While it's inherently natural and the reason why we're all here alive and kicking, sex sure can be complicated. As anyone who has ever dabbled in the horizontal jog will surely attest, you're not guaranteed to get off every time, and regardless of how attracted you are to your current partner, you're not always going to be in the mood for it either.
While these are all things that can be worked around, other sexual activities can have more disastrous consequences. Certainly, if you're in a long-term relationship, there's a good chance that your sex life will start to feel routine, and eventually rather stale. And to reignite the fire, many couples decide to mix up their sex life - swapping out missionary position for something decidedly more risqué.
But with all good things comes danger, and sex, unfortunately, isn't exempt from this rule.
The most dangerous sex position for your penis has been revealed and unsurprisingly it's cowgirl. I'm sure everyone's familiar with this popular move, but in case you're uncertain - it's when a man lies on his back and his partner gets on top, riding him akin to one of those mechanical bulls you always see in movies but never in real life.
This is the riskiest position to do the deed in because penises, when erect, point upwards. This, combined with the fact that there's a lot of downward pressure on it during the move (and in all of the other variations of it) means that the penis is at a greater risk of breakage. Yes, I know, even typing that out made me shudder.
A study published in the journal, Advances in Urology, discovered that almost half the number of people in three hospitals in Brazil with penile fractures had gained the injury after attempting cowgirl position.
"When woman is on top she usually controls the movement with her entire body weight landing on the erect penis, not being able to interrupt it when the penis suffers a wrong-way penetration, because the harm is usually minor in women with no pain, but major in the penis," the researchers explained.
They continued, "On the contrary, when the man is controlling the movement, he has better chances of stopping the penetration energy in response to the pain related to harm to the penis, minimising it."
"Penile fracture is a relatively uncommon clinical condition that frequently causes fear and embarrassment for the patient, hypothetically resulting in a delayed search for medical assistance, which can lead to an impairment of sexual and voiding functions."
Well, there you have it gentlemen, next time you try to spice up your sex life, maybe go easy in cowgirl position - or you know, avoid it altogether.
In related news, new research reveals the incredibly easy thing everyone can do to have better sex.
