Couple had sex in MRI machine to see what actually happens to your body during intimacy

For many couples hoping to spice up their sex life, shaking up the location of their intimacy can prove highly effective.

New environments for getting down and dirty - especially when they could be seen as taboo, or areas linked to the breaking of rules - can provide a rush and a heightened sense of excitement.

It's probably important to emphasise here, however, that we're certainly not advocating any behaviours that could land you in jail for indecent exposure.

Partially to put this hypothesis to the test - but more so, in the name of science - a couple previously took on the roles of doctor and nurse, and had sex in an MRI machine.

The girlfriend in question was Ida Sabelis, who, with her boyfriend Jupp, agreed to be observed enjoying a roll in the medical sack by Dutch scientist, Menko Victor 'Pek' van Andel.

The couple got down and dirty in an MRI machine (Getty stock images)

Van Andel had hoped to see exactly what happens inside a man's and a woman's body when they engage in intercourse, asking his close friends to pose as participants in this X-rated experiment.

The study took place in 1991, with the results being published - along with a series of rather unnerving images of the couple in full-fledged spooning - in a British Medical Journal entry seven years later.

The physical confines of the medical machine meant that the position Ida and Jupp opted to take was actually the only way possible, with even a standard missionary position proving off-limits.

One of the wildest findings van Andel discovered was that a woman's vaginal canal curved, as opposed to being straight, which it was presumed to be right up until the day of the investigation.

It also showed Jupp's penis falling into the 'shape of a boomerang', as opposed to entering straight, which prevented inflicting pain on either of them.

The study found that the vaginal canal is curved, not straight (BMJ)

It wasn't until years later that the former discussed the experience, claiming van Andel was a contributor to serious advances in knowledge regarding the sexual biology of women's bodies.

"This was one of the first MRI machines ever, so taking the photos took some time," Sabelis previously told listeners of the What Was It Like podcast. "There was a command from the control room to keep in position for, I don’t know, a minute."

Ida went on to describe her and Jupp's involvement as 'hilarious', revealing they'd enjoyed missionary for a number of minutes before having to stop.

"Jupp and I wriggled into that machine and started doing our thing," she continued. "It wasn’t romantic, it was more like an act of love and a performance."

Despite this, to this day, Ida - who is now a professor of Organisational Anthropology at Amsterdam’s Vrije University - and Jupp are still together.