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Sexual Health
Published in Carolyn Torkelson, Catherine Marienau, Beyond Menopause, 2023
Carolyn Torkelson, Catherine Marienau
The good news is that women are blessed with bodies that are capable of experiencing orgasm in more ways than one. The most common type of orgasm is clitoral. Many women also experience orgasm through vaginal stimulation. Some women can have orgasms through stimulation of the breasts or other parts of the body, or through the use of sexual imagery without any touch at all. Researchers have even found a nerve pathway outside the spinal cord, through the sensory vagus nerve, that will lead a woman to experience orgasm through sensations transmitted directly to the brain. Many nerve pathways are responsible for the experience of orgasm in women. So be assured that sexual pleasure can be experienced in a variety of ways.
Pathophysiology of Male Sexual Dysfunction after Spinal Cord Injury
Published in Jacques Corcos, Gilles Karsenty, Thomas Kessler, David Ginsberg, Essentials of the Adult Neurogenic Bladder, 2020
Pierre Denys, Charles Joussain
The impairment of orgasm by SCI is difficult to assess; more than 20 definitions of orgasm have been proposed.27 Overall, orgasm tends to be defined as a psychologic, transient peak sensation of pleasure with altered state of consciousness, and a physiologic experience including sex flush; sweating; myotonia; rhythmic pelvic muscle contractions; and increased heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure.28,29 Contrarily to erection or ejaculation, orgasm monitoring is difficult and requires compilation of self-reported perceptions and blood pressure, heart, and respiratory rates.30 Following SCI, depending on reports, up to 50% of men with SCI can achieve orgasm.1,13 In laboratory conditions, Sipski et al. reported that orgasm was achieved by 64.4% of patients with SCI without a lesion of the sacral parasympathetic and somatic centers and 50% with a lesion as compared to 100% of able-bodied men. Men with incomplete SCI are more likely to experience orgasm (82%) than men with complete SCI (50%). Of interest is that patients with SCI may experience orgasm without ejaculation or ejaculate without achieving orgasm.31 Overall, one should keep in mind that, if experienced by men with SCI, feelings perceived during sexual climax are usually reported as weakened, sometimes unpleasant, and even painful.30,32
Anatomy and physiology
Published in Suzanne Everett, Handbook of Contraception and Sexual Health, 2020
Both men and women experience during sexual intercourse the sexual response cycle. This follows four phases: desire, excitement, plateau, orgasm and resolution. Desire is influenced through stimuli that can be from many different areas such as environmental and cultural, and causes the initiation or receptiveness of sexual activity. Excitement develops through stimulation. Plateau is a consolidation period in which intense stimulation will be intensified. Orgasm is where there are involuntary contractions causing the peaking of sexual pleasure and the release in sexual tension. Resolution is where the body returns to its pre-excitement state which can be seen in loss of erection or the decrease in the clitoris’s size, and vasocongestion is relieved. If orgasm does not occur, then discomfort in the genital area may be experienced as vasocongestion has not been relieved.
Sex or Socialization? Replicating Heterosexual Couples’ Gender Differences in the Association between Orgasm and Satisfaction in Same-Gender/Sex Couples
Published in The Journal of Sex Research, 2023
Matthew Rivas-Koehl, Kiersten Dobson, Brian G. Ogolsky
Past research generally concludes that orgasm is the peak experience of arousal and intensity during sexual activity, resulting in a psychological and physical release of tension (Kinsey, 1998; Komisaruk et al., 2009; Mah & Binik, 2001; Meston et al., 2004). Experiencing an orgasm is highly regarded across individuals and cultures (Yen Chiang & Chiang, 2016), though notable differences have emerged in the literature regarding heterosexual men’s and women’s experiences of and attitudes toward orgasm. For example, research consistently demonstrates an “orgasm gap” in which men are far more likely to orgasm than women in heterosexual sexual encounters (Mahar et al., 2020). A recent nationally representative survey of heterosexual newlywed couples found that 49% of women and 87% of men consistently orgasm when having sex with their partners (Leonhardt et al., 2018). For heterosexual women, these patterns have been thought to result from a lack of stimulation, as heterosexual sexual intercourse does not necessarily involve or emphasize specific clitoral stimulation (Garcia et al., 2014; Herbenick et al., 2018; Mahar et al., 2020). For example, Jackson (1984) introduced the concept of the coital imperative to describe the problematic notion that “real” sexual intercourse is only penile-vaginal penetration. This ideology legitimizes heterosexuality as the norm and prioritizes the sexual satisfaction of men.
Orgasm and Faking Orgasm: Heterosexual Interactions in China
Published in The Journal of Sex Research, 2023
Jessie V. Ford, Allison Carter, Horas TH Wong
Studies examining the association between increasing age and orgasm have shown mixed results based on the age range of the subjects. For instance, Laumann et al. (2005) found a trend of increased difficulty reaching orgasm in their sample (age 40–80) as did Lindau et al. (2007) in their sample (age 57–85; Laumann et al., 2005; Lindau et al., 2007). However, research that includes younger respondents shows the opposite. Among men and women age 18–59, Herbenick et al. (2010) found that age was associated with a higher likelihood of one’s own orgasm for women, but a lower likelihood of one’s own orgasm for men. In an article about orgasms among Finnish women, Kontula and Miettinen (2016) found that women aged 18–24 were less likely on average to usually have an orgasm in love-making compared to middle-aged and older-aged women (Kontula & Miettinen, 2016). We interpret these findings to suggest that the effect of age on orgasm may not be linear. We also posit that respondents might be more likely to fake orgasm at younger and older ages if they are having difficulty reaching an actual orgasm. In particular, women may be more likely to fake orgasm at younger ages while men may be more likely to fake orgasm at older ages.
Cliteracy for him: effectiveness of bibliotherapy for heterosexual men’s sexual functioning
Published in Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 2023
Hannah Warshowsky, Elizabeth A. Mahar, Laurie B. Mintz
The orgasm gap is the inequality between women and men in the frequency of experiencing orgasm during partnered sexual activity. Specifically, heterosexual women are less likely to reach orgasm with a partner than are heterosexual men (Hite, 2004; Mahar et al., 2020). For example, one study of university students found that 91% of males and 34% of females report always or usually experiencing an orgasm with a partner (Wade et al., 2005). Despite this gendered disparity in orgasm frequency during partnered sexual activity, both men and women have similarly high rates of orgasm during masturbation, specifically 94% for women (Hite, 2004) and 98% for men (Hite, 1981). Additionally, women are more likely to orgasm during sex with a female partner than with a male partner, while men do not differ in their likelihood of orgasm during sex with a same versus opposite sex partner (Garcia et al., 2014). These findings suggest that the orgasm gap may be related to cultural factors.