Penile–vaginal intercourse, orvaginal intercourse, is a form ofpenetrativesexual intercourse inhuman sexuality, in which anerectpenis is inserted into avagina.[1] Synonyms are:vaginal sex,cohabitation,coitus (Latin: coitus per vaginam), (in elegant colloquial language)intimacy, or (poetic)lovemaking. (Some of the synonyms are used for other variants of sexual intercourse as well.) It corresponds tomating orcopulation in non-human animals.
The desire for sensualpleasure is usually the main motivation for humans, and sometimes the wish to have ababy or morechildren.[2][3] The biological function of vaginal intercourse ishuman reproduction. During coitus without acondom,sperm enter the vagina, first with thepre-ejaculate and then a larger amount through maleejaculation.[4]
Sperm swim through thecervix and theuterus into thefallopian tubes of the woman. If they meet a fertilisableegg cell after or during anovulation, or if an ovulation occurs hours or days later, one sperm canfertilize it. The resultingzygote develops into the early embryonic stages and, in the meantime, migrates from the fallopian tube into the uterus. Thenidation of the embryo calledblastocyst at this stage of development with the beginning of the production ofhCG marks the beginning of apregnancy.[5] Withoutcontraceptives, during a woman'sfertile days, there is a relatively high probability thatconception will follow.
For people who do not want (another) child,contraception has made it possible to separate vaginal intercourse from its biological function ofprocreation.[6][7][page needed][8] Worldwide, about 57 per cent of couples with women of reproductive age use modern methods ofcontraception.[9]
Vaginal intercourse between private individuals is part of theirprivate sphere. Sexual intercourse between anadult and a young person is generally only permitted after theage of consent in the respective country has been reached, though some countries/jurisdictions have special exceptions to this rule. These exceptions may include when the minor is legally married to the adult or within no more than a specified age gap with the adult. Nowadays intimate intercourse between unmarriedteenagers is permitted and common in many countries, but not inMuslim culture. Lack ofsexual education aboutcontraception often leads toteenage pregnancy. In many countries, after marriage, the first cohabitation is considered a (sexual) "consummation of marriage". Incountries with Sharia, the religious regulations from theQuran, which prohibit any sexual activity with a person to whom one is not married, are a part of the legislation. In every country of the world vaginal intercourse performed without the consent of the other person constitutesrape.[citation needed]
A desire forpleasure is a natural motivation for sex in general.[22] Humanintimacy favours a pleasurable experience.[23] For people who prefer non-committal sex, emotional closeness plays a lesser role.[24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] In studies consensual vaginal intercourse has been associated with signs of better physiological and psychological functions.[33] In women, regularorgasms during vaginal sex correlate positively with passion, love and relationship quality.[34]
In experimental studies with men and women whose hormone levels were examined, one havingvaginal intercourse and the otherself-pleasuring to orgasm, it was found that in both sexes the increase inprolactin was 400% higher after vaginal intercourse than after masturbation. This is interpreted to mean that vaginal intercourse is physiologically more satisfying.[35][36] In satisfying relationships, positive effects onhealth andwell-being have been proven. One study (2012) showed astress reduction effect for both partners in satisfying relationships, but not in unsatisfactory relationships.[37][38] As preliminary for the natural procreation of a new human being, for females penile–vaginal intercourse is connected with various attributes like psychological onto sacramental aspects beyond the reproductive function. Sometimes sex is also driven by motives like to degrade, to punish or to overcome loneliness and boredom.[39]
