Editing Sexual intercourse (section)

{{short description|Penetrative sexual activity for reproduction or sexual pleasure}}
{{hatnote|This article is primarily about humans. For other animals, see [[Animal sexual behaviour]]. For other uses, see [[Sex (disambiguation)]].}}
{{redirect|Copulation|copulation among other animals|Copulation (zoology)|the biological functions of sexual intercourse|Penile–vaginal intercourse}}
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[[File:Paul Avril - Les Sonnetts Luxurieux (1892) de Pietro Aretino, 2.jpg|thumb|Sexual intercourse in the [[missionary position]] depicted by [[Édouard-Henri Avril]] (1892)|220x220px|alt=Sexual intercourse in the missionary position depicted by Édouard-Henri Avril (1892), depicting a man inserting his penis into woman's vagina]]
'''Sexual intercourse''' (also '''coitus''' or '''copulation'''<!-- NOTE: "Sex" is not bolded as an alternative term. This is per WP:Alternative name and MOS:BOLD. It does not redirect here, and is mentioned lower in the lead. It is also a significantly broader term.
 -->) is a [[sexual activity]]<!-- NOTE: To align with WP:Due weight, the most common definition has been put forth first. "Coitus" and "copulation," which are the most common technical terms for sexual intercourse, are also being defined in the first sentence (for both humans and non-humans) and these terms, especially coitus, usually only mean penile–vaginal intercourse, as reported in various reliable sources (including those used to discuss the topic in the Definitions section below). The variant "sexual intercourse" is slightly more inclusive, but is additionally addressed in most sources and in the Definitions and Prevalence sections as most commonly meaning penile–vaginal intercourse.--> typically involving the insertion of the [[Erection|erect]] male [[Human penis|penis]] inside the female [[vagina]] and followed by [[Pelvic thrust|thrusting motions]] for [[sexual pleasure]], [[sexual reproduction|reproduction]], or both.<ref name="Most common">Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetration for sexual pleasure or sexual reproduction; dictionary sources state that it especially means this, and scholarly sources over the years agree. See, for example;
* {{cite dictionary |title=Sexual intercourse |dictionary=[[Dictionary.com]] |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sexual-intercourse |access-date=August 24, 2024}}
* {{cite dictionary |title=Sexual intercourse |dictionary=[[Merriam-Webster]] |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sexual%20intercourse |access-date=August 24, 2024}}
* {{cite book |author=Richard M. Lerner |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_wXasY1HyAYC&pg=PA193 |title=Handbook of Adolescent Psychology |author2=Laurence Steinberg |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-471-69044-3 |pages=193–196 |quote=When researchers use the term ''sex'', they nearly always mean sexual intercourse&nbsp;– more specifically, penile–vaginal intercourse. [...] The widespread, unquestioned equation of penile–vaginal intercourse with sex reflects a failure to examine systematically 'whether the respondent's understanding of the question matches what the researcher had in mind.' |author-link=Richard M. Lerner |author2-link=Laurence Steinberg |access-date=April 29, 2013}}
* {{cite book |author=Fedwa Malti-Douglas |author-link=Fedwa Malti-Douglas |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofse0000unse_i6t7 |title=Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender: A-C |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan Reference]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-02-865961-9 |page=308 |quote=Sexual intercourse. [T]he term coitus indicates a specific act of sexual intercourse that also is known as coition or copulation. This 'coming together' is generally understood in heteronormative terms as the penetration of a woman's vagina by a man's penis. |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |author=Irving B. Weiner |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pUSG1BONmekC&pg=PA1577 |title=The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology |author2=W. Edward Craighead |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-470-17023-6 |volume=4 |page=1577 |quote=Human sexual intercourse, or coitus, is one of the most common sexual outlets among adults. Sexual intercourse generally refers to penile penetration of the vagina. |author-link=Irving B. Weiner |access-date=August 21, 2013}}
