Missionary position

This article is about the sex position. For other uses, see The Missionary Position.
A heterosexual couple with the man on top, the most commonly practiced sex position, with penetration involving ventro-ventral body contact.[1][2]

The missionary position or man-on-top position is a sex position in which, generally, a woman lies on her back and spreads her legs and a man lies on top of her while they face each other and engage in vaginal intercourse.[3][4][1] The position may also be used for other sexual activity, such as anal sex.[4] It is commonly associated with heterosexual sexual activity, but is also used by same-sex couples.[4] It may involve sexual penetration or non-penetrative sex (for example, intercrural sex), and its penile-vaginal aspect is an example of ventro-ventral (front-to-front) reproductive activity.[5] Variations of the position allow varying degrees of clitoral stimulation, depth of penetration, participation on the part of the woman, and the likelihood and speed of orgasm.

The missionary position is the most common sex position, but it is not universally regarded as the most favoured one.[6] The missionary position is often preferred by couples who enjoy the romantic aspects of ample skin-to-skin contact and opportunities to look into each other's eyes and kiss and caress each other. The position is also believed to be a good position for reproduction.[7] During sexual activity, the missionary position allows the man to control the rhythm and depth of pelvic thrusting; it is also possible for the woman to thrust against him by moving her hips or pushing her feet against the bed, or squeeze him closer with her arms or legs. The position is not suitable for late stages of pregnancy, and is less desired when the woman wants to have greater control over the rhythm and depth of penetration during intercourse.

  1. ^ a b Keath Roberts (2006). Sex. Lotus Press. p. 145. ISBN 8189093592. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  2. ^ Wayne Weiten; Margaret A. Lloyd; Dana S. Dunn; Elizabeth Yost Hammer (2008). Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment in the 21st Century. Cengage Learning. p. 423. ISBN 978-0495553397. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  3. ^ "Missionary position". Merriam-Webster. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c "What is the missionary position?". Go Ask Alice! (Columbia University). May 26, 2015. Archived from the original on December 24, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  5. ^ Dixson, Alan F. (1998). Primate Sexuality: Comparative Studies of the Prosimians, Monkeys, Apes, and Human Beings. Oxford, England: (Oxford University Press. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-19-850182-4. Archived from the original on 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Colombia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Sex Position – Missionary / The Man-on-Top Position". sexual-health-resource.org. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved February 2, 2008.