Doctors reveal how many calories men and women burn during sex - and it is NOT equal

Women have long complained that men get more out of the bedroom than them.

And that appears to also be true when it comes to how many calories they burn during sex, research suggests. 

Men expend, on average, 101 calories during intercourse, which is the equivalent of a 4.5 ounce bag of Skinny Pop popcorn.

Women, by comparison, only burn around 69 calories during sex - around the same as just 10 measly raw almonds.

The figures come from a 2022 review of the latest research, which estimated that men burn 4.2 calories per minute vs women's 3.1 - a difference of about 26 percent.

And those numbers can widely vary based on length and intensity of intercourse and different sexual positions.  

The discrepancy comes down to who takes the more 'active role' during sex, according to Professor Leah Millheiser, a sex expert at Stanford Health in California.

In general, men have more muscle than women which means they expend more calories even when doing the same activity as their female counterparts.

But, Professor Millheiser said whoever is playing a 'more active role' during sex will likely burn more calories.  

A survey revealed by DailyMail.com earlier this month found doggy style and missionary were among the most popular sex positions for straight couples. 

The former involves one participant being bent over and crouched on all fours, while the latter involves one partner being on top of the other while they're face to face.

The majority of the time both of these positions involve the man expending more energy, which would led to a greater calorie burn during sex.  

The calorie figures in the 2022 review were just an estimated average and those numbers could change in couples where the woman prefers to take a more active role.

Last month's survey showed that reverse cowgirl was also one of the most popular sexual positions. 

This involves the woman being on top and facing away from her partner. 

In this position, the woman does the majority of movement, meaning she would probably burn more calories than her male partner. 

The survey also revealed the typical sexual encounter lasts an impressive 30 minutes per session - meaning, at least in the US, men could burn up to 126 calories per romp.

While women would burn up to 93 calories per 30-minute session. 

For comparison, a 30-minute jog can burn up to 500 calories. 

Dr Jason Karp, an exercise scientist and author of Sexercise: Exercising Your Way to Better Sex, told Everyday Health: 'Despite increases in breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure that occur during sex, it seems that sex, as a form of exercise, falls short of the cardiovascular and calorie-burning benefits of other types of exercise, like running, cycling, and lifting weights.'

This could be because sex doesn't raise the heart rate as high as other intense cardio activities and is more on par with a moderately brisk walk.  

And previous research has shown that sexual activity lasts anywhere from just three to 13 minutes, leading experts to believe that estimated calories burned most likely factored in energy expended during foreplay and nonpenetrative sex. 

Still, Dr Millheiser told Everyday Health, the more time spent hugging, kissing and being intimate, the more calories will be burned.