* {{cite book |author=Clint E. Bruess |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WWFW6-kkAVoC&pg=PA152 |title=Sexuality Education Theory and Practice |author2=Elizabeth Schroeder |publisher=[[Jones & Bartlett Publishers]] |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-4496-4928-9 |page=152 |quote=In many cultures around the world, vaginal sex is what is usually implied when people refer to 'having sex' or 'sexual intercourse.' It is the most frequently studied behavior and is often the focus of sexuality education programming for youth. |access-date=December 5, 2014}}
* {{cite book |author=Cecie Starr |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lS5-BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT339 |title=Human Biology |author2=Beverly McMillan |publisher=[[Cengage Learning]] |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-305-44594-9 |page=339 |quote=Coitus and copulation are both technical terms for sexual intercourse. The male sex act involves an erection, in which the limp penis stiffens and lengthens. It also involves ejaculation, the forceful expulsion of semen into the urethra and out from the penis. [...] During coitus, pelvic thrusts stimulate the penis as well as the female's clitoris and vaginal wall. The stimulation triggers rhythmic, involuntary contractions in smooth muscle in the male reproductive tract, especially the vas deferens and the prostate. The contractions rapidly force sperm out of each epididymis. They also force the contents of seminal vesicles and the prostate gland into the urethra. The resulting mixture, semen, is ejaculated into the vagina. |access-date=December 27, 2017}}
* {{cite book |author=Janell L. Carroll |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9A9EDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT289 |title=Sexuality Now: Embracing Diversity |publisher=[[Cengage Learning]] |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-337-67206-1 |page=289 |quote=Vaginal intercourse (also referred to as sexual intercourse) involves inserting the penis into the vagina. |access-date=November 22, 2019}}</ref> This is also known as [[vaginal intercourse]] or vaginal sex.<ref name="Alters">{{cite book| vauthors =Alters S| title = Essential Concepts for Healthy Living | publisher = [[Jones & Bartlett Publishers]] | year = 2012 | pages = 180–181|isbn = 978-1-4496-3062-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VegUiVbruBMC&pg=PA180|quote=Most heterosexuals are familiar with the notion of 'having sex' or sexual intercourse as vaginal sex, the insertion of a penis into a vagina. Vaginal sex, or coitus, is the most common and popular form of intimate sexual activity between partners.}}</ref><ref name="Carroll, 2018">{{cite book| vauthors = Carroll JL|title = Sexuality Now: Embracing Diversity| publisher = [[Cengage Learning]]| year = 2018 | page = 289|isbn = 978-1-337-67206-1| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=9A9EDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT289|quote=Vaginal intercourse (also referred to as sexual intercourse) involves inserting the penis into the vagina.}}</ref> Sexual penetration is an [[instinctive]] form of [[sexual behaviour]] and [[psychology]] among humans. Other forms of [[sexual penetration|penetrative]] sexual intercourse include [[anal sex]] (penetration of the [[Human anus|anus]] by the penis), [[oral sex]] (penetration of the mouth by the penis or oral penetration of the female [[genitalia]]), [[Fingering (sexual act)|fingering]] (sexual penetration by the fingers) and penetration by use of a [[dildo]] (especially a [[strap-on dildo]]), and [[Vibrator (sex toy)|vibrators]].<ref name="health.discovery.com">{{cite web |title=Sexual Intercourse |url=http://health.discovery.com/centers/sex/sexpedia/intercourse.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822040701/http://health.discovery.com/centers/sex/sexpedia/intercourse.html |archive-date=August 22, 2008 |access-date=January 12, 2008 |publisher=[[Discovery Channel|Discovery Health]]}}</ref><ref name="Rathus">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/humansexualityin00rath_1 |title=Human Sexuality in a World of Diversity |vauthors=Rathus SA, Nevid JS, Rathus LF |publisher=[[Allyn & Bacon]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-205-78606-0 |page=251 |url-access=registration}}</ref> These activities involve [[physical intimacy]] between two or more people and are usually used among humans solely for physical or [[Emotional intimacy|emotional]] pleasure. They can contribute to [[human bonding]].<ref name=health.discovery.com/><ref name="Freberg">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/discoveringbiolo0002edfreb |title=Discovering Biological Psychology |vauthors=Freberg L |publisher=[[Cengage Learning]] |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-547-17779-3 |pages=308–310 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

