People on Reddit began sharing weird things that happen during sex that nobody warns you about but are perfectly normal. And because I believe we should talk about this more, here are some of the best responses:
1. Sex isn't always like what you see in porn.
"Having sex like they do in porno movies is actually quite physically exhausting and doesn't feel very good. All those crazy positions aren't to enhance the pleasure, they're to get better camera angles. Also, sex can last too long, and those marathon sessions aren't necessarily a good thing. I've had a few sessions that lasted multiple hours, and it wasn't all that much fun for either of us toward the end. She dries up, we both get tired, etc."
2. Starting your period during sex.
"I have started my period during sex. No idea if that's normal, but the first few times it happened, it alarmed me."
3. Long sex doesn't always equal good sex.
“Long sex does not necessarily mean good sex. For one, the girl can get sore, especially if the guy is big. It can also get boring if it goes on too long. It’s all about finding the sweet spot, timing-wise. I think it’s been knocked into the heads of too many guys that the ideal is lasting for hours. I'm sure some women love that. Others, not so much."
5. Orgasms aren't the same each time.
"How wildly varied orgasms and the length of time can be. Sometimes you can be extremely turned on, go for too long, and dribble at the end. Other times you're extremely turned on and fire off fast, and it's like you've got a hose. You've got those second rounds that fire off harder than the first."
6. Squelchy noises.
"If you have pectus excavatum (caved-in chest) and you’re on top of a naked girl, you’re liable to create a suctioning effect that, when it releases, sounds like a giant fart. Like making farting noises with your armpits."
7. Squirting during lactation.
"If your significant other is lactating, the oxytocin from sex can cause milk to squirt on you."
8. Not all new positions will work for you.
"When you try out a new position and it really doesn't work, and you kind of just have to be like, 'Ehhhhhh, next.'"
10. Preparing for sex in more ways than one.
"I’m a woman with long hair and poor eyesight, so I always have to plait my hair back (learned that early on), and if I want to see anything, I have to have my contacts in. When people said you had to prepare for sex, this was not what I had in mind."
11. Getting distracted.
"Your mind wanders. Like, you’ll be trying to enjoy what’s going on and you’ll know damn well that you have been wanting this to happen for a while, and you’ll still have random one-off thoughts. It can take some self-discipline to stay in the moment, especially since not everything you’re doing is necessarily what’s best for you."
12. Shower sex isn't always sexy.
"Shower sex isn't as cool as it looks in the movies. Someone is usually not fully in the water and cold, and the other person is getting waterboarded."
13. Height differences.
"When you are a foot taller than your S.O. and lining up is difficult."
15. Not getting wet.
"Sometimes even if a woman is really turned on, she doesn’t get wet."
16. Not achieving an erection.
"Sometimes I really want to have sex and I'm really horny, but big Joe down there decided to take a day off."
17. Holding up your body weight.
"You can't just let all your body weight rest on your partner. So you hold your weight up and/or have your knees out in an awkward fashion. Can be uncomfortable. This is more from the guy's perspective in missionary."
18. Coming early.
"When you could go all night, but she thinks you're about to come and says, 'Don't come yet,' but just hearing that makes you come... The apology later is the weird part."
19. Painful insertion during penetrative sex.
"Some women have a condition known as vaginismus, but it can be lumped into a more broad diagnosis called genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder. Basically, with this disorder, a woman's vagina either tightens up and insertion is literally impossible, or insertion causes extreme pain.
"My wife and I found this out when we got married and sex wouldn't work. No matter how much lube we used, I couldn't fit inside her. And I'm definitely no porn star or anything. This caused lots of shame, disappointment, and confusion in our relationship for a while, especially because we kept it secret, since we had never heard of it and we were embarrassed. I hope this can educate someone this is affecting, has affected, or will affect in the future. Because there are various treatments that are super effective! Don't fret and don't feel ashamed if your body doesn't seem to work like everyone else says it should."
20. Multitasking can be difficult.
"Some people can't do two physical things at once, so they might be able to kiss, but once sex begins, there's bashing teeth, sticking the tongue out too far, rotating the head the wrong way, etc."
21. Destroying your perfectly made bed.
"Sheets come off. Mattresses slide. Blankets start to bunch up no matter how flat they lay. Pillows nowhere near the two of you will get launched. Things on the headboard are gonna fall over — just watch. Sex will turn a bed that is perfectly made into one that just hosted a slumber party, with a big sweat spot down the middle."
22. Leg cramps.
"Hip cramps — basically when your legs are spread too wide for too long and your hip flexor becomes a traitor, requiring your leg to be straight or you'll be in too much pain for enjoyment. Even worse, when it's both of your hip flexors cramping at the same time."
23. Differing sexual preferences.
"You can be sexually incompatible with someone. They might want the deep, slow, romantic shit you see in movies, and you might want filthy, degrading, dirty talk. And you might be turned off doing what they like most (and vice versa)."
24. Timing.
"As a guy, trying not to come often feels like those mini games where you have to keep a needle in the middle of a green zone while different factors try to push it left or right. You think you’re about to finish? Better start counting prime numbers in your head to distract yourself. Nope, got too distracted, and now your erection is starting to go away. Now thrust harder to compensate, and you inexplicably feel like you’re going to orgasm while having only a semi-erect penis.
"Then, to top it all off, sometimes you stop just a millisecond too late and you get this pathetic 5% orgasm where you feel virtually nothing and don’t actually come, but your dick has decided that the show is over and retreats for winter. Then you have to try to explain what just happened to some poor girl who thinks she did something to instantaneously kill your erection without any hope of it returning."
25. Accidentally hitting the cervix.
"If you have a big penis, please be careful when going deep. Hitting the cervix is real, and from my understanding, it hurts like hell."
26. Shaky legs.
"My legs get really shaky, and when I have to pause to go pee or something, it’s hard to walk."
27. Different types of orgasms.
"That you can have two different kinds of orgasms. The feelings from a clitoral orgasm and G-spot one are totally different for me, and the first time I had a G-spot one, I was very overwhelmed and surprised."
28. Being too dry.
"If you're not quite there but he's charged and ready, you may or may not have your girly bits torn the moment he shoves it into your dried-up canal."
29. Accidentally injuring yourself.
"I bruised up the inside of my lips eating pussy during one particularly enthusiastic hookup. That was definitely unexpected."
30. And finally, blowjobs can trigger gag reflexes.
"Sometimes you’re giving a blowjob and you go so deep that you trigger your gag reflex and you throw up all over your partner's dick. Or so a friend told me."
What's something "weird" that happens during sex that you think should be normalized? Let us know in the comments below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.