Sexual intercourse
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
Sexual intercourse is what humans and animals do to reproduce. Sometimes people have sex just for the enjoyment, rather than to have children.
Sexual intercourse usually involves a man moving his erect penis in and out of a woman's vagina, creating friction. This sexually stimulates the man and woman, often to a point where they can have orgasms and the man can ejaculate.
Forcing someone to have sex (usually called rape) is a crime in many countries.
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[change] Reproduction
- Main article: Sexual reproduction
Sexual intercourse is the natural and most common way to create a baby. It involves a man and woman having sex without birth control until the man ejaculates semen from his penis and testicles into the woman's vagina. The semen, containing sperm, moves towards the Fallopian tubes, and if it finds an ovum on its way, it will try to fertilize it. If this works, the (now fertilized) ovum sticks to the side of the uterus and the woman becomes pregnant. The fertilised ovum then develops into a human. Medically, it is called a pregnancy until birth.
[change] Sex for enjoyment
People can have sex just for the stimulation and the emotional bond created between partners. If a man and a woman do not want a baby, they may use contraception, which is something that stops a baby from being made. One type of contraception is a condom. Humans are not the only species on Earth that have sexual intercourse for enjoyment. It has been suggested that dolphins, and some other animals, do too.
[change] Sexual preferences
Who people like to have sex with depends on their sexuality. Usually, men like to have sex with women, and women like to have sex with men; this is called heterosexuality. Men who like to have sex only with men are called "gay". Women who like to have sex only with women are sometimes called "gay" too, but usually they are called "lesbians". These men and women are both called "homosexuals". Some people like to have sex with either a man or a woman. This is called being "bisexual".
[change] Sexually transmitted diseases
- Main article: Sexually transmitted disease
There are some diseases that are passed on by having sex, called sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), such as HIV (which cannot be cured and causes AIDS and leads to death). Latex condoms, if used properly, reduce the chance of some diseases being passed on. It is important not to confuse methods of birth control (for example, the female birth-control pill) as protection from STDs; tools like "the pill" only protect against pregnancy, and not from catching a possibly fatal STD. Some diseases may have both sexual and non-sexual transmission modes. Examples for these are Herpes simplex and Hepatitis B. For this reason, it is possible for virgins to have STDs.
[change] Sexual Reproduction vs Asexual Reproduction
| Type | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Asexual Reproduction | No gestation period. No mate needed. Two offspring each time | No variation in the species. No contact between the male and the female |
| Sexual Reproduction | Variation of the species. Contact between male and female | Sometimes offspring are abnormal. Gestation period |
[change] Other kinds of sex
There are many other kinds of sex. Two of them are oral sex and anal sex.
[change] Oral sex
Oral sex is when one partner uses the tongue, mouth or throat to excite the other partner's sex organs.
If someone is performing oral sex on a male, he or she may decide to swallow the semen if the male ejaculates in the mouth. There is no risk of pregnancy from swallowing semen.
One can get sexually transmitted diseases from oral sex, such as herpes (which can be passed between mouth and groin or vice versa). Some STDs, like HIV, are much harder to pass through oral sex, but it is still possible.
Slang for oral sex is common in Western cultures, for example: "going down on" or "giving a blowjob" or "giving head." The technical term for oral sex is fellatio if performed on a male and cunnilingus if performed on a female.
[change] Anal sex
Anal sex is when a man puts his erect penis into his sexual partner's anus. Anal sex does not lead to pregnancy.
