Sexual intercourse

By Sexual intercourse Not only are babies conceived, lust is also experienced and a bond is established with the partner. Most people experience love play and especially the orgasm as an overwhelming feeling.

What is intercourse?

The term Sexual intercourse describes the union of two people. In the heterosexual act, the man penetrates the woman's vagina with his erect penis.

Correct movement is particularly important during intercourse so that the man's limb can slide in and out of the vagina. The resulting friction stimulates the man's glans, which ultimately leads to orgasm and ejaculation. Sexual intercourse is not only a method of procreation, it is also used for sexual satisfaction.

Penetration of the penis into the vagina not only stimulates the man sexually but also the woman. If a man's desire increases more and more, ejaculation ultimately occurs, and sperm cells are released together with seminal fluid. These pass through the woman's vagina into the cervix and can meet an egg cell that is capable of fertilization.

The process described above is also known as vaginal intercourse and is the prerequisite for a woman to become pregnant. However, the term sexual intercourse can also be used to denote penetration or stimulation of the sexual organs in the context of same-sex sexual acts. Oral sex is also sexual intercourse.

Effect on body, hormones & emotions

A whole cocktail of hormones is released during intercourse. For example, sex increases testosterone levels. Testosterone is the ultimate hormone for men, but it is also produced in the female body.

In women, testosterone levels rise even more strongly during sexual intercourse than in men. Even before sex, more adrenaline is released. This hormone prepares the body for physical exertion; it makes the heart beat faster. A high level of estrogen increases the desire for sex in women. The so-called cuddle hormone oxytocin is also released during sexual intercourse, it strengthens the lover's feeling of attachment.

The climax of lovemaking is orgasm, during which the blood flow to the external sexual organs increases sharply and uncontrollable contractions of the muscles occur. Through the muscle contractions during orgasm, the sexual pleasure that has been driven to the top is discharged. In men, orgasm goes hand in hand with ejaculation. Through the ejaculation, the man's sperm cells enter the woman's vagina and can fertilize a possibly existing egg cell there.

Diseases, Risks & Dangers

Of the Sexual intercourse also has less beautiful sides, including sexually transmitted diseases, erectile dysfunction and lipid disorders. Sexually transmitted diseases are diseases that are transmitted through sexual intercourse. This can happen with vaginal intercourse, but also with oral or anal intercourse.

The most famous sexually transmitted diseases are syphilis and gonorrhea. Both diseases are bacterial infections. While syphilis has a gradual course that causes symptoms late, an infection with gonorrhea often leads to severe symptoms. This includes primarily inflammation of the fallopian tubes, urethra or uterus.

Chlamydia infections are also common sexually transmitted diseases. Chlamydia infection is often symptomatic. The infection can lead to inflammation of the fallopian tubes and uterus. Untreated chlamydial infections are often the cause of unwanted childlessness. In addition to bacterial sexually transmitted diseases, there are also diseases that are caused by viruses.

These include HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, and genital herpes. Not only sexually transmitted diseases but also erectile dysfunction can stand in the way of a sexuality that is experienced as satisfactory. Erectile dysfunction has either organic or psychological causes; however, in most cases there is a mixture of the two. Disorders of the libido can also stand in the way of a fulfilling love life for both men and women.

The cause of a loss of libido is only rarely of a purely physical nature, usually there is a psychological component. Basically, it is normal not always to have a desire to have sex, this alone does not constitute a clinical picture. However, if there is a complete loss of libido, which also affects the relationship, medical help should be sought.