What's the Big Deal?
What Does Virginity Really Mean?
How It Feels To Be A Virgin
Check List: Enjoying Virginity
Check List: Before You Do It
Quiz: Are You Ready?
Quiz: What To Do and When
Quiz: Feeling Good
Sex Acts
Turned On
Age of Consent

Turned On

Stage One
Girl Guy Body Part Description
X
X
stomach You may become nervous and excited at the same time, and feel it right in your gut. Maybe you're just watching a sex scene in a movie.
X
X
eyes, ears, nose, mouth Things that you hear, smell, taste and see may seem better or sharper than before.
X
X
legs and arms Watch-out for clumsiness! Your mind may get so distracted by your hormones that it forgets about controlling the rest of your body.
X
genitals You may get a spontaneous erection. Keep those notebooks and long shirts nearby for an emergency cover-up.
Stage Two
Girl Guy Body Part Description
X
X
heart Your heart will start to beat stronger and faster, and your blood pressure will increase.
X
genitals Your genitals will start to fill with blood. You may feel like your vulva are throbbing or aching.
X
genitals Your penis will fill with blood and will start to get hard. You may or may not get a full erection. You may not have sensation in parts of your body because of disability. But your body will still respond sexually in many ways. For example, many males who have no feeling or mobility below their waist may still get an erection.
X
X
skin All of your skin becomes super sensitive. People with spinal cord injury often find that the skin at the level of the injury is highly sensitive to stroking and caressing.
X
X
lips Your lips become a bit puffy as they fill with blood.
Stage Three
Girl Guy Body Part Description
X
genitals
  • genitals start to feel wet and become more sensitive
  • labia get bigger and open up a bit
  • clitoris gets bigger and pulls back
  • vaginal opening gets bigger
X
genitals
  • erection becomes harder
  • testicles begin to swell
  • skin on your scrotum begins to thicken and tighten
  • head and opening of your penis get bigger
  • drops of pre-cum may come out the tip of the penis
X
X
nipples Nipples get hard and more sensitive.
Stage Four
Girl Guy Body Part Description
X
genitals

You may feel:

  • your vagina tighten up
  • the urge to push your clitoris against something
  • like putting something inside your vagina - i.e., a penis, sex toy, or fingers
X
genitals

You may feel:

  • like your penis is about to explode
  • the urge to hold and rub your penis
  • like putting your penis inside something - i.e., a vagina, anus, mouth, or sex toy
  • excited for a while and never ejaculate
  • excited for a few seconds and ejaculate almost right away
X
X
cheeks and chest

You may:

  • breath heavier
  • feel hot
  • get flushed on your cheeks and chest
X
X
arms and legs Your muscles may start to tighten whether you want them to or not.
X
X
mouth You may make noises or funny faces without realizing it.
Stage Five
Girl Guy Body Part Description
X
X
whole body

An orgasm may feel like:

  • a quick rush of excitement like going down a hill on a roller coaster
  • a soothing feeling like sinking into a hot tub
  • an explosive feeling like firecrackers going off inside of you
  • For all types of orgasms, your muscles begin to tighten and release, again and again, mostly near your genitals.
  • For guys, this is usually when semen shoots or spurts out of the opening in the penis.
  • You may reach this point very quickly, after a long time, or not at all.
  • Your body will do it automatically if it needs to.
  • It's as if you were holding your breath for a long time until finally your body forced you to take a much need gasp for air and to breath heavily, in and out, in and out, until you began to relax.
Stage Six
Girl Guy Body Part Description
X
whole body
  • heart rate and breathing slowly decrease
  • blood moves out of your genitals, nipples and lips
  • genitals may ache a little bit
  • penis loses its erection
  • you may feel relaxed or tired
  • you will have to wait after an orgasm before you can have another one - minutes, hours or days
  • the younger you are, the less time your body needs before it can have another orgasm
X
whole body
  • body slowly goes back to normal
  • heart rate and breathing slowly decrease
  • blood moves out of your genitals, nipples and lips
  • genitals may ache a little bit
  • you may feel relaxed or tired
  • you may quickly become turned-on again
  • your body may not always need to rest between orgasms
  • you may be able to have multiple orgasms - many orgasms in a row

Notes:


There can be some interference to getting turned on. For example, some medications reduce your interest in having sex.

Pain fatigue, and depression can also have this affect.

Anxiety can affect feeling turned on for various reasons:
Performance anxiety incldes:

  • Fear of pregnancy or STI's
  • Your values and beliefs about sex
  • Fear of getting caught

Feeling good, informed and secure about your decision to have sex can affect your enjoyment.

Excessive alcohol consumption and drug use can interfere with both erections and vaginal wetness.