Does pornography use affect heterosexual women’s intimate experiences with a partner?

New Rochelle, NY, June 12, 2019–A new study has shown that the relationship between pornography and intimate partner experiences among heterosexual women is indirect and complex, in contrast to the more direct link among heterosexual men. Thoughts of pornographic material during intimate partner experiences, rather than simply having viewed pornographic material previously, was associated with high rates of appearance insecurity and reduced enjoyment of intimate acts during sex, according to the study published in Journal of Women’s Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Click here to read the full-text article on the Journal of Women’s Health website through July 12, 2019.

The article entitled “Pornography and Heterosexual Women’s Intimate Experiences with a Partner” was coauthored by Jennifer Johnson, PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond), Matthew Ezzell, PhD, James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA), Ana Bridges, PhD, University of Arkansas (Fayetteville), and Chyng Sun, PhD, New York University (New York City).

The researchers reported that while most U.S. women aged 18-29 in the study sample had seen pornography, fewer than half used it for masturbation. Those women who used it at higher rates for masturbation tended to rely more on pornographic scripts during sex to achieve and maintain arousal and were more likely to prefer pornography to sex with a partner.

“Dr. Johnson and colleagues demonstrate a clear difference between the role of pornography in sexual experiences of women compared to men,” says Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Women’s Health, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women’s Health, Richmond, VA, and President of the Academy of Women’s Health. “Whereas the relationship tends to be more direct in young heterosexual men, and just viewing pornographic material is associated with reduced sexual intimacy and satisfaction, women make the material part of their personal sexual experience and carry the pornographic script into their intimate partner experiences.”

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Journal of Women’s Health, published monthly, is a core multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the diseases and conditions that hold greater risk for or are more prevalent among women, as well as diseases that present differently in women. Led by Editor-in-Chief Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women’s Health, Richmond, VA, and President of the Academy of Women’s Health, the Journal covers the latest advances and clinical applications of new diagnostic procedures and therapeutic protocols for the prevention and management of women’s healthcare issues. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Women’s Health website. Journal of Women’s Health is the official journal of the Academy of Women’s Health and the Society for Women’s Health Research.

About the Academy

Academy of Women’s Health is an interdisciplinary, international association of physicians, nurses, and other health professionals who work across the broad field of women’s health, providing its members with up-to-date advances and options in clinical care that will enable the best outcomes for their women patients. The Academy’s focus includes the dissemination of translational research and evidence-based practices for disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of women across the lifespan.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including LGBT Health, Transgender Health, Population Health Management, and Breastfeeding Medicine. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.