Sex is all about pleasure but it can also be a bit of a workout. And when you work out you can be prone to injuries.
From carpet burns to broken penises, a variety of sex-related injuries can occur when getting caught up in the moment. And according to a new study by Lovehoney, as many as one in three (37%) Brits have suffered a sex injury.
The sex toy brand surveyed 2,014 British adults to identity the most common bedroom disasters and the positions most likely to send you on a trip to A&E.
What are the most common sex-related injuries?
Friction was found to be a common cause of injury, with 65% of Brits saying they’ve suffered from carpet burn during sex.
While getting hot and heavy in the bedroom, Brits also frequently experienced bruising (54%) and pulled muscles (39%). Interestingly, men (39%) were found to be more prone to injuries than women (36%), and those between the age of 35-44 experienced the most sex injuries in the UK (47%).
Penetrative sex was not the only cause of bedroom mishaps. As many as 24% of male respondents admitted to experiencing sex-related injuries while either giving or receiving oral sex, compared to only 16% of women.
But of all the sex positions, doggy style (30%) and, perhaps surprisingly, missionary (23%) were found to be the most destructive.
Where are we doing the most damage?
Not only are Brits injuring themselves during sex, they’re also doing damage to their decor, it seems, with over half (57%) of respondents admitting they’d broken a bed frame, 34% a chair, while one in three reported they’d ripped a shower curtain while getting busy.
While analysing where bedroom disasters are most common, the bedroom topped the list (55%), followed by sofas (26%) and the stairs (22%). Hotel rooms were another high-risk area for sex injuries, with one in six Brits owning up to a sex injury while staying away from home.
And a little word word on UTIs
Among the top five most common bedroom mishaps the survey identified was contracting a UTI – with 23% of Brits having suffered from a UTI after sex.
Lovehoney found that at least half of all women have contracted a urinary tract infection in their lifetime, but the survey identified that there are still lots of misconceptions about them – not least that they are always caused by sex.
They aren’t. Some common causes for UTIs in men and women include:
Being run down – when our bodies are more prone to infections
Tight or poor-fitting underwear makes it likely for bacteria to become trapped around the vulva
Some autoimmune conditions
Enlarged prostate
STIs such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea may result in more frequent UTIs
Using lubricants, soaps, and bath products that cause irritation
Overstretching the urethra
Hormonal changes
Pregnancy
As clinical sexologist, Ness Cooper, explains: “The main symptoms of a UTI are: sensitivity around the urethra, pain in the bladder, high temperature, general feeling of being unwell, needing to urinate more than usual, bad-smelling/cloudy/or bloody urine, back pain, and being unable to urinate.”
And while some UTIs go away by themselves, see your GP if you are concerned, as you may need antibiotics to treat them, she advises.
“There are some long-running myths around UTIs being treated by home remedies such as cranberry juice, but in fact, there is no evidence that cranberry juice can fight UTIs, and it may even cause extra irritation to the bladder. Some people may benefit from the extra fluids the cranberry juice gives them, but it’s likely to simply be the increased fluid intake helping flush out the infection.”