(NSFW) Why do people choose to have sexual intercourse when it has such risks?

Sexual drive is a biological imperative plain and simple. Sexually transmitted disease is nothing new, it has been around as long as humankind. The “risks” are not all that prevalent with reasonable precaution, short of complete and wanton promiscuity.
People have sex because it is one of the most intense physical and emotional experiences a human can have, next to cheesecake and some forms of drugs. lol

Seriously? Who are you? Sheldon Cooper?

Eating salted peanuts has risks too. You could choke, you could develop high blood pressure, you could go into anaphylactic shock if you’ve never eaten them and had an allergic reaction, but most people love peanuts. And penises ; – )

@Coloma Sex similar to cheesecake!!! Wow I must be missing on a lot! :p

@Pinklady Well, after 50 cheesecake wins, but before…it’s a tie, best combined into one giant orgy of hedonism. lol

@Coloma Then I can’t imagine the pleasure of eating cheesecake while having sex… Have you tried that combination yet?

@Pinklady I’m old now, I’ve tried everything. haha
‘Best combo? Sex and Cool Whip. lol

I’ve had sex in several different ways…

In one of the ways—I focused the entire time on performing, on doing a good “job,” on what I looked like, how I moved, on my partner’s satisfaction. That type of sex was fun—but it got old fast and I’d take a bite of cheesecake over that kind of sex any day.

The second way was the fireworks and animal rage type—incredible fun!! But, it only lasted a few sessions. After that- something just fizzled, like a dead firework. Again, cheesecake’s better- it lasts longer.

Another way—I just went through the motions out of obligation or whatever. Looking at cheesecake is far better.

Then… I found someone with whom sex became a trip to heaven, every single time. There is no focus on performance, just on sharing and appreciating each other. It’s intensely emotional, physical, mental and spiritual all at once. It’s indescribable. After that, what do you mean, cheesecake exists?

The physical risks can be taken care of with a few precautions.

Instinct requires no reason. Sex is a basic instinct… and a fun one at that.

Also, as had been pointed out, everything has risks, and peoples perception of those risks of often out of kilter. For instance, many people are afraid of flying because of plane crashes, yet they have no issues driving despite your odds of dying being orders of magnitude greater. As someone who drives amongst idiots on my way to work in the machine shop of a foundry, and who had been on the roof of an aircraft carrier during flight ops, I find the risks associated with sex far lower than most things I’ve done.

@linguaphile Brilliant and so perfectly true! ;-)

@Kardamom Excellent metaphors, but…nobody wants a peanut sized penis. lolol

Cuz it’s crazy fuckin’ fun. Same reason we do all the other potentially risky things.

Exactly which risks are we talking about, anyway?

Pregnancy, sexual diseases like STD and warts, etc…

@Pinklady Fear not, one word…condoms, remember the fairy tale…7 with one blow?
One condom will wipe out 7 STD flies in one blow.

There are several reasons I can think of.
1. Lust / passion
2. Love.
3. Biological need to reproduce / hormones
4. Humans need to bond and touching helps us secure that bond. Physical relationships are a way of securing the bond.
5, Last one is because it’s a ton of fun and calorie free. Best work out ever.
From a sensible point of view, I understand what you are saying. It is not necessary to do in order to survive. It is like jumping out of a plane with a parachute. Yes, you can be prepared and land safely but you can also hit the ground hard or the parachute may not open. So although it is a thrilling feeling, it really doesn’t make sense since it is not needed for your survival to do. Actually you have better odds of surviving by not jumping. But in life we always are going to encounter three roads. One may be shorter but worth living and the other longer and dull as crap and the third short and really not worth living either. Problem is sometimes we chose and sometimes it seems to be chosen for us. So from my point of view, I rather take the possibly shorter one with potential for fun, just be sure to pack a parachute and cross your fingers.

@Coloma Well, that’s not exactly true – condoms aren’t infallible (especially if not put on correctly), nor do they protect that well against herpes transmission. They’re definitely better than nothing, but they’re no cure.

@Pinklady Pregnancy is something some people are actually trying to achieve. Some STDs can be cured, and all of them can be treated. And many of us use contraception to prevent pregnancy; many of the most popular female methods of birth control have a 99% or higher success rate.

Oh, btw, welcome to Fluther .

Because it feels really, really, really, really nice.

^^ It really does and you can always use condoms and be selective about who you have sex with to avoid the STD and/or pregnancy risks you mentioned.

Risk is risk. There is risk getting out of bed in the morning. There is risk taking a shower. For that matter, there is risk flying a plane, catching a bus, or even walking on the street.

The key to risk is managing it. Risk connected with sex (pregnancy. disease) is largely manageable with proper protection, and the rewards are great.

Emotional risks – the same thing. Sure, your feelings may be hurt, but people are enormously resilient and we all seem to snap back.

So if you don’t want to be active sexually, that is your decision. But risk shouldn’t be the controlling factor. Love should be.

Everything has consequences, when we drive down the road it could have consequences, or walk down a flight of stairs. The only people who don’t suffer consequence are those buried 6ft under, but perhaps they got theirs already?

Why do you drive your car? Or ever go out in public? Someone could shoot you at the Post Office. That next letter you get in the mail might have anthrax in it so watch out! Man, if you worry only about the risks of everything, your life is fucked and I feel bad for you.

People have sex cause it feels AMAZING, brings you closer to the person you love. Condoms…birth control…combination of the two. Sex is really not that dangerous unless you’re a dumbass about it.

Yes, I agree, just being ALIVE is a risk.
Every time I walk outside over here I risk stepping on a rattlesnake or falling on the 2 inches of acorns that have covered my yard. Maybe both at the same time. lol

I take a risk every time I go to the buffet at the casino, I might not be able to stop myself once I’ve started. LOL

@Kardamom haha….oh buffets, eat til you explode. lol

^^ And sometimes they have peanuts on the desserts : P

Hahaha!!! After reading all these answers, all I want to do is eat cheesecake with my boyfriend.

@Pinklady is your “boyfriend” the same fellow from your other question where you said you met a guy who said he doesn’t want to date a virgin?

I’m a little confused

@Kardamom Well, IF I had a boyfriend… I’d rather eat cheesecake than have sex. I’m such a dreamer though, so I must say I might have imagined that guy when I said “boyfriend”...

@Pinklady I just went back to your other question and read what you said about this fellow. I don’t have kids, but if I had a daughter, I would be worried and scared for you. You are already putting the cart before the horse, when you inadvertenly called him your boyfriend.

You, yourself have described him as immature. That is never something to aspire to.

Good, nice guys don’t always come in a shy/quiet box. Sometimes they’re funny and athletic and gregarious and they like doing interesting/exciting things like white water rafting or participating in cosplay or writing novels or building cars or playing bass in a jazz quartet. These kinds of guys are not mysterious another trait that sounds really sketchy to me.

And some of the shy quiet fellows that we barely knew in high school, grow up to be confident interesting people. Don’t discount those guys.

You sound like a very passionate person, but just because you are passionate, doesn’t mean that you should hook up with wreckless, immature people who have told you outright that they don’t want to be with you, as a boyfriend.

@Pinklady The wonderful thing about cheesecake is that one can eat it alone. Actually, that’s also true of sex…

@Kardamom Amen. I shall keep looking with wide eyes.

^^ Hallelujah!