relationships3 min(s) read
Woman revealed awkward moment that occurred as she had sex in MRI machine with boyfriend to see what would happen
In 1991, a daring experiment involving a couple engaging in sexual intercourse inside an MRI machine changed the understanding of human anatomy forever.
Ida Sabelis and her boyfriend, Jupp, participated in the groundbreaking study led by Dutch scientist Menko Victor ‘Pek’ van Andel, aiming to uncover the mysteries of the body during sex.
Their intimate session, which took place inside one of the earliest MRI machines, produced a series of images that forever altered how the medical community viewed female anatomy.
These images were the first of their kind and ultimately became the subject of a highly influential study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 1999. Today, this study continues to capture attention and is read by thousands of people every month.
Revolutionary Discoveries About Female Anatomy
At the time, the general belief in the medical field was that the vaginal canal was straight. Early depictions of female anatomy, including the famous Leonardo da Vinci drawing from 1492, portrayed the vagina as a straight tube.
However, the MRI scans revealed a completely different reality: the vaginal canal was curved.
The images also demonstrated a surprising anatomical detail about how the male body interacts during sex.
It had long been assumed that a man’s penis entered and exited the body in a straight line. However, the MRI images showed that the penis actually bends to fit the woman’s anatomy, resembling the shape of a boomerang.
This discovery was monumental, offering new insights into sexual health and anatomy that had previously been overlooked.
The Awkward Moment
The experiment was not without its challenges.
Ida, a professor of organizational anthropology at Amsterdam’s Vrije University, recalled the amusing difficulties of the task.
"This was one of the first MRI machines ever, so taking the photos took some time," she shared during an interview on the What Was It Like podcast.
"There was a command from the control room to keep in position for, I don’t know, a minute. So it was hilarious in that sense."
Ida and Jupp were initially intended to perform the experiment in the missionary position, but due to the size constraints of the MRI machine, this proved impossible.
As Ida explained: "Jupp and I wriggled into that machine and started doing our thing. It wasn’t romantic, it was more like an act of love and a performance."
The couple ultimately settled on a spooning position, which Ida preferred due to its greater arousal for her.
"It’s a position that for me produces hardly any arousal. Anyway, Jupp would have been too heavy in that tiny tube," she said.
Despite the cramped space and the peculiar nature of the experiment, the couple managed to make it work. "Thankfully we didn’t get claustrophobic," Ida added.
A Lasting Impact on Science and Popular Culture
The MRI scans were published in the BMJ in 1999 and became an instant sensation.
The study, which ran from 1991 to 1999, was groundbreaking not just because of the anatomical revelations, but also due to its methodology.
Participants, all volunteers over the age of 18, were able to withdraw from the experiment at any point.
However, Ida noted that it was only she and Jupp who completed the experiment without the assistance of Viagra, highlighting their unique role in the study.
The article in the BMJ was celebrated for its scientific contribution, becoming one of the journal's "most popular articles of all time."
In 2019, it was even honored on the 20th anniversary of its publication.
Though the experiment took place over 30 years ago, the images are still frequently shared and discussed today, particularly on social media platforms like TikTok.
The story of the MRI sex scan has gone viral multiple times, with people still astounded by the groundbreaking nature of the study.