Women enjoy lubricants. An Indiana University study found that women who use lubricant during sex have higher levels of satisfaction and pleasure than their non-lubed counterparts.
The largest study of its kind, this one interviewed almost 2500 women. Surprisingly, more studies haven't been done even though women don't seem to understand what it is, how to use it or how it works to alleviate pain and discomfort.
"In spite of the widespread availability of lubricants in stores and on the Internet, it is striking how little research addresses basic questions of how personal lubricants contribute to the sexual experience," said Debby Herbenick, associate director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion. "These data clearly show that use of the lubricants in our study was associated with higher ratings of sexual pleasure and satisfaction and low rates of genital symptoms."
The study asked about silicone and water-based lubricants. More women reported less genital pain with the water-based variety. They are especially recommended for use as part of a safe sex regimen, for use with condoms. "These findings help us to reinforce to sexually active individuals that not only are lubricants important to safer sex but that they also contribute to the overall quality of one's sexual experiences," said Michael Reece, Director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion and co-author of the study, printed in Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Source: Journal of Sexual Medicine, ScienceDaily