Lesbian sexual practices
Encyclopedia
Lesbian sexual practices are sexual activities where the participants are only women. The participants can be lesbian
or bisexual women, though some prefer to refer to themselves as women who have sex with women
and dispense with sexual identification. As with most interpersonal relationships
, any physical expression of intimacy between women depends on the context of the relationship along with social, cultural and other influences.
or non-penetrative nature. These behaviors include fingering
(digital stimulation, which may or may not be penetrative), non-penetrative sex
, oral sex
(which may or may not be penetrative), stimulation of nipples
or other erogenous zone
, and tribadism
(sometimes known as "scissoring"). More rarely used is anal-oral sex.
For penetrative stimulation of the vagina or anus, a partner may use fingers, their tongue, a dildo
, or strap-on dildo
; for variety, other sex toy
s are sometimes used and BDSM
activities may be enjoyed. There are various sex positions for any of the aforementioned acts (penetrative and non-penetrative).
Sex educator and feminist Shere Hite
's research (while subject to methodological limitations) showed "sex as we define it is a cultural institution, not a biological one," that most women need clitoral or exterior stimulation for orgasm
which can be "easy and strong, given the right stimulation" and most women reach orgasm more easily by masturbation. Hite noted one of her female research subjects had written, "Sex with a woman includes: touching, kissing, smiling, looking serious, embracing, talking, digital intercourse, caressing, looking, cunnilingus
, undressing, remembering later, making sounds, sometimes gently biting, sometimes crying, and breathing and sighing together."
's Sexual Behavior in the Human Female
noted that, over the previous five years of sexual activity, 78% of women had orgasm
s in 60% to 100% of sexual encounters
with other women, compared with 55% for heterosexual sex.
Studies by other scholars, including Masters and Johnson
and Marilyn Frye
, have concluded that lesbian sexual behaviors more often have qualities associated with sexual satisfaction than their heterosexual counterparts. These include aspects such as more full-body sexual contact, rather than genital-focused contact, less preoccupation or anxiety about achieving orgasm, more sexual assertiveness and communication about sexual needs, longer lasting sexual encounters
and greater satisfaction with the overall quality of one's sexual life. Masters and Johnson's further concluded that vaginal penetration with dildos is rare, and that lesbians tend to do more overall genital stimulation than direct clitoral stimulation, which is also often the case for heterosexual relationships.
There are lesbians who like anal sex and others "who cannot bear the thought of it." In 1987, a non-scientific study (Munson) was conducted of more than 100 members of a lesbian social organization in Colorado. When asked what techniques they used in their last 10 sexual encounters, 100% reported kissing, sucking on breasts, and manual stimulation of the clitoris; more than 90% reported French kissing, oral sex, and fingers inserted into the vagina; and 80% reported tribadism
. Lesbians in their 30s were twice as likely as other age groups to engage in anal stimulation (with a finger or dildo).
such as HIV
is relatively low, though not eliminated.
Like most sexual activity, lesbian sexual activities can carry risks of sexually transmitted
and other pathogenic diseases. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported there is little data available regarding the risk of spreading sexually transmitted diseases between women. However, the CDC notes that pathogens such as metronidazole-resistant trichomoniasis
, genotype-concordant HIV
, human papilloma virus (HPV, which has been linked to nearly all cases of cervical cancer
) and syphilis
can be spread through sexual contact between women. While the rates of these pathologies is unknown, one study showed 30% of lesbians and bisexual women had medical histories with sexually transmitted diseases. This does not mean sexually active lesbians are exposed to higher health risks than the general population. Health Canada noted "the prevalence of all types of HPV (cancer and non-cancer-causing) in different groups of Canadian women ranges from 20%–33%" and an American university study found 60% of sexually active females were infected with HPV at some time within a three year period.
The CDC did not recognize female-to-female transmission as a possible method of HIV infection until 1995. It is possible, though less likely, for transmission to occur in female-to-female sexual activity. Though the risk is not as high as for male-to-male and male-to-female transmission, the risk is still present. HIV can be spread through body fluids, such as blood (including menstrual blood), vaginal fluid and breast milk. Transmission can also take place through oral sex if a woman has cuts or sores in her mouth, or poor oral hygiene, especially if her partner is menstruating. HIV can also be spread through the sharing of penetrative sex toy
s if their use results in broken skin within the vagina or anus.
