It's great news for the impatient gentleman - women say foreplay is overrated



Poor men. All that time and effort wasted. A study has shown that foreplay adds little to a woman's overall enjoyment of sex.

The main event itself is far more important, the researchers found.

Their findings contradict traditional bedroom etiquette, which dictates that men must take it slow.

More than 2,300 women were quizzed about their sex lives for the study. Questions covered areas such as the division of time between foreplay and intercourse, and how often the women had an orgasm.

Do you stay the course? In opposition to the general consensus women take more pleasure from intercourse than foreplay, a new survey has found

Foreplay lasted for an average of 15.4 minutes and intercourse for 16.2, the Journal of Sexual Medicine reports.

Further scrutiny of the results, collected in the Czech Republic, led the researchers from the University of the West of Scotland and Charles University in Prague to conclude that foreplay contributed little to a woman's enjoyment of the encounter.

The researchers said: 'In contrast to the assumptions of many sex therapists and educators, more attention should be given to improve quality and duration of intercourse rather than foreplay.'

They added that the figure of 16.2 minutes for intercourse dwarfed the figure of seven minutes found in American studies, suggesting Europeans are better in the bedroom.





Relationship expert Dr Pam Spurr said that women repeatedly stress the importance of foreplay when talking to her.

Dr Spurr said a sensuous touch could only heighten a woman's enjoyment. She added: 'Too many women tell me they can't be bothered with sex because they don't get any foreplay.

'If you have time for it I always recommend foreplay first because of the positive effects. Women feel desirable as well as more intimate with their partner.'

Another study shows that pomegranate juice increases men's sex drive – suggesting that Greek myths about its aphrodisiac qualities may be true.

Researchers asked 14 couples to perform a series of tasks after drinking pomegranate, orange or cranberry juice.

These included asking the couples to kiss and showing them images of scantily-clad models of the opposite sex. The team at Mindlabs International, at Sussex University, found the couples kissed more passionately after drinking pomegranate juice, sending their vital signs soaring. The effect was significantly more noticeable in the men.

And a third study shows that a woman is most likely to have an affair in her early thirties.

That's when her 'sexual unrestrictedness' – or sociosexuality – peaks and she is most likely to be unfaithful to their partners. Scientists at Bradley University in Illinois said the timing reflects an evolved reproductive strategy that maximises the chances of conceiving and bearing a healthy child.