For most of us, sex can be innocent fun.
But getting down and dirty can sometimes be downright dangerous.
From rug burns to bruises, a survey has now revealed the most common sexual injuries.
From carpet burns to running to the bathroom to avoid a UTI, a survey of the most common sexual injuries shows that your daring antics can be risky
Women are more prone to injuries: 47 percent suffer some sort of mishap in the bedroom, according to LoveHoney’s survey of 1,003 people.
For comparison, only 33 percent of men confessed to hurting themselves during sex.
Of those who had suffered a sex-related injury, bruising was the most common (33 percent)
It was followed by carpet burns (31 percent) and urinary infections (29 percent).
Rounding out the top 10 were muscle tears, vaginal tears, back injuries, allergic reactions, anal tears, hemorrhoids, and sprained ankles.
Experts say anal sex is unlikely to cause new hemorrhoids, although it can make existing lumps worse.
Unsurprisingly, more than half of all sex-related injuries occurred in the bedroom. However, one in four happened in the shower.
Chantelle Otten, a Melbourne-based sexologist, provided advice on how to prevent your bedroom antics from ending in disaster down the road.
She said: “The bruises can be mild to moderate and occur when the capillaries under the skin burst.”
A survey by LoveHoney found that women are more likely to injure themselves during sex, with nearly half (47 percent) experiencing some type of mishap in bed.
The sexpert explained that “hickeys, spankings and rough sex” were the most common culprits for bruising and advised “approaching these acts with caution.”
Ms. Otten recommended icing the area if she’s in pain or taking acetaminophen.
In the case of UTIs, he said women could reduce their risk of contracting one by urinating before and after sex, to flush “unwanted bacteria” out of the urethra.
But this is disputed among experts, with some saying you don’t need to urinate first unless you’re particularly susceptible to UTIs.
Others claim that there isn’t much scientific data to support the benefits of urinating after either.
Vaginal tearing, caused by too much friction or rough penetration, was experienced by 18 percent of people who said they had suffered a sex-related injury.
Sexpert Ms Otten said: “It’s important to make sure he’s aroused before engaging in penetration (with fingers, penis or a toy), go slow to gently stretch the area and use plenty of lubricant.” Always.’