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
or bisexual women, though some prefer to refer to themselves as women who have sex with women
Women who have sex with women
Women who have sex with women is a term used to identify women who engage in sexual activities with other women, whether or not they identify themselves as lesbian or bisexual...
and dispense with sexual identification. As with most interpersonal relationships
Interpersonal relationship
An interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring. This association may be based on limerence, love, solidarity, regular business interactions, or some other type of social commitment. Interpersonal relationships are formed in the...
, any physical expression of intimacy between women depends on the context of the relationship along with social, cultural and other influences.
Behaviors
Lesbian sexual activities may be of a penetrativeSexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
or non-penetrative nature. These behaviors include fingering
Fingering (sexual act)
Fingering is the manual manipulation of the clitoris, vulva, vagina, or anus for the purpose of sexual arousal and stimulation. It may constitute the entire sexual encounter or it may be part of mutual masturbation, foreplay or other sexual activities. To "finger oneself" is to masturbate in this...
(digital stimulation, which may or may not be penetrative), non-penetrative sex
Non-penetrative sex
Non-penetrative sex is sexual activity without vaginal, anal, or oral penetration, as opposed to the penetrative aspects of those activities...
, oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
(which may or may not be penetrative), stimulation of nipples
Oral stimulation of nipples
Stimulation of nipples is a common human sexual practice, either for itself or as part of other sexual activities. The practice may be performed upon – or by – people of any gender or sexual orientation, but is more commonly performed on women...
or other erogenous zone
Erogenous zone
An erogenous zone is an area of the human body that has heightened sensitivity, the stimulation of which may result in the production of erotic sensations or sexual excitement.People have erogenous zones all over their bodies, but which areas are more sensitive than others vary...
, and tribadism
Tribadism
Tribadism or tribbing, commonly known by its scissoring position, is a form of non-penetrative sex in which a woman rubs her vulva against her partner's body for sexual stimulation. This may involve female-to-female genital contact or a female rubbing her vulva against her partner's thigh, stomach,...
(sometimes known as "scissoring"). More rarely used is anal-oral sex.
For penetrative stimulation of the vagina or anus, a partner may use fingers, their tongue, a dildo
Dildo
A dildo is a sex toy, often explicitly phallic in appearance, intended for bodily penetration during masturbation or sex with partners.- Description and uses :...
, or strap-on dildo
Strap-on dildo
A strap-on dildo is a dildo designed to be worn, usually with a harness, during sexual activity. Harnesses and dildos are made in a wide variety of styles, with variations in how the harness fits the wearer, how the dildo attaches to the harness, as well as various features intended to facilitate...
; for variety, other sex toy
Sex toy
A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate human sexual pleasure. The most popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals and may be vibrating or non-vibrating...
s are sometimes used and BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
activities may be enjoyed. There are various sex positions for any of the aforementioned acts (penetrative and non-penetrative).
Sex educator and feminist Shere Hite
Shere Hite
Shere Hite is an American-born German sex educator and feminist. Her sexological work has focused primarily on female sexuality. Hite builds upon biological studies of sex by Masters and Johnson and by Alfred Kinsey...
's research (while subject to methodological limitations) showed "sex as we define it is a cultural institution, not a biological one," that most women need clitoral or exterior stimulation for orgasm
Orgasm
Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...
which can be "easy and strong, given the right stimulation" and most women reach orgasm more easily by masturbation. Hite noted one of her female research subjects had written, "Sex with a woman includes: touching, kissing, smiling, looking serious, embracing, talking, digital intercourse, caressing, looking, cunnilingus
Cunnilingus
Cunnilingus is an oral sex act performed on a female. It involves the use by a sex partner of the mouth, lips and tongue to stimulate the female's clitoris, vulva, or vagina...
, undressing, remembering later, making sounds, sometimes gently biting, sometimes crying, and breathing and sighing together."
Research
In 1953, Alfred KinseyAlfred Kinsey
Alfred Charles Kinsey was an American biologist and professor of entomology and zoology, who in 1947 founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University, now known as the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, as well as producing the Kinsey Reports and the Kinsey...
's Sexual Behavior in the Human Female
Kinsey Reports
The Kinsey Reports are two books on human sexual behavior, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female , by Dr. Alfred Kinsey, Wardell Pomeroy and others and published by Saunders...
noted that, over the previous five years of sexual activity, 78% of women had orgasm
Orgasm
Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...
s in 60% to 100% of sexual encounters
Human sexual behavior
Human sexual activities or human sexual practices or human sexual behavior refers to the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts from time to time, and for a wide variety of reasons...
with other women, compared with 55% for heterosexual sex.
