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Sexual intercourse, also called coitus, is the human form of copulation. In humans this is performed relatively frequently and primarily for sexual pleasure rather than in response to a seasonal stimulus.

Coitus may be preceded by foreplay, which leads to sexual arousal of the partners, resulting in the erection of the penis and natural lubrication of the vagina.

To engage in sexual intercourse, the erect penis is inserted into the vagina and one or both of the partners move their hips to move the penis backward and forward inside the vagina to cause friction, typically without fully removing the penis. In this way, they stimulate themselves and each other, often continuing until orgasm and ejaculation are achieved. Penetration of the hardened erect penis is also known as intromission, or by the Latin name immissio penis.

Sexual reproduction

Coitus is the basic reproductive method of humans. During ejaculation, which usually accompanies male orgasm, a series of muscular contractions delivers semen containing male gametes known as sperm cells or spermatozoa from the penis into the vault of the vagina. The subsequent route of the sperm from the vault of the vagina is through the cervix and into the uterus, and then into the fallopian tubes. Millions of sperm are present in each ejaculation, to increase the chances of one fertilizing an egg or ovum. If female orgasm occurs during or after male ejaculation, the corresponding temporary reduction in the size of the vagina and the contractions of the uterus that occur can help the sperm to reach the fallopian tubes. 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 formation of a new embryo. When a fertilized ovum reaches the uterus, it becomes implanted in the lining of the uterus, known as endometrium and a pregnancy begins.

Heterosexual intercourse (coitus), where both participants are believed to be fertile, should always be considered likely to result in pregnancy, unless adequate contraceptive (birth control) measures are taken.

Functions of sex beyond reproduction

Humans, bonobos and notably dolphins are all species known to have non-reproductive sex, apparently for the sake of pleasure. All three engage in heterosexual behaviors even when the female is not in estrus, that is, at a point in her reproductive cycle suitable for successful impregnation. Likewise, all three sometimes engage in homosexual behaviors. That is not to say that homosexuality and non-reproductive heterosexuality are limited to these three species; rather, they are unusual for female receptivity to sex independent of estrus.

In both humans and bonobos the female undergoes relatively concealed ovulation, so that males generally do not know whether she is fertile at any given moment. There is a functional advantage to sex anytime for social reasons rather than reproductive ones. The emotional attachment between members, encouraging them to stay together over a long term, often allows them to support each other in cooperative tasks, such as raising their offspring.

Humans, bonobos and dolphins are all intelligent social animals, whose cooperative behavior proves far more successful than that of any individual alone. In these animals, the use of sex has evolved beyond reproduction to serve additional social functions. Sex reinforces intimate social bonds between individuals to form larger social structures. The resulting cooperation encourages collective tasks that promote the survival of each member of the group.

Alex Comfort and others posit three potential advantages of intercourse in humans, which are not mutually exclusive: reproductive, relational, and recreational. While the development of the Pill and other highly-effective forms of contraception in the mid- and late 20th century increased peoples' ability to segregate these three functions, they still overlap a great deal and in complex patterns. For example: A newly-married young couple may have intercourse while contracepting not only to experience sexual pleasure (recreational), but also as a means of deepening love and emotional intimacy (relational), thus making the marriage more stable and more capable of sustaining children in the future (reproductive, deferred). This same couple may emphasize different aspects of intercourse on different occasions, being playful during one episode of intercourse (recreational), experiencing deep emotional connection on another occasion (relational), and later, after discontinuing contraception, seeking to achieve pregnancy (reproductive, or more likely reproductive and relational). Of course, not all examples of the functions of sex require married heterosexual couples.

Sexual drive

The urge of adult humans to have sexual intercourse is seen as being part of the biological need for social bonds. It is categorized with the needs for family, friends, and group acceptance in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

At an emotional level sexual intercourse is often, though not always, seen as the ultimate physical expression of feelings of romantic love between two humans. In many cultures, mutual romantic love often forms a formalized or informal partnership, a full sexual relationship within this partnership, procreation or adoption of children, and subsequent parenting.

