Women's Orgasm

Women's Orgasm

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Any type of orgasm feels incredible, and there's nothing wrong with sticking to the strokes and touches that you know bring you to the brink every time. But variety really is the spice of life. You wouldn't eat the same three meals every day, nor would you wear the same outfit over and over. So why not expand your sexual horizons and explore the 11 different types of orgasms the female body is capable of?

Before getting started, it helps to understand what an orgasm actually is. "An orgasm is a physical reflex that occurs when muscles tighten during sexual arousal and then relax through a series of rhythmic contractions," Sherry Ross , MD, a California-based ob-gyn, tells Health . Each climax can feel different in terms of intensity and duration, depending on how and what part of your body is being aroused, she says. Besides providing a physical release, it's also an emotional one—allowing you to feel closer to your partner or simply de-stress after a tough day.

Some kinds of orgasm focus on the vagina only; others allow you to feel earth-quaking intensity in places you never thought of as erogenous zones . You owe it to yourself to find out the pleasure your body can experience—allow us to get you up to speed with all the different Os out there.

The clitoris is the go-to sweet spot for most women when they want to experience the pleasure and release of an orgasm. But while clitoral orgasms may be the most accessible kind, this tiny, mostly hidden bliss button is highly individualistic. Every woman prefers a different types of touch here to reach climax.

"The clitoris is a very sensitive part of a woman's anatomy, composed of millions of nerve endings similar to that of the penis," says Dr. Ross. Having it touched, caressed, or stroked via direct or indirect stimulation (in other words, through fabric, or by touching the labia surrounding the clitoris) prompts an increase in blood flow to the area, making the clitoris engorged and in need of release.

A study from the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy found that several types of clitoral strokes (think up-and-down, back-and-forth, and both wide and small circles) can lead to orgasm. Experiment on your own and show your partner what you like. If clitoral orgasms don't come easy for you or you're having trouble reaching climax, consider looking into sex toys designed with clitoral orgasm in mind, such as a mini vibrator you or your partner can wear on your fingertips.

Your G-spot is on the front wall of your vagina, about halfway between your vaginal opening and cervix. It's not something you can see but you can usually feel it; insert a finger into your vagina and press forward (making a come-hither motion). You should detect a slightly bumpy or ridged area, says Dr. Ross. For some women, it feels spongy.

Pressing this spot gently and stroking it lightly is what many women do to prime themselves for a G-spot orgasm. "When you're sexually aroused, the G-spot will fill with blood and swell up," says Dr. Ross. Touching it in a way that feels good to you with fingers, your partner's penis, or a vibrator can trigger what many women describe as a deeply intense, shaken-to-the-core kind of climax.

If you can handle two, three, or even four times the intensity and pleasure of a regular O, this kind of orgasm is for you. A blended orgasm is a climax that happens when more than one erogenous zone is being stimulated at the same time. G-spot penetration along with clitoral touching is one way to experience the explosive orgasm that typically results. But it could also come from vaginal penetration along with clitoral, nipple, or anal stimulation—or all of these simultaneously.

"The more stimulation there is, the more blood flow will result, and the bigger the orgasm will be," Prudence Hall, MD, gynecologist and medical director of the Hall Center in Southern California, tells Health . Many combinations of touching and teasing can trigger a blended orgasm, but if you're looking to have one with a partner, consider the woman on top position (because your hands, and your partner's, are free to touch your clitoris, breasts, or butt) or bringing a vibrator into the bedroom.

Anal sex or anal play isn't every woman's cup of tea. Some love it and others don't care for it at all. But if you're in the former category (or you've never tried it before and think you might be), an anal orgasm is one you should know about.

Because the anus and rectum are so close to the vagina and clitoris—and are connected by a thin stretch of tissue called the perineum—they share many of the same nerves and muscles, including the PC (or pelvic floor) muscle, says Dr. Hall. The PC muscle is highly sensitive for many women, and stimulating it can trigger a vaginal orgasm—and an anal one as well, she says.

Still not sure about this one? Take it from the many women who do report having orgasms from anal sex. But this type of sex does come with risks that are important to consider before you try it. Safe sex is a must for you and your partner.

The clitoris and G-spot aren't the only pleasure buttons below the belt. Real women as well as sex researchers say that there are additional erogenous zones inside the vagina that when touched the right way can lead to what's collectively known as a deep vaginal orgasm.

First comes the A-spot, located on the high front (or anterior) wall of the vagina just beneath the cervix. Next is the O-spot (for orgasm), which can be found on the back wall of the vagina, almost behind the cervix. "I can't see these when I look at a vagina," says Dr. Hall. But the ligaments here contain nerves that appear to be highly sensitive for many women. If fingers, a toy, or a penis fills the vagina enough at the high end of it and those nerves are really stimulated, it can be very, very pleasurable, she believes. "It could cause the whole uterus to contract during an orgasm—there can be massive contractions in the whole area," she adds.

