It's April 1st, and in the midst of pulling pranks on your coworkers and being fooled by Google, remember not to be fooled the rest of the year! Here's a list of sexual health myths you should never be fooled by:
1. All guys hate wearings condoms. Guys may not love it, but it doesn't mean it's OK to excuse them for not wearing them. Taking care of your health should be a priority, and any guy who doesn't understand that isn't worth sleeping with.
2. Masturbation can lead to eyesight loss, excess hair growth, and dark bags under the eyes. No, no and no. Don't let the stigma on sexual exploration fool you - healthy masturbation practices aren't going to turn you into a werewolf.
3. Being hygenic can help prevent pregnancies. Urinating after sex, showering, douching - they may be ways to make you feel clean and sparkly, but they are by no means birth control methods. Stick to actual contraceptives to prevent getting pregnant.
4. Wearing two condoms or wearing a tighter condom, can help prevent pregnancy even more than using a condom regularly. The best way to use a condom effectively is to actually use it effectively. Learn to put a condom on yourself or your partner - use one and make sure you leave a bit of space in the tip for ejaculation to be collected.
5. All birth control pills are the same. There are two types of oral contraceptives. Combination pills contain estrogen and progestin while progestin-only pills contain only the latter. Talk to a medical professional about the differences and the ways it may affect you individually.
6. Having sex standing up, in a hot tub, or a pool, can keep you from getting pregnant. Don't let years of falsified teen movies get to you. Water temperature and position has absolutely no effect on whether or not you get pregnant. Make sure you are using actual contraceptive methods!