As we progress through adolescence, our bodies enter a phase of rapid growth and development. Naturally, certain rumors arise about potential factors that could hinder or promote this growth. One such rumor is that sexual activity stunts your growth. But is there any truth to this urban legend? Let's dive in and examine the facts.
What exactly is supposed to stunt my growth again?
According to popular belief, engaging in sexual activity before reaching physical maturity can cause our bodies to produce hormones that prematurely close bone growth plates. The logic behind this theory being that early exposure to sex acts as a stressor on our systems like smoking or extreme exercise would be.
But does having sex automatically mean you're going to have premature closure of these vital body parts?
Spoiler alert: It does not.
Debunking the myth
There simply isn't enough scientific evidence supporting claims of sexual activity halting bone lengthening after puberty takes hold. Although various surveys suggest occasional participation amongst most teenagers globally starts by mid-teens (around 16/17 years old) at latest , spermarche (first ejaculation) tends only just earlier generally around age 13-14 (which has decreased from ~14 years old if we go back few centuries).
Further research debunks another pervasive claim about masturbation leading tediously towards height loss through overuse... which I'm sure gives many who are reading some sense of relief!
Notably, height predictors tend also include lifestyle related parameters including healthy diet and regular fitness training via weight-bearing exercises for constructing healthy bones; hence rendering similar desired bodily traits without resorting exclusively on celibacy-based dietary requirements...
Sounds like an easier hill climb than abstinence until marriage doesn’t it 🙂
Pardon me while I unleash some jargon-age
Just so you know what's going on with your system process(es), human skeletal density rises and peaks as we age , then eventually with deteriorating metabolic activity, it gets lower. It's estimated bones generally begin development starting at 44 days post-conception, reach peak growth velocity around 12-15 years old (roughly speaking), and finally opportune compression by sitting/standing during lifetime. Thus sex or light exercise alone wouldn’t cause such dramatic shift in human bodily processes.
Moreover, joint physiology would probably suffer more from chronic lack of exercise instead of habitual coitus; even so that doesn’t mean running half-marathons everyday will do any favors on skeletal structure either!
Conclusion
In conclusion therefore, all those told-off erotic whispers about the supposed dangers of intimacy halting one’s height gains can safely be dismissed as mere tabloid hogwash.. which means you won't have to reserve your bodacious side for after college without the risks posed by wearing high heels overtly when plagued by an arbitrary preconceived notion that your likely loss is solely grounded in your bedroom preference.
So let loose and enjoy a bit of good-natured fun occasionally!