In 2006, theWHO reported a worldwideprevalence of between 8% and 21.1% ofpainful vaginal sex for women.[40] In a U.S. study, about 30% of women and 7% of men reported pain, for most only mild and of short duration. This study found that a large percentage of Americans do not talk about the pain with their partner.[41][42] In a Swedish study of young women aged 18 to 22, as many as 47% reported pain, but they said they did not want to interrupt the sex act. Some pretended to enjoy it instead of giving the man anyfeedback. The most common reason was that they put the man's pleasure above their own and tended towardsubmissiveness during sex.[43] Data from an online survey in the United States suggest that a proportion of men engage in sexual behaviours described asdominant and purposeful, in which they mimic behaviors seen inporn.[44] Unless a woman's pain has a physical cause, it is often related to impatient partner action or lack of open communication. Theprevention of sexual disappointment anddyspareunia caused by the behaviour of the male partner is summarized byBetty Dodson in the following words:
It’s a pleasure to be with a man who is self-assured, confident in his ability to get erect and maintain his erection long enough to enjoy the dance of erotic love. If he’s not a cocksman, he has mastered oral and manual skills. He has a sensitive touch and never hesitates to ask how I like my clitoris touched. He is never in a hurry. Before touching my clitoris, he always applies some kind of lubrication. When entering my vagina, he savours slow penetration.[45]
Well perfusedlabia andclitoral erection. Whether or not the clitoral glans is stimulated by the penis depends on the clitoris–urethral-meatus distance (CUMD) and on the positions and movements.Painting from theKamasutra: Coitus withnipple stimulation
In allmammals includinghumans, penile penetration of the vagina is aninstinctual behaviour serving the continuation of thespecies.[46][47] In humans, learned behaviour also plays an important role (sexual scripts).[48] FromShere Hite, there is the suggestion to defineonset not by penetration, but by the covering of thevulva by the penis.[49]
Preparation for vaginal coitus usually involves foreplay in the form of various combinations ofcaresses,petting,manual sex,oral sex. For the woman, physicalsexual arousal andclitoral erection resulting from the foreplay are the prerequisites for the reaction of the intravaginalG-spot.
Thesex positions, the pelvic movements of the woman and the man, how slowly or quickly they are performed and the lesser or greater depth have an influence on the two arousal curves. Duration can be influenced by positions, gentle or stronger movements, and by touchingerogenous zones with the hands.[50] The needs for movements are individually different for both women and men.[51][52] For women,pelvic floor training and active movements of their pelvis during vaginal intercourse increase the chance of orgasm.[53][54] A man's arousal curve usually rises faster, while women need plenty of time.[55] According to an investigation of 2005 the time from penile insertion to male orgasm, theintravaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT), varies between 0.55 and 44.1 minutes.[56] Sexually experienced men use delaying techniques to give their female partner the time she needs. Most men can learn to intentionally delay their own arousal and orgasm by practicing this doingmasturbation.[57][58][59][60] The reason why men are faster by nature:
In a man, hisglans penis is constantly enveloped by the vagina, it is continuously stimulated, making it likely that moving in and out will cause him to have anorgasm relatively soon.
In women, theglans clitoridis lies in a distance to the vaginal entrance often without physical contact.[61]
The clitoral glans has an essential function in triggeringsexual arousal and then orgasm,[62] For many women, the movement of the penis in the vagina causes only a limited increase in their arousal. Many women reach orgasm when both the extravaginally located parts of the clitoris and the erogenous zones inside the vagina are continuously stimulated simultaneously for long enough. Sexual arousal can increase to the point where one or both partners experience an orgasm either in succession, or simultaneously. The hypothesis of two modes of female orgasm – vaginal orclitoral – is not tenable. Rather, it is a complex reaction in which all organ systems of thehuman body are involved.[63][64][65] Without clitoral stimulation, 23.3% of women reach orgasm during vaginal intercourse, with simultaneous clitoral stimulation 74%.[66]
When the man is sitting upright with the woman sitting on his lap, she can rub her clitoris against hispubic bone.[67] Inlateral coital position there are also possibilities for clitoral stimulation while the penis is moving inside. In the Flanquette position, the man can give some pressure with histhigh to hermons pubis and the clitoral glans.
