'Woman on top' - most dangerous sex position, study reveals

A new scientific study in Brazil has suggested that the sex position, "Woman on top" is the most dangerous sex position. According to researchers, the position dubbed "cowgirl" is responsible for half of all penile fractures.

Penile fracture is rupture of one or both of the tunica albuginea, the fibrous coverings that envelop the penis's corpora cavernosa. It is caused by rapid blunt force to an erect penis, usually during sex or aggressive masturbation and comes with intense pains and swelling.

The scientists, who looked at three hospitals in Campinas, a city of three million people in Brazil, used hospital records and in some cases interviewed the patients.

According to a report by the Independent, researchers who examined the cases of the 44 men who attended 3 hospitals, found that the woman-on-top sex position was responsible for half of all 'penile fractures' sustained during sex.

28 fractures were sustained during heterosexual sex, four during homosexual sex, six after 'penis manipulation' and four in circumstances which remain unclear.

The scientists explained that it may be due to the fact that a woman's entire body weight was on the penis. While the harm is major for the man, it was generally minor for the woman.

According to the study, half of the patients also admitted to have heard an audible crack and feeling pain after the incident with some also suffering swelling; and while most of them did go to hospital within the next five or six hours, the authors noted that since the injury was relatively uncommon and could cause embarrassment, most people tend to put off seeking medical treatment.

Scientist revealed that the safest sex position was the traditional man-on-top or missionary position, as when the man is controlling the movement, he has better chances of stopping the penetration energy in response to the pain related to the penis harm, minimizing it.

Doctors and researchers studied patients attending three A&E units with suspected "penile fractures" over a 13 year period.

The cowgirl sex position isn’t the only position causing penile fractures but also the "doggy" position with women on all fours, revealed the research. And according to the study, it is responsible for about 29 per cent of penile fractures while the traditional "man on top" is responsible for just 21 per cent.

The research concluded that: 

"Our study supports the fact that sexual intercourse with 'woman on top' is the potentially riskiest sexual position related to penile fracture.

"Our hypothesis is that when woman is on top she usually controls the movement with her entire body weight landing on the erect penis, not being able to interrupt it when the penis suffers a wrong way penetration, because the harm is usually minor in woman with no pain but major in the penis.

"On the contrary, when the man is controlling the movement, he has better chances of stopping the penetration energy in response to the pain related to the penis harm, minimizing it."

The study reads that: 

"Half of patients presented with the classical triad of an audible crack followed by pain.

"The presentation time of patients to the hospital after penile fracture ranged from 0.5 to 6 hours."

"Penile fracture is a relatively uncommon clinical condition that frequently causes fear and embarrassment for the patient, hypothetically resulting in delayed search for medical assistance, which can lead to impairment of sexual and voiding functions,” said the authors.

"Considering that most studies are retrospective and based on patients records information regarding the social dynamics surrounding penile fracture is scarce in the literature, mainly potentially risky sexual positions."

The study was published in the Advances in Urology journal.