How can someone be scared of sex? Or, anything to do with sex, right? It’s the most awesome thing in the whole world, more pleasurable that anything anyone can ever imagine. Why would anything about sex scare anyone? 

Simply put, phobias defy ‘logic’ and rarely make sense. So yes, people do have a phobia for things most others wouldn’t find scary. Like sex. Or, sexual organs. And just so you know, sexual phobias are more common than you’d like to believe.

The reasons for these phobias can either be due to some sort of religious or societal conditioning or come out of instances of sexual abuse, performance anxiety or any other trauma one would’ve faced. Or sometimes, these phobias are simply in-born. It’s important to note that all these are serious conditions and the people suffering from either of these phobias can’t do much to overcome them easily. The right kind of medical help and therapy could go a long way in helping people get over these phobias but there isn’t any guarantee of total recovery. 

Here are 18 sexual phobias everyone needs to know about: 

1. Erotophobia 

Generally used as a blanket term for all kinds of phobias related to sex, Erotophobia basically is the fear of any object, act or person related to sex. People suffering from this phobia are scared and/or uncomfortable with even merely talking about sex or anything sexual in nature. 

2. Genophobia 

This is the physical and/or psychological fear of sexual intercourse. Men and women with this phobia are scared of indulging in sex and even though they’re keen on getting intimate, they never really go beyond kissing and cuddling. 

3. Gymnophobia

People suffering from this phobia are scared of nudity. They could fear being seen naked by someone or seeing someone else naked or even, both. This is not to be confused with body-conscious or discomfort with one’s own body shape. 

4. Haphephobia

Also known as Chiraptophobia, this is the fear of being touched and not just in a sexual manner. People suffering from this phobia are averse to even a casual brushing of shoulders when in public and could be excessively scared when present in a particularly crowded area. 

5. Philemaphobia

This is the fear of kissing. Quite prominent among those who fear passing of germs, this isn’t however limited to that. Those with this fear find kissing someone scary on a physical level. They don’t have a problem with indulging in sex though. 

6. Paraphobia

While most of us despise perverts, people suffering from Paraphobia are scared of perversion. They fear not just other people whom they consider sexual perverts but also are scared of turning into one themselves. Sex for them has to be strictly according to their moral codes! 

7. Ithyphallophobia

Also known as Medorthophobia and Phallophobia, this is the fear of a penis. Both men and women can suffer from this phobia but the consequences would be different for each. While men suffering from this phobia fear getting an erection, for women it’s the fear of seeing and/or touching a man’s erect penis.

8. Medumalacuphobia

Often linked to performance anxiety in a man, this is the fear of losing an erection. Men suffering from Medumalacuphobia sometimes refuse to indulge in sex fearing they’d disappoint their partner and embarrass themselves. 

9. Agrophobia

Extremely common in people who’ve suffered some kind of sexual abuse in the past or been a witness to one, this is the fear of being a victim of sexual abuse. However, it can happen to those who haven’t ever faced sexual molestation as well.

10. Eurotophobia

The opposite of Phallophobia, this is the fear of a vagina. While women with this phobia fear any kind of sexual stimulation, men fear seeing or coming in contact with a vagina. 

11. Venustraphobia

Believe it or not but this is the fear of beautiful women. Since beauty is often subjective, men and women suffering from this phobia get scared of women who they find particularly beautiful. They fear that they don’t deserve such beauty or are worried that the woman’s beauty could harm them in some manner. 

12. Androphobia

Sort of the opposite of Venustraphobia, Androphobia is the fear of men. Not just attractive men but the entire male gender. While it could stem from an unwarranted past experience with a men, it’s also possible for the fear to trigger for no specific reason whatsoever. 

13. Menophobia

As the name suggests, this is the fear of menstruation. While women with this fear are scared of their own menstrual cycle, panicking every time they’re menstruating, men with this fear are scared at the sight of period blood or of a woman they know is menstruating at that point of time. 

14. Anuptaphobia

This fear is quite common among people, just that people don’t know it has a legit name. Anuptaphobia is the fear of staying single forever. Having dealt with dysfunctional relationships in the past, many men and women fear they’ll remain single for the rest of their life. 

15. Heterophobia

This is the fear of the opposite sex i.e. men scared of women and vice versa. This has nothing to do with sexuality; heterosexuals can be both sexually attracted as well as scared of the opposite sex.  

16. Parthenophobia

As bizarre as it may sound, Parthenophobia is an irrational fear of virgins and young females. It’s more common in men than women and males suffering with this fear find it almost impossible to be sexually attracted to a woman who hasn’t ever had sex. 

17. Tocophobia

With no bearing on a woman’s maternal instinct, Tocophobia is the fear of getting pregnant as well as giving birth to a child. Women suffering from this phobia find it difficult to conceive as the fear comes in their way of enjoying a healthy sex life. 

18. Oneirogmophobia

Not that men and women can control having wet dreams but there are many who’re scared of them. Yes, Oneirogmophobia is the fear of having wet dreams and can cause havoc in a person’s sleep cycle as they’re scared they’ll experience one if they go to sleep. 

Clearly, sex isn’t pleasurable for everyone!