On a biological level, an increasing amount of research is demonstrating that a man's sex drive (and sexual attractiveness to women) is closely linked with hormones such as testosterone. A man can boost his testosterone naturally through reducing (or eliminating) smoking, alcohol, certain drugs such as most anti-depressants, emotional stress, and simple carbohydrates such as white sugar. He should also avoid exposing his testicles to too much heat such as from a hot tub. Conversely, eating a diet of 70% fruits and vegetables and 25% to 30% protein boosts a man's testosterone, as does drinking more water, lifting weights, sunbathing, and meditation.

Sexual intercourse is also often decoupled from romantic love and/or from a wish for procreation. Casual sex, often used to satisfy a physiological need, is common although it is censured by some as being promiscuous and morally questionable. The sex industry is the commercialization of sex, and includes the production of pornography, erotic art, and erotic literature, as well as prostitution.

Sexual-intercourse difficulties

While being well suited for effective stimulation of the penis, intercourse is less well suited for effective stimulation of the clitoris. Many women, up to 70 percent rarely or never have orgasms during intercourse without simultaneous direct stimulation of the clitoris. Disregard of this fact is seen as the most common cause of female anorgasmia.

Anorgasmia is the inability to achieve orgasm. It is much more common in women than men and usually needs attention from both partners over a long time span to solve. Many women, especially younger women with little sexual experience, have difficulty achieving orgasm. Whether a woman considers anorgasmia a problem or not is highly individual; the popular notion that both partners should achieve orgasm in "normal" intercourse may contribute to a woman's concern over anorgasmia.

Some males suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED), or impotence, at least occasionally. For those whose impotence is caused by medical conditions, prescription drugs such as Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra are available. However, doctors caution against the unnecessary use of these drugs because they are accompanied by serious risks such as increased chance of heart attack. Also, using a drug to counteract the symptom—impotence—can mask the underlying problem causing the impotence, and does not fix the problem. A serious condition might be aggravated if left untreated.

A more common sexual disorder in males is premature ejaculation (PE). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Food and Drug Administration) is examining the drug dapoxetine to treat premature ejaculation. In clinical trials, those with PE who took dapoxetine experienced intercourse three to four times longer before orgasm than without the drug.

The American Urological Association (AUA) estimates that premature ejaculation could affect 27 to 34 percent of men in the United States. The AUA also estimates that 10 to 12 percent of men in the United States are affected by erectile dysfunction.

Vaginismus is involuntary tensing of the pelvic floor musculature, making coitus distressing or impossible.

Dyspareunia is painful or uncomfortable intercourse which can be due to a variety of causes.

Sexual ethics and legality

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Various laws, moral rules, and taboos concern sexual intercourse. See Sexual ethics for a detailed discussion.

Unlike some other sexual activities, sexual intercourse has rarely been made taboo on religious grounds or by government authorities, as procreation is inherently essential to the continuation to the species or of any particular genetic line, which is considered to be a positive factor, and indeed, enables most societies to continue in the first place. Many of the cultures that had prohibited sexual intercourse entirely no longer exist; an exception is the Shakers, a sect of Christianity that has very few adherents at current. There are, however, many communities within cultures that prohibit their members to engage in any form of sex, especially members of religious orders and the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church and lamas in Buddhist monasteries. Within some ideologies, coitus has been considered the only "acceptable" sexual activity. Relatively strict designations of "appropriate" and "inappropriate" sexual intercourse have been almost universal in human culture for thousands of years. These have included prohibitions against specific positions, but even more often against:

• Intercourse among partners who are not married (this is referred to as fornication)

• Intercourse between two people wherein at least one of them is married, but where neither is married to the other (called adultery)

• Sexual intercourse with a close relative (called incest). This may also be called inbreeding in slang terms; the term applies more towards animals.

Some cultures and religions also prohibit or at one point prohibited sexual intercourse during a woman's menstrual period, such as Islam and Judaism, wherein the main sacred text laid specific instructions for behavior during and after this period, including explicitly forbidding sexual contact.