There are different views on what constitutes sexual intercourse or other sexual activity, which can impact views of [[sexual health]].<ref name="WHO, Sex">{{cite web |date=January 2002 |title=Defining sexual health: Report of a technical consultation on sexual health |url=https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/gender_rights/defining_sexual_health.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906205203/https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/gender_rights/defining_sexual_health.pdf |archive-date=September 6, 2012 |access-date=September 5, 2012 |publisher=[[World Health Organization]] |page=4 |quote=In English, the term 'sex' is often used to mean 'sexual activity' and can cover a range of behaviours. Other languages and cultures use different terms, with slightly different meanings.}}</ref> Although ''sexual intercourse'', particularly the term ''coitus,'' generally denotes penile–vaginal penetration and the possibility of creating [[offspring]],<ref name="Most common"/> it also commonly denotes penetrative oral sex and penile–anal sex, especially the latter.<ref name="Oral and anal">* {{cite web |title=Sexual Intercourse |url=http://health.discovery.com/centers/sex/sexpedia/intercourse.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822040701/http://health.discovery.com/centers/sex/sexpedia/intercourse.html |archive-date=August 22, 2008 |access-date=January 12, 2008 |publisher=[[Discovery Channel|Discovery.com]]}}
* {{cite book |author=Nancy W. Denney |url=https://archive.org/details/humansexuality0000denn_r0k2 |title=Human Sexuality |author2=David Quadagno |publisher=[[Mosby-Year Book]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8016-6374-1 |page=273 |quote=Although the term intercourse is usually used to refer to the insertion of the penis into the vagina, it is also used to refer to oral intercourse or anal intercourse in which the penis is inserted into the mouth or the anus, respectively. |url-access=registration}}</ref> It usually encompasses sexual penetration, while [[non-penetrative sex]] has been labeled ''outercourse'',<ref name="Non-penetrative">
* {{Cite book| author = Ann O'Leary |author-link=Ann O'Leary (psychologist) | title =Beyond Condoms: Alternative Approaches to HIV Prevention| isbn = 978-0-306-46731-8| publisher = [[Springer Publishing|Springer]] | year = 2002|page =155|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J3NT39hW474C&pg=PA155}}
* {{cite book|author=Dianne Hales|title=An Invitation to Health: Live It Now! Brief Edition|edition=3rd|isbn = 978-1-305-44595-6|publisher=[[Cengage Learning]]|year=2015|page=251|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UTJBBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT251}}</ref> but non-penetrative sex may also be considered sexual intercourse.<ref name=health.discovery.com/><ref name="Kahn, Fawcett">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofme0000kahn |title=The Encyclopedia of Mental Health |vauthors=Kahn AP, Fawcett J |publisher=[[Infobase Publishing]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8160-6454-0 |page=111 |url-access=registration}}</ref> ''Sex'', often a shorthand for ''sexual intercourse'', can mean any form of sexual activity.<ref name="WHO, Sex"/> Because people can be at risk of contracting [[sexually transmitted infections]] during these activities, [[safer sex]] practices are recommended by health professionals to reduce transmission risk.<ref name="Hales">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/invitationtoheal00hale_3 |title=An Invitation to Health Brief 2010–2011 |vauthors=Hales D |publisher=[[Cengage Learning]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-495-39192-0 |pages=269–271 |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name="Kumar">{{Cite book|vauthors=Kumar B, Gupta S|title=Sexually Transmitted Infections| publisher = [[Elsevier Health Sciences]]|year = 2014|page=93|isbn = 978-81-312-2978-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kQ9tAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA93}}</ref>

