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Question:
i am a virgin but may be having sex soon. i have never pulled my foreskin back, and until a few months ago i never new i had to. i try to pull it back, but i daren't in case it rips, bleeds or hurts. it hurts a little, but i don't know wheather im just being stupid. what should i do? do i have to pull my foreskin back when having sex or other sexual activities?

Answer:
by Konstance McCaffree: (12/26/2004)
Thank you for your question. I know that it has been some time since you asked it so hopefully my answer will be helpful to you. It sounds as if you are not used to pulling the foreskin back even for cleaning. It is actually something you may want to begin doing since the area between the glans penis (the end of the penis) and the foreskin can get dirty due to the build up of a waxy substance called smegma. You don't need to be afraid of it tearing or ripping. It won't. If it should hurt, you may need to have a doctor look at it because maybe there is some reason that it hurts. It shouldn't hurt you to roll it back so that it no longer covers the glans penis. When you are sexually aroused, it may roll back on its own, since the glans will get larger and sometimes pushes it back. If it doesn't roll back naturally then you may not even need to roll it back. You can have intercourse without rolling it back. I noticed that you mentioned that the penis is slightly curved to the left. That is perfectly natural. Once you have a full erection it will be more straight and even if it is not perfectly straight it still can be used for intercourse. You may just want to experiment with cleaning underneath the foreskin, rolling it back gently, and use some type of water-based lubricant (not greasy or oily lubricant) on the glans penis to allow it to slide in more easily during intercourse. The lubrication can be put over the foreskin as well. Please feel free to write back if you have more questions.

Reviewed by: Patricia Fawver Ph.D. in Sexology

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