Yes, female ejaculation really exists; it's the hallmark of this type of orgasm. "Sometimes when women are sexually aroused or stimulated there is an expulsion of fluid from the glands around the urethra or anterior surface of the vagina during or before orgasm, though it's still hotly contested where the fluid actually comes from," says Dr. Ross. The fluid is typically clear and doesn't resemble urine, and there can be a moderate amount released or a full-on gush.

G-spot stimulation is the type of touching that typically leads to squirting. But caressing and teasing the area surrounding the urethra has also been known to result in a soak-the-sheets climax. "No one really knows the exact number of women who experience a squirting orgasm, so with that uncertainty in mind, it was found that 10-50% of women have, at one time or another, had a 'gushing' moment during orgasm," says Dr. Ross.

In this video, sex therapist and Health contributing editor Gail Saltz, MD shares the top reasons that sex, either on one's own or with a partner, can help improve your physical and mental wellbeing. From burning calories and strengthening your vaginal walls, to reducing stress and helping you sleep, sex offers a range of health benefits. Watch the video to learn all about it.

You know your breasts and nipples are major erogenous zones; your nipples especially react to being touched and stroked, since they're loaded with nerve endings and super sensitive skin. But some women really can experience a big O just by having their nipples caressed and kissed. There's no clear consensus on how many women are able to orgasm without any below the belt contact, and researchers aren't sure why nipple orgasms happen.

But hey, if the idea appeals to you, you could have a lot of fun trying to figure it out. With enough kissing, sucking, and caressing, "these are zones that can bring some woman to orgasm," confirms Dr. Ross.

Reaching climax while engaged in a tough workout may sound a little strange. But workout-induced orgasms, or coregasms, are real. A study from Indiana University found that 370 of 530 women surveyed had experienced orgasm or sexual pleasure while working out, usually from core-based exercises.

"One of the ways to induce an orgasm is to super-squeeze your PC muscles and you can develop them and make them stronger," says Dr. Hall. "If someone has very well developed PC muscles and during exercises they really start to contract them, I think orgasms are absolutely possible during that." But most women will need some type of clitoral and/or vaginal stimulation to go along with that if they want to see stars as well, she adds.

We've had sensual dreams before. But this is a whole other thing. "Some women can have an orgasm during an erotic dream while sleeping," says Dr. Ross. One report indicates that 37% of women have had one of these sleep orgasms by the time they're 45, but it's difficult to know how common they really are.

Sleep orgasms usually start with a sexy dream, which causes increased blood flow to the genitals as well as major relaxation, which somehow allows the body to reach orgasm while a woman isn't even awake.

You can't have too much of a good thing, right? That's the appeal of multiple orgasms, something women can indulge in because unlike men, females don't experience a refractory period after climaxing that requires some downtime before gearing up for round two.

"Women reach a certain heightened state of ecstasy with their first orgasm, and then can stay up there on this plateau," says Dr. Hall. "With more and more simulation, they can have multiple orgasms." Many women do experience this, she says, but not every woman will want to.

But if you do, here's a strategy: keep contracting your pelvic muscles on your own (by squeezing and releasing the way you would if you were holding in your urine stream), suggests Dr. Hall. This keeps blood flow high, which increases sensitivity and makes orgasm number 2 easier to reach. If you don't go all the way back down to the pre-arousal state, you can work your way up to another orgasm more quickly.