Various jurisdictions place restrictions on certain sexual acts, such as [[adultery]], [[incest]], sexual activity with [[minor (law)|minors]], [[prostitution]], [[rape]], [[zoophilia]], [[sodomy]], [[premarital sex]] and [[extramarital sex]]. [[Religious]] beliefs also play a role in personal decisions about sexual intercourse or other sexual activity, such as decisions about [[virginity]],<ref name="Carpenter"/><ref name="Intimate">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/marriagefamilyex00 |title=The Marriage and Family Experience: Intimate Relationship in a Changing Society |vauthors=Strong B, DeVault C, Cohen TF |publisher=[[Cengage Learning]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-534-62425-5 |page=186 |quote=Most people agree that we maintain virginity as long as we refrain from sexual (vaginal) intercourse. But occasionally we hear people speak of 'technical virginity' [...] Data indicate that 'a very significant proportion of teens ha[ve] had experience with oral sex, even if they haven't had sexual intercourse, and may think of themselves as virgins' [...] Other research, especially research looking into virginity loss, reports that 35% of virgins, defined as people who have never engaged in vaginal intercourse, have nonetheless engaged in one or more other forms of heterosexual sexual activity (e.g., oral sex, anal sex, or mutual masturbation). |access-date=October 8, 2011 |url-access=registration}}</ref> or legal and public policy matters. [[Religion and sexuality|Religious views on sexuality]] vary significantly between different religions and sects of the same religion, though there are common themes, such as prohibition of adultery.

Reproductive sexual intercourse between non-human animals is more often called ''[[Copulation (zoology)|copulation]]'', and [[sperm]] may be introduced into the female's reproductive tract in non-vaginal ways among the animals, such as by [[cloaca]]l copulation. For most non-human [[mammal]]s, [[mating]] and copulation occur at the point of [[Estrous cycle|estrus]] (the most fertile period of time in the female's reproductive cycle), which increases the chances of [[Internal fertilization|successful impregnation]].<ref name="Kent">{{Cite book| author =Michael Kent| title = Advanced biology| isbn = 978-0-19-914195-1| publisher = [[Oxford University Press]] | year = 2000 |pages =250–253|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8aw4ZWLABQkC&pg=PA250|access-date=October 21, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Thorpe">{{Cite book| author = Showick Thorpe| author2 = Edgar Thorpe | title = The Pearson General Studies Manual 2009, 1/e | publisher = [[Pearson Education India]]| year = 2009 |page = 1.79 | isbn =978-81-317-2133-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oAo1X2eagywC&pg=RA1-PR17|access-date=October 21, 2015}}</ref> However, [[bonobo]]s, [[dolphin]]s and [[chimpanzees]] are known to engage in sexual intercourse regardless of whether the female is in estrus, and to engage in [[Homosexual behavior in animals|sex acts with same-sex partners]].<ref name="Non-human">
* {{Cite book|author1=Herbert L. Petri |author2=John M. Govern| title = Motivation: Theory, Research, and Application| year = 2012 | publisher = [[Cengage Learning]] |page= 24 | isbn = 978-1-285-40151-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DbwKAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA24}}
* {{cite journal |vauthors=Bailey NW, Zuk M | title = Same-sex sexual behavior and evolution | journal = Trends Ecol. Evol. | volume = 24 | issue = 8 | pages = 439–46 | date = August 2009 | pmid = 19539396 | doi = 10.1016/j.tree.2009.03.014 | bibcode = 2009TEcoE..24..439B  | issn=0169-5347}}</ref> Like humans engaging in sexual activity primarily for pleasure, this behavior in these animals is also presumed to be for pleasure, and a contributing factor to strengthening their social bonds.<ref name="Balcombe">{{Cite book|last=Balcombe|first=Jonathan|author-link= Jonathan Balcombe | title = Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good| year = 2006 |publisher = [[Palgrave Macmillan]] |pages= [https://archive.org/details/pleasurablekingd00balc_0/page/106 106]–118 | isbn = 978-0-230-55227-2|url=https://archive.org/details/pleasurablekingd00balc_0|url-access=registration}}</ref>
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