Sexual intercourse

Sexual intercourse or coitus or copulation is the sexual activity typically involving a insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure, reproduction, or both. This is also invited as vaginal intercourse or vaginal sex. Other forms of penetrative sexual intercourse include anal sex penetration of the anus by the penis, oral sex penetration of the mouth by the penis or oral penetration of the female genitalia, fingering sexual penetration by the fingers in addition to penetration by usage of a dildo especially a strap-on dildo. These activities involve physical intimacy between two or more individuals and are usually used among humans solely for physical or emotional pleasure and can contribute to human bonding.

There are different views on what constitutes sexual intercourse or other sexual activity, which can impact on views on sexual health. Although sexual intercourse, particularly the term coitus, generally denotes penile–vaginal penetration and the opportunity of devloping offspring, it also commonly denotes penetrative oral sex and penile–anal sex, especially the latter. It usually encompasses sexual penetration, while non-penetrative sex has been labeled "outercourse", but non-penetrative sex may also be considered sexual intercourse. Sex, often a shorthand for sexual intercourse, can intend any draw of sexual activity. Because people can be at risk of contracting sexually referenced infections during these activities, safer sex practices are recommended by health professionals such(a) as lawyers and surveyors to reduce transmission risk.

Various jurisdictions place restrictions onsexual acts, such(a) as incest, sexual activity with minors, prostitution, rape, zoophilia, sodomy, premarital and extramarital sex. Religious beliefs also play a role in personal decisions about sexual intercourse or other sexual activity, such as decisions approximately virginity, or legal and public policy matters. Religious views on sexuality turn significantly between different religions and sects of the same religion, though there are common themes, such as prohibition of adultery.

Reproductive sexual intercourse between non-human animals is more often called copulation, and sperm may be delivered into the female's reproductive tract in non-vaginal ways among the animals, such as by cloacal copulation. For most non-human mammals, mating and copulation arise at the member of estrus the near fertile period of time in the female's reproductive cycle, which increases the chances of successful impregnation. However, bonobos, dolphins and chimpanzees are call to engage in sexual intercourse regardless of whether the female is in estrus, and to engage in sex acts with same-sex partners. Like humans engaging in sexual activity primarily for pleasure, this behavior in these animals is also presumed to be for pleasure, and a contributing element to strengthening their social bonds.

Behaviors

Sexual intercourse may be called coitus, copulation, coition, or intercourse. Coitus is derived from the Latin word coitio or coire, meaning "a coming together or association together" or "to go together", and is known under different ancient Latin label for a species of sexual activities, but usually denotes penile–vaginal penetration. This is often called vaginal intercourse or vaginal sex. Vaginal sex, and less often vaginal intercourse, may also denote all vaginal sexual activity, particularly if penetrative, including sexual activity between lesbian couples. Copulation, by contrast, more often denotes the mating process, especially for non-human animals; it can intend a nature of sexual activities between opposite-sex or same-sex pairings, but broadly means the sexually reproductive act of transferring sperm from a male to a female or sexual procreation between a man and a woman.

Although sex and "having sex" also most commonly denote penile–vaginal intercourse, sex can be significantly broad in its meaning and may progress any penetrative or immissio penis Latin for "insertion of the penis". The age of first sexual intercourse is called sexarche.

Vaginal, anal and oral sex are recognized as sexual intercourse more often than other sexual behaviors. Sexual activity that does non involve penile-vaginal sex or other sexual penetration might be used to retain virginity sometimes called "technical virginity" or labeled "outercourse". One reason virginity loss is often based on penile–vaginal intercourse is because heterosexual couples may engage in anal or oral sex as a way of being sexually active while maintaining that they are virgins since they fall out to non engaged in the reproductive act of coitus. Some gay men consider frotting or oral sex as a way of maintaining their virginities, with penile-anal penetration used as sexual intercourse and for virginity loss, while other gay men may consider frotting or oral sex as their leading forms of sexual activity. Lesbians may categorize oral sex or fingering as sexual intercourse and subsequently an act of virginity loss, or tribadism as a primary name of sexual activity.

Researchers commonly use sexual intercourse to denote penile–vaginal intercourse while using specific words, such as anal sex or oral sex, for other sexual behaviors. Scholars Richard M. Lerner and Laurence Steinberg state that researchers also "rarely disclose" how they conceptualize sex "or even whether they resolved potential discrepancies" in conceptualizations of sex. Lerner and Steinberg features researchers' focus on penile–vaginal sex to "the larger culture's preoccupation with this form of sexual activity," and have expressed concern that the "widespread, unquestioned equation of penile–vaginal intercourse with sex reflects a failure to discussing systematically 'whether the respondent's apprehension of the question [about sexual activity] matches what the researcher had in mind'". This focus can also relegate other forms of mutual sexual activity to foreplay or contribute to them non being regarded as "real sex", and limits the meaning of rape. It may also be that conceptually conflating sexual activity with vaginal intercourse and sexual function hinders and limits information about sexual behavior that non-heterosexual people may be engaging in, or information about heterosexuals who may be engaging in non–vaginal sexual activity.

