Sexual intercourse

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sexual intercourse is what humans and some animals do to reproduce. Sometimes people have "sex for fun". Some animals also do this.

The "missionary position" is one way to have sex.
The "missionary position" is one way to have sex.

Sexual intercourse usually involves a man rhythmically 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.

[edit] Making babies

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 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 fertilise it. If this works, the ovum usually implants itself in the endometrium, and the woman becomes pregnant. The fertilised ovum then develops into a human. Some people call this growing human an unborn child or baby, although the use of such words can be political (see Abortion). Medically, it is called a pregnancy until birth (and can more specifically be called a zygote for about two weeks, an embryo for about seven weeks, and then a fetus).

[edit] Sex for fun

Sex doesn't have to make babies. People can have sex for fun. If a man and a woman don't want a baby they may use contraception, which is something that stops a baby from being made. One type of contraception is a condom.

Who people have sex with depends on their sexuality. Usually, men like to have sex with women, and women like to have sex with men. Men who like to have sex only with men are called "gay". Women who like to have sex only with women are called "lesbians". Some people like to have sex with either a man or a woman. This is called being "bisexual".

Some people feel like they want to have sex with animals. This is called bestiality. Some people also feel like they want to have sex with children. This is called pedophilia. Generally, pedophilia and bestiality are bad. They are against the law in most places.

[edit] Sex as power

Sometimes one person uses sex to control another person. By doing this, people try to make themselves feel strong. Also they might use sex to make someone feel guilty, or to make someone do something he or she might not want to do. People sometimes control each other with sex, because some people will do things they don't really want to do just to get to have sex. This is called "sexual politics". Controlling someone with sex is usually considered wrong.