Often a community adapts its legal definitions during case laws for settling disputes. For example, in 2003 the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled that same-sex relations do not constitute sexual intercourse, based on a 1961 definition from Webster's Third New International Dictionary, in Blanchflower v. Blanchflower, and thereby an accused spouse in a divorce case was found not guilty of adultery based on this technicality.

Most countries have age of consent laws specifying the minimum legal age for engaging in sexual intercourse. Sexual intercourse with a person against their will, or without their informed legal consent, is referred to as rape, and is considered a serious crime in many cultures around the world, including those found in Europe, northern and eastern Asia, and the Americas. A consequence of this is that it may be illegal to have sex with someone who is intoxicated, because that person cannot give their informed consent. Sex, regardless of consent, with a minor (a person under the age of consent) is often considered a comparable or equivalent crime to rape or sexual assault, especially in instances where the older partner is not also a minor. The age of consent varies from country to country and sometimes even within the same country; generally, the age of consent is set anywhere between thirteen and eighteen years of age.

Religions

For a broad overview, see Religion and sexuality.

Abrahamic Faiths

Judaism

In the Bible, fornication is defined as idolatry or adultery, that is, the breaking of the covenant vow with God or the breaking of the holy wedding vows. To worship another god (idol) is to cheat on God, and is against the First Commandment. In the Bible, God says that those Israelites who worship idols have fornicated against Him.

Orthodox Judaism restricts sexual activity to a legally permissible marriage between a Jewish man and a Jewish woman. A man and women are even prohibited from being in a closed room alone together if they are not married, a law called yichud, nor are they allowed to have physical contact (a law referred to as negiah).

Sexual relations between a man and a woman who are not married are considered less serious (they are referred to as zenuth) than the Biblically prohibited unions such as adultery (a married woman having relations with another man) and incest; the later are referred to as ervah (literally "nakedness"), have more severe penalties and there are serious restrictions on children of these prohibited unions (mamzerim).

Sexual relations is one of the ways the Talmud (Kiddushin 1) specifies for effecting a marriage, though this method is frowned upon by the Rabbis. Children of a Jewish woman are considered Jewish regardless of whether she was married.

Protestantism

Flowing from Jewish tradition, most translations of the New Testament forbid fornication: "Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers,... will not inherit the kingdom of God". . The original Koine Greek word translated as fornication is porneia (from which English derives "pornography"), and is unlikely to translate as fornication. Many scholars translate it more accurately as immorality.

Notably, the Bible was written in an era when societal norms such as arranged marriage were in place. Hence, pre-marital sex has become acceptable, to a certain degree, in most interpretations of Christianity.

Islam

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In the Qu'ran, sex before marriage is strictly prohibited. Islam stresses that sexual relations should be restricted to the institution of marriage in order for the creation of the family; and secondly as a means to protect the family, certain relations should be considered prohibited for marriage.Fornication and adultery are both included in the Arabic word 'Zina'. Belonging primarily to the same category of crimes, entailing the same social implications and having the same effects on the spiritual personality of a human being, both, in principle, have been given the same status by the Qur'an.

Dharmic Faiths

Hinduism

Hinduism, by the holy book, the Bhagavad Gita, forbids acts of Fornication. It is considered offensive in the Hindu society as well. Due to the recent impact of the western culture, the Hindu society seems to be coming to change its strict policies. The age group most affect by western sexual influence is the teenage group, which is more easily influenced by western movies. However, it is still forbidden by Hindu law.

Alternative hindu schools of thought such as the Tantric branches of Hinduism, the Hindu practices native to India that predates centuries of conservative Islamic influence, is markedly less reserved, teaching that enlightenment can be approached through divine sex. Divine sex is one path whereby one can approach Moksha (Nirvana), a oneness with a higher spiritual level. As such, the Tantric practices, through writings such as the Kama Sutra seek not to repress sexuality, but to perfect it. By perfecting the act of divine sex, including masturbation, as seen depicted at the 10th century Hindu temple of Khajuraho, one clears the mind of earthly desires, leaving the soul on a higher level devoid of such worries, filled with bliss, and relaxed.

