Question: I have two questions for you. I’ve heard some things about sex that have me wondering whether they are fact or myth. First, is it true that if you blow air into a woman’s vagina she can get an air bubble in her bloodstream and die?
Second, can a man, particularly an inexperienced man, make sure he doesn’t prematurely ejaculate by masturbating before having sex?
– Mythbuster in Marquette
Answer: In response to your first question, yes, this is possible, but quite unlikely. It has happened on a few occasions, but is extremely rare. For an air bubble to enter her bloodstream through her vagina, you’d have to be blowing a large amount of air very forcefully. If this happened, an air bubble (also called an air embolism) could enter her bloodstream and cause a harmful blockage or even death if it were to travel to her heart or lungs. Pregnant women are slightly more at risk because they tend to have more enlarged blood vessels. If a woman enjoys her partner blowing air on her genitals, it is perfectly fine as long as he or she makes sure to do so gently and only on her vulva (external genitals) and not directly into her vagina, just to be on the safe side.
As for your second question, masturbating before sexual intercourse does help some men “last longer” during the main event, but it is definitely not guaranteed to work for everyone. Sometimes, masturbation can actually cause some men to orgasm faster during sex if they have grown significantly accustomed to trying to orgasm as quickly as possible (in fear of getting caught by parents or roommates, for example).
If concerned about prematurely ejaculating, there are a couple of other methods that are much more effective. The first one is called the stop-start method and involves simply stopping stimulation briefly whenever the man feels like he’s approaching orgasm. Stimulation is resumed once he’s had a little time to recuperate. Another method is called the squeeze method. When the man feels his orgasm drawing near, his partner (or himself) gently but firmly squeezes the penis along the ridge where the head meets the shaft, which causes a temporary decrease in the urge to ejaculate.
Much of the time, premature ejaculation problems are temporary and are usually just a matter of getting to know your partner and becoming more comfortable with one another.
Editor’s Note: Lyndsay Mercier is a senior Psychology major. She is also the president of Vox: Voices for Planned Parenthood, a trained sexual education peer educator and a teaching apprentice for Psychology of Sex Behaviors. Lyndsay is not a medical doctor and her advice should never replace the advice of a doctor. E-mail her your sexual health related questions at: [email protected].