Another variation of vaginal sex is withlesbians who use a single or double-sideddildo.[68]
The vagina becomes wider and longer when the woman is sexually aroused. In the absence of arousal, even a penis that is not particularly large can bump at thecervix or into thevaginal fornix causing pain.Injury of the vaginal fornix by too-rough and too-deep penile penetration
In a woman with an intact moistvaginal mucosa, friction by the penis is painless. In case of insufficientvaginal lubrication or excessive temporal extension of the coitus, the mucous membranes may become sore due to mechanical irritation.[69] Ifsand gets into the vagina on abeach or in an unclean dwelling, small abrasions occur in the vagina and on the glans penis. A vaginaldouche has physiological disadvantages.[70] The sand is excreted by the natural self-cleaning of the mucous membrane.
The length of the stretched vagina varies from person to person. Themean value is13±3 cm which corresponds to the average length of thehuman penis. At rest, the vagina is considerably shorter. In a study from 1993, the mean value was given as 9.2 cm, in a study from 2006 only 6.27 cm with a variation of the lengths between 4.1 and 9.5 cm.[71][72]If the woman is not sufficiently aroused with a deep penetration the penis bumps against thecervix causingpain. If the stretching capacity of the vagina is exceeded by a too large penis, pain and inflammation will result. The same problem can occur with a relatively short vagina. The remedy in both situations is to be mindful of the time for clitoral stimulation by foreplay and to avoid penetrating too deeply.[73]A comparative study between women who had consensual vaginal sex and victims of rape found that in consensual sex, 6.9 percent of women had genital injuries. Among women who were raped, 22.8 percent suffered genital injuries.[74]
In men, there is a risk ofpenile rupture if the penis is bent when erect. This is a case ofmedical emergency.[75][76][77] According to studies (2017 and 2022), accidents in which the man suffers a penile fracture occur predominantly in thedoggy style position, but a careless movement by thewoman on top can also inflict such a serious injury on the man.[78][79]One of the causes is the penis slipping out of the vagina and, during the next thrusting movement, forcefully hitting an area of the vulva under which herpubis bone and thepubic symphysis are, causing the penis to suddenly bend downwards. In themissionary position such accidents are rare. Unsuitable angles and changes of position of one or both partners can also lead to severe misstrain of the penile corpus cavernosum and thus to a penile rupture.[80][81][82]
In 2021, a study of 3017 American women identified the ways women have discovered to make vaginal sex with a male partner more pleasurable and arousing for themselves.
"Angling": 87.5% of women find it pleasurable to circle their pelvis or lift and lower it to control where the penis pushes or rubs and how it feels.
Rocking": 76% of women find it sexually arousing to have the penis constantly deep inside the vagina without any long in and out movements and to rub their clitoral glans against the base of the penis.
"Shallowing": 84% of women enjoy and respond to "shallow" penetration, i.e. when the tip of the penis moves only in the front part of the vagina (G-spot), but not on the outside or deep inside.
Pairing": 69.7% of women are most likely to reach orgasm during vaginal intercourse when they or their partner stimulate their clitoris with afinger orvibrator orHitachi Magic Wand simultaneously.
The knowledge of such techniques enables women to communicate their preferences to their partners.[84]Pairing has been tested successfully since the 1970s byBetty Dodson in hercoachings for women suffering fromanorgasmia by using a dildo to penetrate the vagina and a vibrator to place next to the clitoral glans. The other techniques were also part of her coaching for women who wished to experience orgasm during vaginal intercourse as much as their partner.
An investigation by theCharité Berlin (2002) found that, for women, the partner's smell had the first effect on stimulating or inhibiting pleasure, followed bymood,personal hygiene, clitoral stimulation and safety from disease.Attractiveness and penis length played a subordinate role.[88] Women generally respond more toolfactory perception, men more tovisual perceptions.[89]
A variety of factors can lead to discomfort or pain (seedyspareunia).[90] Specialists ingynaecology are responsible for treatment in women; specialists inurology anddermatology are responsible for treatment in men.
For people with physical impairments (disability), sex positions that do not cause discomfort are usually possible. In a study of patients with chroniclumbar spine pain, 81 percent complained of sexual problems, and 66 percent never talked about the issue with their physician.[91][92]
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