Much misinformation about the female body circulates in mainstream consciousness.
Myth: A women can't get pregnant during her period
While a woman is unlikely to conceive during menstruation, sperm can wait for an egg for up to a week. Ovulation can occur soon after, or even during, the bleeding phase of a woman's menstrual cycle, giving sperm the chance to get lucky.
Myth: Menopause causes sex drive to nosedive
A comprehensive survey of sexual habits in the United States found that roughly half of women in their fifties have sex several times a month. While hot flashes and other discomforts may make a women temporarily not in the mood, there is not a direct link between menopause and sexual desire.
Myth: Antibiotics make birth control pills unreliable
The failure rate of birth control pills is unchanged when taken with the vast majority of antibiotics. A possible exception is rifampin, the antibiotic prescribed for tuberculosis. Rifampin does lower pregnancy-protecting hormone levels induced by birth control pills, but whether the effect is large enough to increase pregnancy risk is unclear.
Myth: Women and men need equal sleep
Tossing and turning not only causes women more psychological distress, it also raises their insulin and inflammation levels. A study of more than 6,000 participants, led by researchers at the University of Warwick in 2007, found that women who slept five or less hours a night were twice as likely to suffer from hypertension than women who slept for seven or more hours. Among men, there was no such relationship.
Myth: A doctor can tell if a woman is a virgin
Even when using 10-fold magnification, doctors can not accurately sort virgins from the sexually-active, several studies have reported. It is not as simple as looking for a hole in the hymen, because there is always a hole in the hymen.