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Sex and Reproduction

 

Reproduction

During puberty eggs in the ovarian of a girl starts ripening and  boys start producing sperm. Pregnancy occurs when the sperm released by the penis (usually during intercourse when the penis is in the vagina) travels up to the uterus and meets the egg.  The sperm cell will enter the egg cell, this is called conception. The combined sprem and egg form what is called a blastocyst which attaches itself to the inner lining of the uterus (endometrium). This blastocyst will turn into an embryo which will slowly become a baby over the next 9 months. The baby will then come out of the uterus through the vagina (birth canal) during natural birth or with a surgical operation whereby the uterus and abdomen are cut open to let the baby out (Caesarean section).

 

 

What is sex?

Sex is not restricted to just intercourse. Other forms of sex exist: oral sex (penis/vagina in contact with a partner’s mouth), anal sex (penis in partner’s anus) etc. Touching someone’s penis or vagina with your fingers is also a form of sex. Both homosexual (two people of the same gender) and heterosexual (two people of different gender) couples can indulge in sex in whichever way they feel is more pleasurable for them.

 

What is intercourse?

It is the act in which the man's penis enters the woman's vagina and during which if the man ejaculate into the vagina, a baby may be conceived. Several changes take place in the body when it is getting ready to have sex. In both men and women both heartbeat and body temperature increase. The man's penis becomes erect and the woman's vagina start producing its own lubricant.The female body often needs more time than the mail body to prepare itself for sex. Both man and woman are able to experience orgasms (a peak in pleasure, often indicated by ejaculation in men), however this might be more difficult and take longer for woman to experience.

When a man and a woman first have intercourse, the hymen (a small piece of skin at the entrance of the vagina) might break if it hasn’t already been broken (it can break easily for example when riding a bicycle or doing sports). This can cause some small bleeding and sometimes pain.

There is no shame in sex, it is a perfectly natural act. Because of pornography, sex is misinterpreted as something dirty that should not be talked about. By not talking about sex however, people do not learn how to practice safe sex which increases sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies. In India 70% of unplanned pregnancies are between ages 15-19.

 

Why and when do people have sex?

People should only have sex when they are ready to, when they have talked about it and know the consequences of some forms of sex can be, such as pregnancy. People don’t only have sex to reproduce (have a baby) but also when they love each other and want to feel close to each other.

Important: No form of sex should ever be forced on anyone. One has the right to say when they want or don’t want sex. If anyone has touched you somewhere you didn’t want to be touched and made you feel uncomfortable tell an adult you trust. There are laws against sexual harassment of both children and adults.

 

Sex, relationships and communication

Fear of having sex is normal when you have never had sex before. This happens in particular to girls who are afraid there might be pain and bleeding the first time they have vaginal sex (intercourse). In most cases however there is very little pain and bleeding and if there is pain it is mostly due to stress which causes the vaginal muscles to tighten. This is why any couple planning to have intercourse should discuss it beforehand and take their time. Everyone has the right to chose when they want to have sex for the first time and should never feel forced to do it by a partner or anyone else.

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