Studies by other scholars, including Masters and Johnson
Masters and Johnson
The Masters and Johnson research team, composed of William H. Masters and Virginia E. Johnson, pioneered research into the nature of human sexual response and the diagnosis and treatment of sexual disorders and dysfunctions from 1957 until the 1990s....
and Marilyn Frye
Marilyn Frye
Marilyn Frye is a philosophy professor and feminist theorist. She earned her Ph.D. at Cornell University in 1969 and has taught feminist philosophy, metaphysics, and philosophy of language at Michigan State University since 1974...
, have concluded that lesbian sexual behaviors more often have qualities associated with sexual satisfaction than their heterosexual counterparts. These include aspects such as more full-body sexual contact, rather than genital-focused contact, less preoccupation or anxiety about achieving orgasm, more sexual assertiveness and communication about sexual needs, longer lasting sexual encounters
Human sexual response cycle
The human sexual response cycle is a four-stage model of physiological responses during sexual stimulation. These phases, in order of their occurrence, are the excitement phase, plateau phase, orgasmic phase, and resolution phase. The term was coined by William H. Masters and Virginia E...
and greater satisfaction with the overall quality of one's sexual life. Masters and Johnson's further concluded that vaginal penetration with dildos is rare, and that lesbians tend to do more overall genital stimulation than direct clitoral stimulation, which is also often the case for heterosexual relationships.
There are lesbians who like anal sex and others "who cannot bear the thought of it." In 1987, a non-scientific study (Munson) was conducted of more than 100 members of a lesbian social organization in Colorado. When asked what techniques they used in their last 10 sexual encounters, 100% reported kissing, sucking on breasts, and manual stimulation of the clitoris; more than 90% reported French kissing, oral sex, and fingers inserted into the vagina; and 80% reported tribadism
Tribadism
Tribadism or tribbing, commonly known by its scissoring position, is a form of non-penetrative sex in which a woman rubs her vulva against her partner's body for sexual stimulation. This may involve female-to-female genital contact or a female rubbing her vulva against her partner's thigh, stomach,...
. Lesbians in their 30s were twice as likely as other age groups to engage in anal stimulation (with a finger or dildo).
Health risks
When lesbian sexual activity is of a non-penetrative nature, the risk of exchange of bodily fluids is generally lower than other forms of sexual intercourse. As such, the incidence of transmission of a sexually transmitted diseaseSexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
such as HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
is relatively low, though not eliminated.
Like most sexual activity, lesbian sexual activities can carry risks of sexually transmitted
Sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
and other pathogenic diseases. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported there is little data available regarding the risk of spreading sexually transmitted diseases between women. However, the CDC notes that pathogens such as metronidazole-resistant trichomoniasis
Trichomoniasis
Trichomoniasis, sometimes referred to as "trich", is a common cause of vaginitis. It is a sexually transmitted disease, and is caused by the single-celled protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis producing mechanical stress on host cells and then ingesting cell fragments after cell death...
, genotype-concordant HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
, human papilloma virus (HPV, which has been linked to nearly all cases of cervical cancer
Cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is malignant neoplasm of the cervix uteri or cervical area. One of the most common symptoms is abnormal vaginal bleeding, but in some cases there may be no obvious symptoms until the cancer is in its advanced stages...
) and syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
can be spread through sexual contact between women. While the rates of these pathologies is unknown, one study showed 30% of lesbians and bisexual women had medical histories with sexually transmitted diseases. This does not mean sexually active lesbians are exposed to higher health risks than the general population. Health Canada noted "the prevalence of all types of HPV (cancer and non-cancer-causing) in different groups of Canadian women ranges from 20%–33%" and an American university study found 60% of sexually active females were infected with HPV at some time within a three year period.
The CDC did not recognize female-to-female transmission as a possible method of HIV infection until 1995. It is possible, though less likely, for transmission to occur in female-to-female sexual activity. Though the risk is not as high as for male-to-male and male-to-female transmission, the risk is still present. HIV can be spread through body fluids, such as blood (including menstrual blood), vaginal fluid and breast milk. Transmission can also take place through oral sex if a woman has cuts or sores in her mouth, or poor oral hygiene, especially if her partner is menstruating. HIV can also be spread through the sharing of penetrative sex toy
Sex toy
A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate human sexual pleasure. The most popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals and may be vibrating or non-vibrating...
s if their use results in broken skin within the vagina or anus.