As much as sex is a taboo in many circles, more and more scientific studies are investigating its physical and psychological intricacies. A recent study has revealed results showing possible dangers to the male anatomy caused by some of the more 'exotic' positions of engaging in the act

It may be a foreign concept to some and, to others, not so common – but penile fracturing can actually happen during sex.

A 2014 Advances in Urology journal has revealed results from a study which investigated the conditions under which this phenomenon most commonly occurs.

The findings, extrapolated from a sample of three major Brazilian hospitals’ records, show that the position popularly dubbed ‘cowgirl position’ is responsible for half of all cases of sex-related penile fractures.

The study also found that the “doggy-style” position was responsible for 29 per cent of cases while the less exotic “missionary” position (man on top) caused just 21 per cent of cases.

After looking at cases over a 13 year-period, where patients reported hearing a “crack”, experiencing pain and suffering swelling, the research concluded:

“Our study supports the fact that sexual intercourse with ‘woman on top’ is the potentially riskiest sexual position related to penile fracture.

“Our hypothesis is that 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 woman with no pain but major in the penis.

“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 the penis harm, minimizing it.”

Of the 42 men who were confirmed to be having the condition, 28 were injured during heterosexual activity, six from “penis manipulation” and four from “unclear” circumstances.

Another problem they mentioned is the time it took for patients to report the injury. According to the study, time between injury and presenting at hospital ranged from 0.5 to 6 hours.

“Penile fracture is a relatively uncommon clinical condition that frequently causes fear and embarrassment for the patient, hypothetically resulting in delayed search for medical assistance, which can lead to impairment of sexual and voiding functions.

“Considering that most studies are retrospective and based on patients records information regarding the social dynamics surrounding penile fracture is scarce in the literature, mainly potentially risky sexual positions,” said the authors.

Read the Advances in Urology research article here.
Source: The Telegraph