Buddhism

In the Buddhist tradition, under the Five Precepts and the Eightfold Path, one should neither be attached to nor crave sensual pleasure. The third of the Five Precepts is "To refrain from sexual misconduct". For most Buddhist laypeople, sex outside of marriage is not "sexual misconduct", especially when compared to, say, adultery or any sexual activity which can bring suffering to another human being. Each may need to consider whether, for them, sexual contact is a distraction or means of avoidance of their own spiritual practice or development. To provide a complete focus onto spiritual practice, fully ordained Buddhist monks may, depending on the tradition, be bound by hundreds of further detailed rules or vows that may include a ban on sexual relations. Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism, on the other hand, teaches that sexual intercourse can be actively used to approach higher spiritual development.

Wicca

The "Charge of the Goddess" is an instruction of unknown antiquity that is recognized by many Neopagans. One part of it reads: "All acts of pleasure are my rituals." As such, the Wiccans consider such activity not only normal, and healthy, but also sacred, as well as charged magically. Sex magic is considered one of the more potent branches of thelema, with sex being key to the Great Rite, itself. The Council of American Witches issued a statement about their religion during their Spring Witchmeet of 1974, held in Minneapolis, MN. It says, in part:

"We value sexuality as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of Life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practices and religious worship."

Secular humanism

Most secular humanists believe that, in the overwhelming majority of cases, sexual intercourse does no harm in this world. Secular humanism therefore considers most sex acts as morally irrelevant should be done in private or viewed with/b consenting adults.

See also

• Synonyms for sexual intercourse – the WikiSaurus list of synonyms and slang words for sexual intercourse in many languages
• Safe sex
• Sex in space
• Sexual slang

References

1. Frans de Waal, "Bonobo Sex and Society", Scientific American (March 1995): 82-86. Available online at: http://songweaver.com/info/bonobos.html.
2. Dinitia Smith, "Central Park Zoo's gay penguins ignite debate", San Francisco Chronicle (February 7, 2004). Available online at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/02/07/MNG3N4RAV41.DTL.
3. Bruce Bagemihl, Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity (St. Martin's Press, 1999). ISBN 0-312-19239-8
4. John Alexander, How to Be Her Best Lover Ever (Lulu Press, 2005). ISBN 1-4116-3773-9
5. Sexual Honesty, by Women, For Women, by Shere Hite (1974)
6. see Hosea 1-3, Ezekiel 16 and Jeremiah 2:20-36.
7. A paraphrasing of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 eg: "The New Testament is characterized by an unconditional repudiation of all extra-marital and unnatural intercourse with animals." Dictionary of the New Testament, Friedrich Hauck and Siegfried Schulz (edited by Kittel and Friedrich) (Vol.6, p.590)

External links

• The International Encyclopedia of Sexuality
• Janssen, D. F., Growing Up Sexually. Volume I. World Reference Atlas
• Biology of sexual intercourse
• Dutch Society for Sexual Reform article on "sex without intercourse"
• UK legal guidance for prosecutors concerning sexual acts
• Resources for parents to talk about sexual intercourse to their children
• Planned Parenthood information on sexual intercourse
• Medical Resources related to sexual intercourse
• W. W. Schultz, P. van Andel, I. Sabelis, E. Mooyaart. Magnetic resonance imaging of male and female genitals during coitus and female sexual arousal. BMJ 1999;319:1596-1600 (18 December).
• Social Determinants of Attitudes Towards Women's Premarital Sexuality Among Female Turkish University Students
• OGG video file of ejaculation
• Queries related to Sexual Intercourse Answered by Sexologists, Andrologists, Gynaecologists & Psychiatrists
• SexualEmpowerment.com A sex therapist answers your questions about sex

• Biological reproduction
• Human sexuality
• Interpersonal relationships
• Sexology
• Sexual acts