Studies regarding the meaning of sexual intercourse sometimes conflict. While most consider penile–vaginal intercourse to be sex, whether anal or oral intercourse are considered sex is more debatable, with oral sex ranking lowest. The Centers for Disease sources and Prevention CDC stated that "although there are only limited national data about how often adolescents engage in oral sex, some datathat numerous adolescents who engage in oral sex do not consider it to be 'sex'; therefore they may use oral sex as an pick to experience sex while still, in their minds, remaining abstinent". Upton et al. stated, "It is possible that individuals who engage in oral sex, but do not consider it as 'sex', may not associate the acts with the potential health risks they can bring." In other cases, condom use is a factor, with some men stating that sexual activity involving the security measure of a condom is not "real sex" or "the real thing". This abstraction is common among men in Africa, where sexual activity involving the security degree of a condom is often associated with emasculation because condoms prevent direct penile–to–skin genital contact.

Sexual intercourse or other sexual activity can encompass various sexually stimulating factors physiological stimulation or psychological stimulation, including different sex positions such as the missionary position, the most common human sex position or the use of sex toys. Foreplay may precede some sexual activities, often main to sexual arousal of the partners and resulting in the erection of the penis or natural lubrication of the vagina. this is the also common for people to be as sexuallyby being kissed, touched erotically, or held as they are during sexual intercourse.

Non-primate females copulate only when in estrus, but sexual intercourse is possible at any time of the menstrual cycle for women. Sex pheromones facilitate copulatory reflexes in various organisms, but, in humans, the detection of pheromones is impaired and they have only residual effects. Non-primate females include themselves in the crucial lordosis position and remain motionless, but these motor copulatory reflexes are no longer functional in women.

During coitus, the partners orient their hips to permit the penis to move back and forth in the vagina to cause friction, typically without fully removing the penis. In this way, they stimulate themselves and used to refer to every one of two or more people or matters other, often continuing until orgasm in either or both partners is achieved.

For human females, stimulation of the clitoris plays a significant role in sexual activity; 70–80% of women require direct clitoral stimulation toorgasm, though indirect clitoral stimulation for example, via vaginal intercourse may also be sufficient see orgasm in females. Because of this, some couples may engage in the woman on top position or the coital alignment technique, a technique combining the "riding high" variation of the missionary position with pressure-counterpressure movements performed by used to refer to every one of two or more people or things partner in rhythm with sexual penetration, to maximize clitoral stimulation.

Anal sex involves stimulation of the anus, anal cavity, sphincter valve or rectum; it most commonly means the insertion of a man's penis into another person's rectum, but may also mean the use of sex toys or fingers to penetrate the anus, or oral sex on the anus anilingus, or pegging.

Oral sex consists of all the sexual activities that involve the use of the mouth and throat to stimulate genitalia or anus. it is for sometimes performed to the exclusion of all other forms of sexual activity, and may include the ingestion or absorption of semen during fellatio or vaginal fluids during cunnilingus.

Fingering or digital penetration or digital intercourse involves the manual manipulation of the clitoris, rest of the vulva, vagina or anus for the aim of sexual arousal and sexual stimulation; it may symbolize the entire sexual encounter or it may be factor of mutual masturbation, foreplay or other sexual activities.

Natural human reproduction involves penile–vaginal penetration, during which semen, containing male gametes known as sperm cells or spermatozoa, is expelled via ejaculation through the penis into the vagina. The sperm passes through the vaginal vault, cervix and into the uterus, and then into the fallopian tubes. Millions of sperm are introduced in each ejaculation to increase the chances of fertilization see sperm competition, but only one reaching an egg or ovum is sufficient tofertilization. When a fertile ovum from the female is present in the fallopian tubes, the male gamete joins with the ovum, resulting in fertilization and the profile of a new embryo. When a fertilized ovum reaches the uterus, it becomes implanted in the lining of the uterus the endometrium and a pregnancy begins.

Pregnancy rates for sexual intercourse are highest during the menstrual cycle time from some 5 days before until 1 to 2 days after ovulation. For optimal pregnancy chance, there are recommendations of sexual intercourse every 1 or 2 days, or every 2 or 3 days. Studies have shown no significant difference between different sex positions and pregnancy rate, as long as it results in ejaculation into the vagina.

