“It would make me a bit anxious and tense.”

Aya (right) was nervous about being intimate for the first time on her wedding night, while Ahmed said he felt no stress because he’d had sex before. Source: SBS

Sex before marriage may be religiously prohibited in Egypt, but not all young people abstain.

“No-one teaches us. So we can find out and educate ourselves.”

Egypt has one of the youngest populations in the world, and teenagers are growing up with almost no sex education. Source: Getty / Marco Di Lauro

In the absence of sex ed, Ahmed said myths and misconceptions about intimacy are passed down between generations — each as ashamed to discuss it as the next.

“This is one of the things that we learn, and which is wrong. We end up in deep trouble.”

Filling the information void

And they’re growing up with almost no sex education. 

Divorce rates are high in Egypt, a phenomena that’s been partly blamed on people’s lack of sex education and sexual experience before marriage. Source: Getty / Noppawat Tom Charoensinphon

But a team of Egyptian millennials in Cairo is hoping to change all this.

There’s even an AI-driven app that helps answer user questions, such as if a woman is allowed to make noises during sex, or if ejaculation on a woman’s body can lead to pregnancy.

Nour Emam is teaching Egyptians about sex through social media and podcasts. Source: SBS

In video clips, Nour talks about the intricacies of sex, pleasure and reproduction.

“No-one teaches you about marital sex … because there’s a fear that if we talk to you about sex, we’re automatically encouraging you to have premarital sex, which is not the case.”

Disconnection leading to divorce

This is a problem for those with conservative religious beliefs, including President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who said the divorce rate may even dissuade young people in Egypt from wanting to get married and start a family.

In Egypt’s Christian church, divorce isn’t tolerated, so these lessons aim to improve knowledge and expectations to help marital relations.

“In Christian marriage, there is no divorce. So, they need to be sure they are making the right decision.”

Egypt’s Coptic Christians must take premarital sex ed classes before their wedding. Source: SBS

In the two-hour course, the men and women were separated, each group taught about the male and female anatomies and reproductive systems.

“Women desire care, attention, and romance,” he added.

Sadly for Aya, her mother died just before she got engaged.

Shaking off generational shame

Aya said their first night together went “even better and smoother than I had expected”.