40 Facts You Didn't Know About Sex

Here we are, wrapping up Sexual Health Awareness Month, in which the entire month of September was dedicated to exploring the importance of sexual health. (And also Virgo memes.)

To send this educational month out with a bang, we’re going to cover some fun facts all about– you guessed it–sex. Please feel free to print this out and stick it on your fridge, email it to a date, or bring it to your next dinner party for some light trivia.

Did You Know…? 

1. The average age to get your first period is getting younger. The average age used to be 12.5 years old in the U.S., and now it’s just under 12. This may not sound like much, but the number of people getting periods early or very early—before the age of 11 or even nine—has roughly doubled since the 50s and 60s.¹
2. The average age of first having sex (intercourse) in the U.S. is 17.² 
3. Teens seem to be having less sex these days. According to the CDC, in 1991, 54 percent of teens reported having (ever) had sex. In 2021, 30 percent of teens have ever had sex.³
4. Sex wasn’t greatly stigmatized or taboo until the Middle Ages. Before this, Ancient Greeks and Romans enjoyed group sex, homosexual acts, sex toys, porn, and even birth control without thinking too much about it.⁴ 
5. The first birth control pill wasn’t released until 1960. At the time, it was only available to married couples; it wasn’t until the 70s that contraceptives were legally available to all people, married or not.⁵
6. Pregnant people who live in states with decreased abortion access are more likely to have complications during pregnancy.⁶ This disproportionately affects Black and Indigenous pregnant females.⁶ 
7. On average, most penile-vaginal, heterosexual intercourse lasts 5.4 minutes.⁷ 
8. Sex between two men likely lasts about 5.4 minutes on average as well, since this is the average amount of time it takes for a male to orgasm.⁸ 
9. On average, most sex between females lasts over 30 minutes.⁹ (Or, according to some on Reddit, 2.5 days.)
10. On average, it takes a female 14 minutes to reach orgasm, during partnered sex.¹⁰ 
11. It only takes about eight minutes, on average, for a female to reach orgasm during masturbation.¹⁰  
12. Only 18 percent of females report being able to orgasm from intercourse alone.¹¹
13. A study by the Kinsey Institute revealed that lesbians report orgasms during sex 86 percent of the time, compared to 65 percent for straight women.¹²
14. Straight men in the study reported orgasms 95 percent of the time.¹² 
15. The average couple has sex about once per week.¹³
16. Perimenopause– the years leading up to menopause– can impact sex drive. More than ⅓ of people experiencing perimenopause report a lack of interest in sex and/or difficulty getting aroused or achieving orgasm.¹⁴ If this is happening for you, check out our OBGYN-formulated Menopause Passion Pack.
17. “Popping someone’s cherry” is flat-out not a thing. The hymen is a thin tissue just inside the opening of the vagina, and for some people, it’s more noticeable—for others, it is barely there at all. The damaging myth about it all is that it “remains intact” until someone loses their virginity, which is inaccurate. There is no way to tell if somebody is a virgin by looking at their vagina.¹⁵ (And also, excuse me?) 
18. People between the ages of 25 and 45 are the most sexually active, where 87 percent of folks in this age group report having sex.¹⁶ 
19. 37 percent of men over the age of 75 are sexually active.¹⁶ 
20. 18 percent of women over the ages of 75 are sexually active.¹⁶  
21. Women are more likely to lose interest in sex when they’re in a long-term, monogamous relationship, compared to men. Several studies show that in long-term, monogamous relationships, women’s libido tends to diminish after one year, but their male partner’s does not.¹⁷ 
22. It’s perfectly normal (and common) to go through phases of not wanting to have sex with your partner. 
23. Orgasms can have health benefits including headache and pain relief, improved heart health, reduction in menstrual cramps, improved self confidence, better sleep, and less stress.¹⁸ 
24. In the U.S., about 13.9 percent of men have taken supplements for sexual enhancement.¹⁹ 
25. Vaginal healthcare has been so historically overlooked that even supplemental support is often disregarded. But worry not, O Positiv has several supplements designed to help revitalize romance for women! 
26. It takes a female about 10-12 minutes to get fully physically aroused.²⁰ However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that she wants to have sex or is mentally aroused; it just means that her body is showing signs of physical arousal. This disparity between physical arousal and actually wanting to have sex is known as arousal non-concordance. 
27. The word “cum” (as in to orgasm) is an old term, and may have been used as far back as the 16th century. So says the 1590s poem Nashe His Dildo, "I come, I come, sweet death, rock me a-sleep!"²¹
28. The states having the most sex in the U.S. are: Alaska, New Mexico, Vermont, Arkansas, and Indiana.²² 
29. The states having the least sex in the U.S. are: Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Nebraska, and West Virginia.²² 
30. About nine percent of males and 11 percent of females have trouble conceiving in the U.S.²³ 
31. Certain foods can potentially increase arousal. Foods high in L-arginine (like pumpkins, walnuts, and beef), foods high in omega 3 fatty acids (like salmon and avocado), and foods containing quercetin (like apples, berries, grapes, and dark chocolate) can all increase blood flow.²⁴ And blood flow to the genitals is essential for arousal, no matter what parts you’re working with. 
32. According to the CDC, cases of syphilis are majorly on the rise in the U.S. The number of cases nearly doubled between 2018 and 2022.²⁵ 
33. Still, chlamydia is the most common STD.²⁵ Well, aside from HPV—at any given time, about 80 percent of sexually active people have HPV.²⁶ 
34. The average length of an erect penis is 5.36 inches.²⁷
35. However, most men think the average length of an erect penis is 6.2 inches.²⁷ 
36. The average depth of an unaroused vagina is about 3.5 inches. But this can vary depending on your age, whether or not you’ve gone through menopause, and whether or not you’re turned on. When you’re turned on, the organ that connects your vagina to the cervix tilts upward, lengthening this wondrous canal in the process.²⁸
37. Small penises used to be all the rage. If you take a look back at Greek and Roman art and statues, you may notice a (small) commonality. This is because back then, small penises were preferred. Or as the Greek playwright Aristophanes wrote of preferred male characteristics: “a gleaming chest, bright skin, broad shoulders, tiny tongue, strong buttocks, and a little [redacted].”²⁹
38. Masturbating excessively can temporarily desensitize your genitals, and make it harder to climax during sex with a partner.³⁰ 
39. Your attachment style can totally change depending on where you are in your cycle. 
40. And finally, let’s bring it on home with our favorite fun fact about squirting: It really is just an involuntary release of urine.³¹ 

We hope that you’ve enjoyed these fun facts about sex and sexual health—and moreover, we hope that you’ve had a great Sexual Health Awareness Month. If you missed this semi-holiday, don’t worry; it happens every September—but no need to wait until then to take care of your sexual health. 

A note on sex and gender: Sex and gender exists on spectrums, and this article uses terms like “male” or “female” to refer to sex assigned at birth. Learn more.