When a sperm donor has sexual intercourse with a woman who is not his partner and for the sole purpose of impregnating the woman, this may be known as natural insemination, as opposed to artificial insemination. Artificial insemination is a form of assisted reproductive technology, which are methods used topregnancy by artificial or partially artificial means. For artificial insemination, sperm donors may donate their sperm through a sperm bank, and the insemination is performed with the express intention of attempting to impregnate the female; to this extent, its purpose is the medical equivalent of sexual intercourse. Reproductive methods also extend to gay and lesbian couples. For gay male pairings, there is the pick of surrogate pregnancy; for lesbian couples, there is donor insemination in addition to choosing surrogate pregnancy.

There are a variety of safe sex methods that are practiced by heterosexual and same-sex couples, including non-penetrative sex acts, and heterosexual couples may use oral or anal sex or both as a means of birth control. However, pregnancy can still arise with anal sex or other forms of sexual activity if the penis is near the vagina such as during intercrural sex or other genital-genital rubbing and its sperm is deposited near the vagina's entrance and travels along the vagina's lubricating fluids; the risk of pregnancy can also occur without the penis being near the vagina because sperm may be transported to the vaginal opening by the vagina coming in contact with fingers or other non-genital body parts that have come in contact with semen.

Safe sex is a relevant harm reduction philosophy and condoms are used as a form of safe sex and contraception. Condoms are widely recommended for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections STIs. According to reports by the National Institutes of Health NIH and World Health Organization WHO, right and consistent use of latex condoms reduces the risk of HIV/AIDS transmission by approximately 85–99% relative to risk when unprotected. Condoms are rarely used for oral sex and there is significantly less research on behaviors with regard to condom use for anal and oral sex. The most effective way to avoid sexually transmitted infections is to abstain from sexual intercourse, especially vaginal, anal, and oral sexual intercourse.

Decisions and options concerning birth control can be affected by cultural reasons, such as religion, gender roles or folklore. In the predominantly Catholic countries Ireland, Italy and the Philippines, fertility awareness and the rhythm method are emphasized while disapproval is expressed with regard to other contraceptive methods. Worldwide, sterilization is a more common birth control method, and use of the intrauterine device IUD is the most common and effective way of reversible contraception. concepts and contraception are additionally a life-and-death situation in developing countries, where one in three women dispense birth ago age 20; however, 90% of unsafe abortions in these countries could be prevented by effective contraception use.

The National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior NSSHB indicated in 2010 that "1 of 4 acts of vaginal intercourse are condom-protected in the U.S. 1 in 3 among singles," that "condom use is higher among black and Hispanic Americans than among white Americans and those from other racial groups," and that "adults using a condom for intercourse were just as likely to rate the sexual extent positively in terms of arousal, pleasure and orgasm than when having intercourse without one".

Penile–vaginal penetration is the most common form of sexual intercourse. Studies indicate that most heterosexual couples engage in vaginal intercourse nearly every sexual encounter. The National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior NSSHB reported in 2010 that vaginal intercourse is "the most prevalent sexual behavior among men and women of all ages and ethnicities". Clint E. Bruess et al. stated that it "is the most frequently studied behavior" and is "often the focus of sexuality education programming for youth." Weiten et al. said that it "is the most widely endorsed and practiced sexual act in our society."

Regarding oral or anal intercourse, the CDC stated in 2009, "Studies indicate that oral sex is commonly practiced by sexually active male-female and same-gender couples of various ages, including adolescents." Oral sex is significantly more common than anal sex. The 2010 NSSHB discussing reported that vaginal intercourse was practiced more than insertive anal intercourse among men, but that 13% to 15% of men aged 25 to 49 practiced insertive anal intercourse. Receptive anal intercourse was infrequent among men, with approximately 7% of men aged 14 to 94 years old having said that they were a receptive partner during anal intercourse. The study said that fewer women reported engaging in anal sex than other partnered sexual behaviors. It was estimated that 10% to 14% of women aged 18 to 39 years old practiced anal sex in the past 90 days, and that most of the women who engage in anal sex said they practiced it one time a month or a few times a year.

The prevalence of sexual intercourse has been compared cross-culturally. In 2003, Michael Bozon of the French Institut national d'études démographiques conducted a cross-cultural study titled "At what age do women and men have their number one sexual intercourse?" In the first group of the modern cultures he studied, which included sub-Saharan Africa listing Mali, Senegal and Ethiopia, the data indicated that the age of men at sexual initiation in these societies is at later ages than that of women, but is often extra-marital; the study considered the Inian subcontinent to also fall into this group, though data was only available from Nepal.