Sexual intercourse

The missionary position, painted by Édouard-Henri Avril (1892), inspired by the erotic sonnets of Pietro Aretino Sex, more formally known as sexual intercourse, coitus, or copulation, is an intimate social activity typically involving the insertion of the erect male penis inside the female vagina and followed by thrusting motions for erotic pleasure, biological reproduction, or both. This specific type of sex is also known as vaginal intercourse (or vaginal sex). However, other forms of penetrative sexual intercourse also exist, including anal sex (penetration of the anus by the penis), oral sex (penetration of the mouth by the penis or oral contact with or penetration of the female genitalia), fingering (sexual penetration by the fingers) and penetration by use of a dildo (especially a strap-on dildo), and vibrators. The desire for these activities is grounded in natural human instinct and they involve physical intimacy between two or more people, usually enacted by humans solely for physical-emotional pleasure, sometimes contributing to human bonding.

There are different views on what constitutes sexual intercourse or other sexual activity, which can impact views of sexual health. Although sexual intercourse, particularly the term coitus, generally denotes penile–vaginal penetration and the possibility of creating offspring, it also commonly denotes penetrative oral sex and penile–anal sex, especially the latter. It usually encompasses any sexual penetration (a term especially common in statutory law), while non-penetrative sex has been labeled outercourse, but non-penetrative sex may also be considered sexual intercourse by some people or in some less-common definitions. 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.