CHANÉ MACKAY
Do you remember that talk about the birds and the bees? Receiving the talk is usually rather awkward for all concerned; however, no one at Perdeby remembers the part that included hospital waiting rooms, ambulance rides or first-aid kits as the direct result of sexual intercourse.
Sex-related injuries are surprisingly common, resulting in various degrees of pain and indignity to the countless victims of romps gone wrong. Perdeby decided to investigate sex boo-boo’s, ranging from the most common injuries to truly bizarre misadventures and the terminology used to define it all.
A recent study conducted by the popular condom brand Durex, found that roughly one third of the adult population suffered severe discomfort due to sexual antics. Common afflictions include carpet burns, bruising, sprained muscles and back injuries. As these injuries usually occur in the heat of passion, they generally go unnoticed until after the deed is done, with 40% of people only taking proper notice of the damage sustained the day after.
“We don’t have a good handle on how common [these injuries] are, mainly because people do not admit how they got injured,” said Debby Herbenick, research scientist at Indiana University and author of Because It Feels Good. “Patients will say they slipped in the shower if it is something particularly embarrassing.” Apparently, sex injuries are commonly sustained whilst having sex in non-traditional settings (that is anywhere out of bed or when attempting new sexual positions).
The more bizarre injuries Perdeby encountered while researching were often found to be incredibly noticeable, highly mortifying and usually require urgent medical attention.
A 27-year old American woman had to be airlifted to hospital after her and her partner attempted to test drive their new sex toy which led to severe internal damage.
Julienne Smolinski, a 26-year old New Yorker, cracked her skull and fractured her partner’s penis (yes, this is possible) after what she calls “an accidental back flip.”
A 33-year old man was rushed to hospital in Cape Town, after falling off of the headboard he was sitting on during a sexual act. The disgruntled patient suffered a concussion and serious bruising.
Apparently, removing foreign objects from people after misguided sexual adventures is considered common in the world’s emergency rooms. Frequently encountered objects include vegetables, glass bottles, rubber balls, hair brushes and even light bulbs.
Erotic asphyxiation or asphyxiophilia, the practice of restricting one’s air supply in order to heighten arousal and intensify orgasms, has received increasing attention due to the dangerous nature of the act. Known colloquially as “choke play”, this erotic interest has been defined as a psychiatric disorder, paraphillia, because it often results in serious injury and even death.
Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD), also known as Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome (PSAS), is an interesting neurological condition, causing almost constant unprovoked and spontaneous arousal in patients, who may become aroused and even climax up to 300 times per day. This might sound rather appealing to some, but PGAD can be severely disruptive and embarrassing, as sufferers have no control over the timing or locations in which they become aroused or climax.
After taking the notion of safe sex up a notch in the old birds and bees discussion, Perdeby would like to stress the importance of seeking the appropriate medical attention when sex injuries occur – no matter how embarrassing it may seem at the time.
Image: fullhalloween.com