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Want it, need it, have to have it — but what precisely is happening when you're climaxing? Here, the science behind the female orgasm
It's the only thing that feels better than diving into a cool lake on a sweltering day, biting into a juicy cheeseburger when you're starving, or even getting your wallet back after losing it on vacation abroad. An orgasm is that good. Which is why it bites that it doesn't happen more often. According to several major surveys, only 25 percent of women always climax during sex with a partner. The rest of us either hit — or miss — depending on the night, or never experience a female orgasm during intercourse at all. Compared to the male version (more than 90 percent of men get their cookies off 100 percent of the time), the female "O"; is a fleeting phenomenon. The question is: Why? What the hell was Mother Nature thinking?
Check out 14 mind-blowing facts about orgasms in our animated video:
That's what evolutionary biologists have been trying to figure out — with little success. The Case of the Female Orgasm: Bias in the Science of Evolution by Elisabeth Lloyd, Ph.D., a biology professor at Indiana University, shoots holes in virtually every theory that has ever attempted to pinpoint an evolutionary purpose to the female climax. "The clitoris has the indispensable function of promoting sexual excitement, which induces the female to have intercourse and become pregnant," Dr. Lloyd says. "But the actual incidence of the reflex of orgasm has never been tied to successful reproduction." Translation: Because women can and do get pregnant without climaxing, scientists can't figure out why we orgasm at all.
The good news is that most scientists do agree on the how. Here's what they know, so far — and how that knowledge can help the average girl hit her peak more often. Because even if the female orgasm does turn out to be pointless in terms of sustaining the species, it still feels pretty damn good.
When in the throes of an orgasm, you wouldn't notice if your dog, your cat, and your cockatiel started rearranging the furniture. Which makes it unlikely that you could track all the subtle changes that are happening in your body. Luckily, famous sex researchers William H. Masters and Virginia E. Johnson have done it for you in their seminal work, Human Sexuality. Here's what they found:
That warm, sexy rush you feel during foreplay is the result of blood heading straight to your vagina and clitoris. Around this time, the walls of the vagina start to secrete beads of lubrication that eventually get bigger and flow together.
As you become more turned on, blood continues to flood the pelvic area, breathing speeds up, heart rate increases, nipples become erect, and the lower part of the vagina narrows in order to grip the penis while the upper part expands to give it someplace to go. If all goes well (i.e., the phone doesn't ring and your partner knows what he's doing), an incredible amount of nerve and muscle tension builds up in the genitals, pelvis, buttocks, and thighs — until your body involuntarily releases it all at once in a series of intensely pleasurable waves, aka your orgasm.
The big bang is the moment when the uterus, vagina, and anus contract simultaneously at 0.8-second intervals. A small orgasm may consist of three to five contractions; a biggie, 10 to 15. Many women report feeling different kinds of orgasms — clitoral, vaginal, and many combinations of the two. According to Beverly Whipple, Ph.D., coauthor of The G-Spot and Other Discoveries About Human Sexuality , the reason may simply be that different parts of the vagina were stimulated more than others, and so have more tension to release. Also, muscles in other parts of the body may contract involuntarily — hence the clenched toes and goofy faces. As for the brain, a recent small-scale study at the Netherlands' University of Groningen found that areas involving fear and emotion are actually deactivated during orgasm (not so if you fake it).
After the peak of pleasure, the body usually slides into a state of satisfied relaxation — but not always. "Like their male counterparts, women can experience pelvic heaviness and aching if they do not reach orgasm," says Ian Kerner, Ph.D., a certified sex therapist and author of She Comes First: The Thinking Man's Guide to Pleasuring a Woman . In fact, Dr. Kerner says, "many women complain that a single orgasm isn't enough to relieve the buildup of sexual tension," which can leave us with our own "blue balls." Don't worry: Like the male version, it's harmless.
So what goes wrong on those nights when the fuse gets lit but the bomb never explodes? "Nine times out of 10 it's because [the woman isn't] getting enough continuous clitoral stimulation," Dr. Kerner says. Often, "A woman will get close to orgasm, her partner picks up on it, and [then he either] orgasms immediately or changes what he was doing."
That's why Dr. Kerner frequently recommends the woman-on-top position. Because you control the angle and speed of the thrusts (try a back-and-forth motion so that your clitoris rubs against your partner's abdomen), it allows for the most constant clitoral stimulation. Another solution is to find a position that mimics how you masturbate. If you have solo sex by lying on your belly and rubbing your clitoris with your hands tucked beneath you, then your man can enter you from behind in that position. By watching you he'll also get a better sense of the stimulation you need.
"Spectatoring" is another problem that can trip women up. "It's when a woman is too concerned with her appearance and/or performance to actually enjoy herself," Dr. Kerner says. There's no way you're going to have an orgasm if you're fretting about your cellulite or stressing over whether your newest as-seen-on-late-night-cable moves feel good for him. Instead, you have to let the erotic sensations register in your mind. Focus. Breathe. Let go. "It may seem counterintuitive," he says, "but you need to relax to build sexual tension."
The best preparation for a big orgasm is probably a long, steamy shower, full-body massages by and for your man — or 10 minutes of steady oral sex, if you can get it. It's not so much your body that needs the R&R as your mind. "Many women need a transition period between dealing with the stress of everyday life and feeling sexual," Dr. Kerner says. "A few minutes of foreplay usually isn't enough." Doing something ritualistic and soothing that will clear your head of to-do lists, work issues, family problems, and whatever else might be distracting you from connecting with your body is essential to feeling ecstatic.
A Hormone Worth Getting Excited About
The most fascinating orgasmic side effect of all happens in the brain. During the big moment, the hypothalamus releases extra oxytocin into your system. Called the "cuddle hormone," oxytocin has been correlated with the urge to bond, be affectionate, and protect (new moms are drunk on the stuff). Since an increase in oxytocin has been shown to strengthen the uterine contractions that transport sperm to the egg, those findings are giving evolutionary biologists new hope. According to Dr. Lloyd, it's conceivable that the additional oxytocin gives enough of a boost to contractions that orgasm could play a part in conception after all. "Of all the avenues of orgasm research, I think the oxytocin avenue is the most promising," she says. It's even been hypothesized that having an orgasm and releasing that tide of oxytocin is a woman's subconscious way of approving of her partner as a potential dad.
The latest news is that this cuddle hormone might also be linked to our ability to trust. In a recent study at the University of Zurich, scientists asked 178 male college students to play an investment game with a partner they'd never met. Half of the students used an oxytocin nasal spray (not yet available in the United States) beforehand; half used a placebo. Those with the spray containing oxytocin were more than twice as likely to feel comfortable giving all of their money to their anonymous (but legitimate) partner. If oxytocin can help women feel more at ease about letting go and intensify orgasmic contractions, we might all want
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