When you’re having sex for the first time, the excitement may be overpowering, but at the same time, it’s very easy to let anxiety take over you too.

Even the smallest of worries can seem scarier when it’s a first experience.

So before you jump into bed and make love for the first time, here are a few things that can definitely help ease the anxiety, and improve the pleasure!

#1 Lubrication. Make sure you’re wet and ready before the guy penetrates into you. Toying with each other for a while will definitely have you ready. And additionally, condoms too come with their own coating of lubrication to smoothen things out. But if you need to, you can always use an additional lubricant if it still feels painful down there.

#2 Does it hurt for all girls? Many girls don’t feel any pain at all the first time they have sexual intercourse. Very few girls actually experience pain that’s unbearable.

#3 How much does it hurt? If you do experience any pain at all while having sex for the first time, the pain may be similar to a pinprick. The psychological trauma of imagining how much it would hurt is almost always a lot worse than the actual pain you’d feel!

#4 Why do you bleed? While having sex for the first time, there may be spotting or bleeding because of the tear in your hymen.

#5 What is the hymen? The hymen is a thin membrane *like very thin skin* that partially closes the opening to the vagina. It’s not easy for you to recognize it even if you use a mirror unless you have a trained eye. And you need to remember this, a hymen is not a sign of virginity, sexual intercourse is.

Your hymen could tear for several reasons like horseback riding, vigorous exercises or gymnastics. So if you don’t feel the pain of penetration or if you don’t bleed the first time you have sex, don’t panic or assume something’s wrong with you. There are many girls who don’t bleed the first time they have sexual intercourse.