Abstract
Background: A limited number of scientific studies explore how often various sexual positions are used in heterosexual, as well as homosexual populations. Also, little is known about sexual orientation differences in use of sexual positions.
The aim of our study is to fill this gap by (1) providing data about frequency of use of various sexual positions and their rated pleasurability in homosexual men and women; (2) exploration gender and sexual orientation differences in use of sexual positions and their pleasurability. Methods: We analyzed a large sample of Czech heterosexual (9,196 men; mean age 31.41/8,145 women; mean age = 31.64) and homosexual (1,393 men, mean age = 33.5/449 women, mean age = 27.6) citizens.
The detailed list of 13 sexual positions in black-and-white silhouettes were presented to indicate how often did they experienced such position in life (never - more than 100 times), how pleasant is a position (1 not at all pleasant - 4 very pleasant), and the percentage of intercourses while used each position in 5 years (0 - 100 %). The picture of sexual positions were the same for heterosexual and homosexual individuals, but homosexual individuals were instructed to imagine female or male partner, respectively.
Analysis: The descriptive data on prevalence, pleasurability, and frequency of use of the 13 sexual positions in homosexuals were counted. To examine gender and sexual orientation differences in the frequency of use of the particular position in the past 5 years and their rated pleasurability, we performed a nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test.
Results: Homosexual men and women both reported that the most frequently used sexual positions are face to face (male insertive/women receptive) and oral sex (male receptive/female insertive). We found significant gender/sexual orientation differences in pleasantness of all 13 positions (all p < .001), and in the frequency of use in the past 5 years (all p < .001).
Conclusion: Noticeable gender/sexual orientation differences were found in the rating of pleasurability of particular sexual positions and their frequency of use. Our study brings a valuable contribution to an unexplored area of sex research.
Also, the results could be a source of inspiration for sexual therapy practice.