how long should you wait to have sex

How long should you wait to get naked? And what does that decision spell for your sex life? Some women will hold back until their wedding; others will drop everything for an 11th-hour booty call. Exactly when you choose to get down and dirty with your date heavily influences the type of sex you’ll have together—now and later. Here, the experts rate your wait… and what it says about you as longer-term lovers.

Clothes come off after one hour.
“If you have sex an hour after meeting someone, it’s likely to be a fast and furious physical release,” says sexpert Julia Gash. “But time is no recipe for whether the sex is amazing or awful, so it could go either way. My advice? If it’s purely the physical release you’re after, grab a vibrator.”

Will it last?
“The moment you meet to the moment you have sex is an electric time and it only happens once. The longer you draw it out the better,” says Gash. “The old court-and-chase ritual is very animalistic, so if you rush into sex you lose this exciting element and may be left disappointed.” Will a relationship last after such a speedy consummation? “Probably not,” she says.

Clothes come off after one week.
“If you sleep with someone after a week it’s impossible to know them very well,” says Emily Dubberley, author of Brief Encounters: The Essential Guide to Casual Sex. “In this instance, the first time a couple has sex, they might feel embarrassed about communicating their sexual needs.”

Will it last?
“Even if the sex isn’t great after seven days, it has the potential to be amazing once you get to know each other better,” says Dubberley. “If you’re upfront and honest, say what you want and take the time to learn about each other’s bodies, you could have a fantastic sex life together,” adds Sadie Allison, “pleasure coach” and author of Tickle His Pickle!. She also suggests you choose a nonintimidating place, such as the park or a coffee shop, to talk about what turns you on.