Dr. Rena Malik is a YouTuber and podcaster who uses her expertise as a urologist and pelvic surgeon to dispel misinformation and help people have a healthier, more pleasurable sex life. In a new video, she addresses one possible way to close the "orgasm gap" in heterosexual relationships (where the male partner reaches climax more frequently than the female partner), by looking at the medical research surrounding sexual positions and female pleasure.

The most recent study into this area took place in the Czech Republic, with men and women who were, on average, having sex around once a week. Participants were given diagrams of 13 different sex acts, which participants rated on a scale of 1 to 4 in terms of sexual pleasure. (Not all of these sexual activities involved penile penetration.)

The most frequently used penetrative positions were face to face, either with the man or the woman on top, followed by kneeling rear entry. A third of the women in this study didn't experience orgasm with penetrative orgasm, possibly due to a lack of clitoral stimulation.

The women who were able to orgasm more frequently tended to be older, had sex more often, and more often participated in the following positions: face to face with the woman on top, sitting face to face, and less frequently, kneeling rear entry.

"I think with these positions, women tend to be able to angle themselves in a way that allows for more penetration of the clitoris, both the external clitoris and the internal clitoris, so that they can achieve more pleasure," says Malik.

It is worth noting, however, that everybody's personal experience of sex is different, and what worked for the individuals in the study may not necessarily work for you and your partner. Play and experimentation, Malik suggests, are the best way to approach this.

"Novelty in and of itself can increase orgasmic pleasure, and that's absolutely true," she says. "Try diversity; try different things in your relationship and see how it goes. You might find a position that you really like that you never even tried before, and it will make the encounter much more exciting and enjoyable for both parties involved."