Editing Sexual intercourse (section)

===Adults===
Sexual intercourse may be for reproductive, relational, or recreational purposes.<ref name="Harvey J">{{cite book| first1=John H. |last1=Harvey |first2=Amy |last2=Wenzel |first3=Susan |last3=Sprecher|title =The Handbook of Sexuality in Close Relationships|publisher = [[Psychology Press]] | year = 2004 | pages = 172–173|isbn =1-135-62470-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qsl4AgAAQBAJ}}</ref> It often plays a strong role in [[human bonding]].<ref name="Freberg"/> In many societies, it is normal for couples to have sexual intercourse while using some method of birth control, sharing pleasure and strengthening their emotional bond through sexual activity even though they are deliberately avoiding pregnancy.<ref name="Freberg"/>

In humans and [[bonobo]]s, the female undergoes relatively [[concealed ovulation]] so that male and female partners commonly do not know whether she is fertile at any given moment. One possible reason for this distinct biological feature may be formation of strong emotional bonds between sexual partners important for social interactions and, in the case of humans, long-term partnership rather than immediate sexual reproduction.<ref name="Reis">{{Cite book|author= Harry T. Reis|author2= Susan Sprecher |author-link=Harry Reis | title = Encyclopedia of Human Relationships |volume=1| year = 2009 | publisher = [[SAGE Publications|SAGE]] |pages=541–543 | isbn = 978-1-4129-5846-2| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3EkOwvSAtL4C&pg=PA541}}</ref>

[[Sexual dissatisfaction]] due to the lack of sexual intercourse is associated with increased risk of [[divorce]] and relationship dissolution, especially for men.<ref name="Munck">{{cite book| author = Victor C. De Munck|title =Romantic Love and Sexual Behavior: Perspectives from the Social Sciences|publisher = [[Greenwood Publishing Group]] | year = 1998 | pages = 148–149 | access-date = December 9, 2014 |isbn = 978-0-275-95726-1| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=I78VnFoINgQC&pg=PA148}}</ref><ref name="Howe">{{cite book| author = Tasha R. Howe|title =Marriages and Families in the 21st Century: A Bioecological Approach|publisher = [[John Wiley & Sons]] | year = 2011 | page = 411 | access-date = December 9, 2014 |isbn = 978-1-4051-9501-0| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=UHaLL0pYwhMC&pg=PA411}}</ref><ref name="Fine">{{cite book|author1=Mark A Fine |author2=John H. Harvey |title =Handbook of Divorce and Relationship Dissolution|publisher = [[Psychology Press]] | year = 2013 | page = 160 | access-date = December 9, 2014 |isbn = 978-1-317-82421-3| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=wGZlAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA160}}</ref> Some research, however, indicates that general dissatisfaction with [[marriage]] for men results if their wives [[flirted]] with, erotically kissed or became romantically or sexually involved with another man ([[infidelity]]),<ref name="Munck"/><ref name="Howe"/> and that this is especially the case for men with a lower emotional and composite marital satisfaction.<ref name="Fine"/> Other studies report that the lack of sexual intercourse does not significantly result in divorce, though it is commonly one of the various contributors to it.<ref name="Reinisch2">{{cite book| author = June M. Reinisch| author2 = Ruth Beasley| author-link = June Reinisch | title = The Kinsey Institute New Report On Sex| publisher = [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]] | year = 1991 | page = 74| access-date = December 9, 2014 |isbn = 978-0-312-06386-3| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=KsW6wPiXEd0C&pg=PA74}}</ref><ref name="Schwartz2">{{cite book| author = Pepper Schwartz| author2 = Virginia Rutter| author-link=Pepper Schwartz | author2-link=Virginia Rutter |title =The Gender of Sexuality|publisher = [[Rowman & Littlefield]] | year = 1998 | page = 129 | access-date = December 9, 2014 |isbn = 978-0-8039-9042-5| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=7bWlvcpYGUcC&pg=PA129}}</ref> According to the 2010 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB), men whose most recent sexual encounter was with a relationship partner reported greater arousal, greater pleasure, fewer problems with erectile function, orgasm, and less pain during the event than men whose last sexual encounter was with a non-relationship partner.<ref name="Yarber">{{cite book| author = William Yarber| author2 = Barbara Sayad| author3 = Bryan Strong| author3-link = Bryan Strong|title =Human Sexuality: Diversity in Contemporary America|edition =Eighth|publisher = [[McGraw-Hill Higher Education]] | year = 2012 | page = 445 | access-date = December 9, 2014 |isbn = 978-0-07-743525-7| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=EWz7twAACAAJ&q=Human+Sexuality:+Diversity+in+Contemporary+America}}</ref>

For women, there is often a complaint about the lack of their spouses' sexual spontaneity. Decreased sexual activity among these women may be the result of their perceived failure to maintain ideal [[physical attractiveness]] or because their sexual partners' health issues have hindered sexual intercourse.<ref name="Montemurro">{{cite book| author = Beth Montemurro|title =Deserving Desire: Women's Stories of Sexual Evolution|publisher = [[Rutgers University Press]] | year = 2014 | page = 169 | access-date = December 9, 2014 |isbn = 978-0-8135-7306-9| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=1XVYBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT169}}</ref> Some women express that their most satisfying sexual experiences entail being connected to someone, rather than solely basing satisfaction on orgasm.<ref name="Wincze"/><ref name="Gurian">{{cite book| author = Michael Gurian| author-link=Michael Gurian|title =The Wonder of Aging: A New Approach to Embracing Life After Fifty|publisher = [[Simon & Schuster]] | year = 2013 | page = 178 | access-date = December 9, 2014 |isbn = 978-1-4767-0671-9| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=XyS5ebuXJWgC&pg=PT178}}</ref> With regard to divorce, women are more likely to divorce their spouses for a [[one-night stand]] or various infidelities if they are in less cooperative or high-conflict marriages.<ref name="Fine"/>

Research additionally indicates that non-married couples who are [[cohabiting]] engage in sexual intercourse more often than married couples, and are more likely to participate in sexual activity outside of their sexual relationships; this may be due to the "[[honeymoon]]" effect (the newness or novelty of sexual intercourse with the partner), since sexual intercourse is usually practiced less the longer a couple is married, with couples engaging in sexual intercourse or other sexual activity once or twice a week, or approximately six to seven times a month.<ref name="Strong2">{{cite book| author = Bryan Strong| author2 = Theodore Cohen |author-link=Bryan Strong|title =The Marriage and Family Experience: Intimate Relationships in a Changing Society|publisher = [[Cengage Learning]] | year = 2013 | page = 212 | access-date = December 9, 2014 |isbn =978-1-285-53189-2| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=6ZIWAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT237}}</ref> [[Sexuality in older age]] also affects the frequency of sexual intercourse, as older people generally engage in sexual intercourse less frequently than younger people do.<ref name="Strong2"/>