Lifestyle - After-sex cuddles matter most to women

WELLINGTON: When it comes to getting physically intimate, foreplay is just a start; it's what comes after sex that matters most to women, according to a new study.

In a survey involving more than 5,600 Japanese women, almost 50% of the respondents revealed that they wanted longer continuation of intimate interactions with their partner after sex.

In contrast, 44% said they wanted longer foreplay while 38% of women said they wanted longer intercourse.

Despite this, 38.8% said they had never discussed their favourite sexual practices with their partners. Further, over 30% of the women rated their partners’ performance in bed as either "very selfish" (6.9%) or "selfish" (25.5%).

"Women consider longer foreplay and after-play to be more important," the New Zealand Press Association quoted the study as saying. The study, which suggested that women would benefit by being more forthright in expressing their sexual desires to their partners, is published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.