Why does a woman even need an orgasm (from an evolutionary point of view)?

Even now, in the 21st century, when spaceships already roam the expanses of the Universe, the most honest answer is — "Who the hell knows." Ideally, it should play some role in the reproductive process — nature is not prone to giving pleasures for nothing, and usually, pleasant sensations imply a reward for certain behavior. Nevertheless, as we have already said, it is possible to conceive a child without an orgasm. So what's the point of such a prize?

Earlier, scientists believed that vaginal muscle contractions contribute to the "suction" of sperm, but this hypothesis was disproved by Masters and Johnson — even if they do contribute, it is insignificant.

To "attach" orgasm as a motivation for a woman to engage in sexual relations at all — is a very complex tactic: the overwhelming majority of mammals manage perfectly well without it. However, unlike most mammals, humans have difficult, painful, and dangerous childbirth, and a mind that allows them to notice the connection between sex and childbirth. Therefore, women of Homo sapiens might have needed additional motivation.

In 2016, a new theory emerged: female orgasm is not an evolutionary adaptation, but, on the contrary, somewhat of an atavism (like the appendix).

The fact is that regular and circumstance-independent ovulation is a relatively recent invention of nature, while in females of some mammals this process is still linked to copulation or at least the presence of a male nearby. 

Then it turns out that female orgasm may originally have been a "bell" for egg maturation, and then, having lost this function, remained as a pleasant bonus. Here, of course, the question arises as to why only a few species were blessed with this bonus, but in any case, we should be grateful.

Do men always experience orgasm?

Almost. For those who love precise numbers, American scientists recently found out in a large sample that 65% of heterosexual women, 66% of bisexual women, 86% of lesbians, 88% of bisexual men, 89% of homosexual men, and 95% of heterosexual men regularly experience orgasm.

Heterosexual women and gay men rarely ask the question "Did he finish?" — it is assumed that this is unmistakable.

Actually, these are two different processes — the sweet spasms in the genital area, followed by their sudden cessation, lead to the expansion of the vas deferens and most often trigger ejaculation.

But one can experience orgasm without it (usually as a result of spinal cord injuries or after prostate surgery; a similar effect is promised by tantric practices), and one can ejaculate without orgasm (for example, if a man has had too much alcohol, or simply if the sex is not very good).

Why do men not experience multiple orgasms?

From an evolutionary standpoint, this would make no sense — repeated orgasm does not grant repeated ejaculation ("the charge" does not have time to recover that quickly), and thus does not increase reproductive chances. But, as we have already said, female orgasm is even less of a useful gain in this respect, so this answer sounds unconvincing.

Perhaps the difference lies again in psychology — and here Canadian psychologists from McGill University take the floor. They asked 38 men and 38 women to masturbate in the lab and measured genital temperature and the psychological state of the participants at the very beginning, just before orgasm, during it, and 15 minutes after.

In fact, interesting data emerged in the last case, allowing a hypothetical answer to be formed:

Men demonstrated more subjective sexual satisfaction and a quick loss of interest in the process (and, judging by genital temperature, arousal also decreased). In women, the temperature dropped, but psychological arousal and desire remained.

The scientists hypothesized that this very readiness to continue gives women the superpower to experience multiple orgasmsPaterson L., Jin E., Amsel R., Binik Y. Gender similarities and differences in sexual arousal, desire, and orgasmic pleasure in the laboratory. Journal of Sex Research. 2014; 51(7): 801–813.. However, to achieve them, one may need to act more diversely — according to the study of the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (2,000 orgasms of women were studied over three years), the chances of the next orgasm increase if a different approach to stimulation is taken after the first (for example, changing the rhythm and the pressure applied to the clitoris).

But for centuries, people have sought ways to overcome annoying physiological limitations — and tantric sex gurus assure that they can teach men to experience multiple orgasms. The trick is to learn through special exercises to "delay" ejaculation when approaching orgasm and thereby separate these two processes in time.

We honestly tried to find clinical studies on this topic, but failed. However, one could listen to the gurus and enroll in tantric courses — why not, it might actually work?

What is female ejaculation?

Some women (from 10 to 60%, according to various studies) are indeed capable of ejaculating — releasing a certain amount of fluid from the glands surrounding the urethra (the so-called Skene's glands).

Its composition is still disputed, but biochemical analyses show that it is not urine or, at least, not entirely urine (the problem is that Skene's glands are too close to the urethra to guarantee that there is no urine in the ejaculate. However, some scientists lean towards the idea that it is closer to male seminal fluid, of course, without sperm).

Usually this fluid is a small amount — a teaspoon or less, but some women may have much more. Some of them can be seen on porn sites in the "squirting" section.

How many types of orgasm are there for women? And do they differ?

The main arguments revolve around two types of orgasm — clitoral and vaginal. It all started with Freud, who decided that the ability to experience only a clitoral orgasm indicates a woman's psychological immaturity.

After that, many women, to rid themselves of feelings of inferiority, tried to learn to experience vaginal orgasm or at least convincingly imitate it. However, two interesting things turned out:

  • First, about a third of women are capable of experiencing the so-called vaginal orgasm, that is, orgasm during penetration of the penis, fingers, or dildo into the vagina.
  • Secondly, vaginal orgasm has quite rightly earned the label "so-called," because it occurs thanks to clitoral stimulation, which is structured somewhat more complicated than it seems at first glanceOakley S. et al. Clitoral Size and Location in Relation to Sexual Function Using Pelvic MRI. Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2014; 11(4): 1013–1022..

