So, missionary is actually one of the most dangerous sexual positions

If you ever needed a reason to spice up you sex life, this is it.

A study published in the Journal of Impotence Research found that missionary is actually the second most dangerous position for heterosexual couples.

During their research, experts looked at the “relationship between sexual position and severity of penile fracture” in an attempt to identify the positions most likely to cause sexual trauma in men.

90 patients (men aged 18 – 66) who had suffered a penile fracture were asked how the injury came about – and the results were not as risqué as you might expect.

Topping the list was doggy style with 44 per cent, followed by man on top missionary on 25 per cent and woman on top with 10 per cent.

Researchers suggest a reason for this may be the fact that men tend to become “very excited” when they are in a dominant position.

“We can speculate that when the man is in a dominant position and very excited, intercourse can become extremely vigorous, triggering greater impact at the time of trauma when the penis slips out of the vagina and hits against the perineum or pubic symphysis.”

Other offenders on the list include masturbation (17 per cent), 'rolling over' (three per cent) and 'blunt trauma' (two per cent).

This really brings a whole new meaning to the term 'safe sex'.