When a man is aroused, blood rushes
to their groin, fills their penis, thus creating an erection. In a woman, the
blood goes in the same direction. The clitoris is engorged and plasma seeps through
the walls. The Bartholin’s glands also provide some mucus for lubrication, but
plasma is the primary lubricant. The main peptide hormone controlling this phenomenon
is vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). In humans, VIP comes from the VIP gene. This main function of VIP is
to increase blood flow. It is found in many regions of the body including the
brain, the heart, and the small intestine. It has multiple functions, and one
of them is stimulating self-lubrication by increasing blood flow. This
lubrication is used to reduce friction during the act. If one is not aroused or
cannot self-lubricate normally, painful sex can occur. Vaginal dryness can be
the result of menopause, some types of birth control, and a disease called Sjögren's
syndrome, which causes secretory glands in the human body to work inefficiently.
Studies on sex are often considered
taboo, and the researcher is sometimes heavily judged. Plus, approving a study
on human sex has always proved to be difficult. There is still so much to learn
about the human body, and sex is just a normal, evolutionary act. The entire
point of science is to understand the world around us, and yet it is still
hindered by societal norms and cultural constraints. Not only that, but sexual education is severely lacking in public schools. Personally, we weren't taught anything except that chastity is the only way to go. By providing proper sex education, we can prepare teenagers for a safer, healthier future.
Sources
“Bonk:
The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex,” written by Mary Roach
Vaginal
Lubrication: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaginal_lubrication
Why
is vaginal lubrication important for women? http://www.issm.info/sexual-health-qa/why-is-vaginal-lubrication-important-for-women
Sjögren's syndrome: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sj%C3%B6gren%27s_syndrome
Well this comment has provided a lot more insight than what I ever learned in school. I'm glad you made a comment about how public and private schools do not provide the necessary sex education. In high school, I remember the extent of sexual education being just how to put a condom on and saying that abstinence is key to avoid pregnancy. Most people learn the most about sexual education once they get into college and take a kinesiology class, like I did. How do you think sexual education classes could be improved in the high school system to better inform students about sex and to avoid making that subject something that people feel uncomfortable to talk about?
ReplyDeleteOne of the first steps in good sexual education is actually talking about it. And not just in a one-day class where the diseases and condoms are briefly explained while abstinence is shoved in our faces. We need to dedicate time to an entire course. During middle school, we could focus on puberty and what to expect of our changing bodies. During high school, we could talk about how about reproductive health, the various kinds of contraceptives and where to access them, how sexually transmitted infections are spread, what the symptoms are, and how to deal with it, about sex and the law, what to expect when your body gets older, what to expect when you get pregnant, and perhaps a discussion on sexuality and gender. Again, we can’t just have a one-day class. Schools are supposed to teach us and prepare us for the outside world, and yet we have some of the worst sexual education rates in the country.
DeleteYES! I very much agree with all of this. Sex shouldn't be a taboo topic. It needs to be researched. For example, women with endometriosis often experience pain during sex, but as of right now, the only way to even test if a woman has endometriosis is by performing surgery.
ReplyDeleteAlso, sex education should be mandatory for high schoolers. Sure, abstinence is great, but that's not realistic for most.
I totally agree with your choice of words that sex is an "evolutionary act." None of us would be here without it, so it should be talked about. I suspect it won't be as taboo of a topic in the future because research like this really helps to spread that word that it's just a natural thing that people shouldn't make such a big deal about.
ReplyDeleteIt continually boggles me that the things that often matter most to us are conversationally taboo (included here are religion and politics). Like those two things, how can anyone develop a theory of sex without talking about it? We're pretty open with our kid when she has questions, and we don't try to squash her curiosity, but it's clear that someone does. I can't imagine what the venerated "first time" would be like without some prior discussion with a person who actually knew something.
ReplyDelete