For most of us, it was awkward, if not downright awful. And new research finds that how we lost our virginity can impact our sexuality for the rest of our lives.

It’s a rite of passage. Going from pre-pubescent “ew!” to teen or early adulthood “ah!” as we mostly stumble over hyper hormonal urges in hopes of some romantic fairytale happens in most cases, to all of us. Losing your virginity is rarely the stuff of steamy hot movie sex scenes—quite the contrary. For women, it’s often painful and even scary. For men, it can be a challenge to masculinity—a defining, primal moment encumbered by embarrassment and awe.

Researchers at the Universities of Tennessee and Mississippi set out to find just how much our first sexual encounter impacts our sexual behavior later in life. The paper, published in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, looked at more than 300 men and women, particularly focusing on the way they lost their virginity. The researchers wanted to know about the satisfaction of the experience, the level of anxiety or connection they felt with their partner, and how they behaved immediately following intercourse.

The researchers also had the subjects rate their current sex lives on similar levels, noting their feelings of control, satisfaction and overall well-being. Were they being respected? Honored? Achieving their sexual goals? They then recorded their sexual experiences in a diary for the following two weeks, noting again reactions to various sexual encounters.

When all the data was compiled, the researchers noted a trend: those who had positive first-time sexual encounters were more likely to continue having satisfying interactions through life. Those who experienced anxiety or negativity during their first sexual encounter were more likely to be more sexually dysfunctional and unsatisfied in future sexual relationships. The findings suggest that, while not conclusive, initial sexual experiences could have long-term implications on sexual satisfaction and ultimately, relationships.

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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A weekly look at sex and culture, by the numbers.

246-168: House vote on the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA), which would have banned sex-selective abortions in the U.S.

40: Minutes of footage for a porn shoot filmed on the field of the famed USC Coliseum in 2001

0: Number of federal judges who upheld the constitutionality of the Defense Of Marriage Act in a recent appeals ruling

6%: Alcohol content in a new wine label developed by sex therapist Dr. Ruth in the interest of promoting relaxed, not drunken intimacy between couples

$8-10: Retail value of one bottle of Dr. Ruth’s wine

$5000: Gift money stolen during the wedding of a couple in Florida this week

29: Age of Olympian Lori Jones when she announced she had never had sex on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel

6 million: Hits garnered by Isaac Lamb’s choreographed proposal to his girlfriend on YouTube

Image: Chris Breikss

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