With purely clitoral orgasm, it’s straightforward — it occurs with stimulation of the external part of the clitoris (until recently, it was thought that this is the entire clitoris, but according to recent data, this organ is something like an iceberg: its invisible part is much larger).

One can stimulate either directly (with a hand or tongue) or indirectly, taking the most suitable positions during intercourse so that the penis brushes against the coveted bump during movement. The likelihood of achieving release by the latter method is closely related to anatomical features — the shorter the distance between the clitoral glans and the vaginal entrance, the higher the chancesWallen K., Lloyd E. Female Sexual Arousal: Genital Anatomy and Orgasm in Intercourse. Hormones and Behavior. 2011; 59(5): 780–792..

The so-called vaginal, but essentially the same clitoral, orgasm occurs when pressing the head of the penis (or dildo) against the front wall of the vagina or stimulating it with shallow friction. Here, too, individual characteristics are significant. But what, exactly, is the difference in how to receive pleasure?

There is also another variant, unnoticed in studies, but occasionally mentioned in popular science articles by sexologists and celebrated by magazines like Cosmopolitan — uterine or cervical orgasm. It occurs (or, at least, is supposed to occur) when the cervix is stimulated by the penis, and correspondingly, the pleasant spasms in this case are uterine contractions.

This is the only type of orgasm where the size of the penis matters, but even here there are tips — there are positions that shorten the vagina (for example, a woman on top crouching or pulling her legs to her stomach in missionary position).

The problem is that, unlike the two aforementioned types of orgasm, which are more or less studied by researchers, information about uterine orgasm mainly comes from "eyewitness accounts." This does not mean that it doesn’t exist, but information on this topic should be treated critically (however, this is useful with regard to any information).

As for reports of orgasm from anal sex, there is an opinion that even here the ubiquitous clitoris may be involved, to separate hidden areas of which one can reach in such a non-trivial wayKomisaruk B., Whipple B., Nasserzadeh S., Beyer-Flores C. The Orgasm Answer Guide. (2009). Johns Hopkins University Press.. An orgasm arising from irritation of erogenous zones remote from the genitals, such as the nipples, is essentially also clitoral: it also leads to excitement of this organ and the same pelvic floor muscle spasms occur during it.

Much more interesting are the cases of orgasm from stimulating body parts that are not considered erogenous zones.

For example, one 40-year-old woman, who caught the attention of researchers, orgasmed while brushing her teeth — agree, an unexpected bonus!

Some people experience spontaneous sexual release out of the blue, for example, while on their way to the store. However, clinically studied cases of "little deaths" from nowhere are mainly linked to manifestations of epilepsyChuang Y., Lin T., Lui C., Chen S., Chang CS. Tooth-brushing epilepsy with ictal orgasms. Seizure. 2004; 13(3): 179–182.. The second option — a successful and rare side effect of new-generation antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). But it's worth considering that SSRIs more often cause a decrease in libido and problems with orgasm (though not necessarily).

Does it make sense to look for the G-spot?

Try, but keep in mind that scientists have not found it yet. Furthermore, they do not even agree on whether it exists in natureGreenberg J., Bruess C., Oswalt S. Exploring the Dimensions of Human Sexuality. (2013). Jones & Bartlett Learning..

In the 1980s, German gynecologist Ernst Gräfenberg wrote about the connection between women's erogenous zones and the location of the paraurethral glands. It was suggested that the sought-after point is located 5–8 cm deep on the front wall of the vagina. Overall, stimulating different areas on this wall and listening to sensations is indeed beneficial — many women enjoy this.

Problems arise when trying to draw an accurate map — in various empirical studies, the point appeared and disappeared, arose in different places, turned out to be not a point but a rather large area, or it turned out that there are several such points.

Moreover, it is not a fact that it even deserves a separate name — as we have already said, women largely owe their happy sexual life to the clitoris (or, as some scientists now like to generalize, the "clitourotheramal complex"), regardless of how they receive pleasure. So it is not worth treating the G-spot as the coveted Grail — the process of searching here is clearly more important than the result.

So did she finish or not?!

Neither the volume of moans, nor the expression on the face, nor an observable contraction (or lack thereof) of the vaginal muscles are precise indicators. Today, you only have two ways to answer this question with scientific validity.

  • The first — is a positron emission tomography: it is arranged in such a way that it can scan only the woman's head while you’re doing something interesting with other parts of her body, and at the same time give reasonably clear images (it would be better if the woman does not fidget much during this).
  • The second option — a pressure-sensitive anal plug that measures pelvic floor muscle contractions. You can write to Groningen University (Netherlands) or the University of Minnesota, ask where they get such plugs, and buy yourself a couple. It’s curious whether the male scientists have used these devices for personal interests?

What is anorgasmia and how is it treated?

About 4% of women suffer from the absence of orgasm even during masturbation.

Anorgasmia can be caused by various factors — psychological and medical issues, use of antidepressants, heroin dependency, hormonal imbalance, and much more.

In addition, there is the so-called situational anorgasmia — when a person can achieve release only under a certain and very narrow set of conditions. But currently, this option is not considered a sexual disorder — it is simply one of the manifestations of the diversity of human responses.

When conducting a differential diagnosis, the presence of psychological problems in the patient (much more often in the female patient) is first checked. Following that, a therapist takes over and prescribes various tests (a general blood test, liver function tests, hormone assays, etc.).

And with all this, one must go to a sexologist, who will interpret the results and, if necessary, conduct further empirical studies. Among possible pharmaceutical solutions — psychoactive drugs, dopamine receptor agonists.