14 Weird Things About Sex You Probably Never Knew

Sex—we have it and we love it, but how much do we know about it? There are so many weird and obscure facts that I bet you’ve never heard. Ranging from facts about the penis to facts about orgasms, here are 14 weird things about sex you probably never knew.

1. Vibrators were originally invented to fight symptoms of hysteria. Mention a vibrator and women nod in acknowledgment. Most of us have them and use them. But, you’d never associate a vibrator with the days of hysteria—which is a form of sexual frustration. They were actually invented in 1833 as a treatment and prescription for this condition. The point wasn’t at all for female pleasure, it was to save the women so they could have babies. Of course, because we’re just baby machines.
2. The morning after pill can be taken up to 120 hours after to prevent pregnancy. Planned Parenthood says that although it’s best to take it as soon as possible, you do have up to 120 hours to take it for it to still be effective. So, take that pill when you can, but if you forget or you’re on the fence, you have a cushion of time.
3. Periods heavily affect orgasm ability and type. Yes, that’s right, your period can influence whether you have a mind-blowing orgasm or a more subtle one. It can also influence how likely you are to orgasm at all. Leave it to hormonal changes to make that much of a difference. According to an article on Redbook, “Women are more likely to achieve an orgasm at or around ovulation (you know, prime baby-making time) when estrogen levels are at their peak.” Watch that calendar to maximize your O.
4. About 100 million bouts of sexual intercourse happen daily. Across the globe, there are approximately 100 million people banging every single day. That’s a whole lot of people! It’s kind of funny to picture that large of a number of people having intercourse all in one day.
5. Some couples over 70 are still sexually active. A study took a look at couples over 70. “Of the 7,000 people who responded to a questionnaire, more than half the men (54 percent) and nearly a third of the women (31 percent) who were over age 70 said they were still sexually active.” Who knew that so many grandmothers and grandfathers were still getting down?
6. 80% of U.S men have been circumcised. Is this a startling fact in the U.S.? Maybe not, but it’s a startling fact to me. According to a scientific article: “The strange truth is that the U.S. is the sole country in the world where a large majority of its male population is routinely circumcised at birth for non-religious reasons.” I have a lot of opinions about this, but I’ll just leave it at the facts.
7. Semen can help fight depression. State University of New York found this peculiar fact. They found a link to being exposed to semen by not using condoms with lower levels of depression. Apparently, there are antidepressant components in semen that can elevate mood. Who knew there was such a big benefit to swallowing, too?
8. The average female orgasm lasts 10-15 seconds. The best part of this is that our average is 4-9 seconds longer than male’s average. We may have fewer orgasms, but when we do have them they’re fabulous. We’ve just got to get over the orgasm gap so our frequency can match (or surpass) men’s.
9. The nose swells during sexual intercourse. Who knew that the nose swells as well as your breasts and genitals during sex? This is likely due to increased blood flow.
10. Sex can actually relieve headaches. Sex may actually relieve symptoms of migraines and headaches. Sex relieves tension, which then lets go of its grip of blood vessels in the brain. It doesn’t totally cure headaches or migraines, but it can certainly help relieve some of the pain. According to an article on Women’s Health, sex helps no matter what position, partner, duration, etc. Though orgasm can put some people over the edge with symptom relief.
11. Greeks have the most sex of all. According to Greek Reporter, “Greece has been revealed to rank atop the list of the world’s most sexually active nations, averaging 164 sessions a year, or more than three times a week,” placing them at the top for world sex. For comparison, The world average is 103 times per year or just less than twice a week. Guess the failing economy had no impact on their confidence.
12. Most condoms aren’t vegan-friendly. Milk is used to produce latex, rendering condoms not friendly to vegans. There may be non-latex condoms that could be an option, but your run of the mill condom contains dairy.
13. Chocolate contains the same feel-good chemical involved in sex. You bite into chocolate and feel an amazing explosive feeling. It runs through your body and makes you feel so good. Sounds like I could be talking about sex, right? Well, turns out chocolate contains phenylethylamine, the same feel-good chemical responsible for how good love and sex feels.
14. The FDA hasn’t approved condoms for anal sex. PHdish says that “the FDA does not approve condoms for use during anal sex, and studies on condom durability are performed for vaginal sex only—despite the fact that condoms became high-profile in large part because of the HIV epidemic among men who had anal sex with other men.” This doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t work with anal sex, just that studies haven’t been done by the FDA.