CARNAL NATION

A study out of The Centre for Sexual Health Promotion (CSHP) at Indiana University reconfirms that lubricants enhance sexual experience and satisfaction for women. Research participants, whose ages ranged between 18 and 68, were asked to use one of six different water or silicone-based lubricants and remark upon their experiences. In over 70 percent of partnered and unpartnered sexual events, they reported that the use of lubricant improved pleasure and satisfaction.

Researcher Debby Herbenick, associate director of CSHP, reports that very few side effects are associated with the use of lubricants. The 2453 women in the study reported a small number of incidents of vaginal tearing and genital pain with rates of 1 and 5 percent respectively. The majority (85.6 percent) of participants self-identified as heterosexual and just over half (56.4 percent) were married.

Another CSHP study involving 1834 men examined 8876 incidents of penile-vaginal sex in which lubricants were used in 24.7 percent of events. Researchers found that lubricants were most commonly applied to the exterior tip of the condom (22.5 percent of cases) and less often applied directly to the vagina (16.2 percent of cases). Lubricant is recommended to enhance both pleasure and safety, as it reduces the risk of vaginal tearing which can intensify the possibility of HIV transmission and sexually transmitted infections.