 17 and 85, found “no association between foot and penis size.” And if this isn't enough to get your foot tapping, we don't know what will!