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"The female orgasm, like the male orgasm, is defined as a perception (the acknowledgement of a sensation transmitted by nerves) accompanied by muscular activity." [1] Orgasm is the climax of being sexually aroused and can be described as a euphoric, highly pleasurable state. Unlike men, the female orgasm is not essential for conception. It is theorised however, that female orgasm does increase the likelihood of conception - through muscle contractions which transport and retain sperm, the dilation of the cervix, cervical mucus and stimulation of the pituitary hormones.
"More than two millennia ago, Aristotle noted how during female orgasm a woman's cervix acted as a 'cupping vessel', seeming to serve the drawing in of semen and thus aiding conception. This cervical / uterine action was also observed by French physician Felix Roubaud. He published an account of the female sexual response cycle in 1855 and in 1876, published what is thought to be the first scientific account linking female orgasm with powerful pelvic muscle contractions.
While a woman's genitalia is never completely quiescent even when unaroused, on orgasm their muscular response is dramatic. Powerful involuntary rhythmic contractions and relaxations shudder throughout this muscular organ, which consists of smooth and striated muscle. It is now appreciated that in women the point of orgasm can be characterised by the rapid forceful and rhythmic muscle contractions of the uterus, cervix, vagina, urethra, prostate and anus. This is the physical base of orgasm. Orgasm also elicits strong cardiovascular, respiratory and endocrine (hormonal) responses.
Multiple Orgasm
A large difference between the two sexes' orgasms is that women are far more commonly multi orgasmic than men.
In a study comparing the time to orgasm of women who are multi orgasmic with singly orgasmic women, it was observed that, on average, multiple orgasmic women took eight minutes to reach orgasm, whereas singly orgasmic women took twenty seven minutes. The average time to second orgasm for the multiple orgasmic women was only one to two minutes. After the second orgasmic event, subsequent orgasms tended to take even less time - thirty second intervals was not uncommon." [1]
Types of Female Orgasm
It is difficult (and controversial) to classify different types of female orgasm. Most women generally experience a blend of the following:
Clitoral Orgasm
Most women find that clitoral stimulation is the most orgasmic part of the female anatomy. The clitoris can be stimulated directly or indirectly with enough pressure to achieve orgasm. When a woman becomes overly aroused the clitoris will swell and will continue to swell until orgasm is looming. At orgasm the vulva begins contraction which can cause frequent body spasms. After orgasm light stimulation after a clitoral orgasm can lead to having multiple orgasms.
G spot Orgasm
"Ernst Grafenberg, a German sexologist published in 1950 an article in the International Journal of Sexology on 'The Role of the Urethra in Female Orgasm'. He found that the most sensitive part of the anterior vaginal wall for the women in his study lay 3 - 4 cm inside the vagina - in the vicinity of the posterior urethra, just around where the urethra becomes the neck of the bladder. This is the area that over thirty years later was renamed the Grafenberg spot, or G spot." [1]
Vaginal Orgasm
Most women respond to clitoral stimulation with vaginal intercourse. For women who can orgasm solely through vaginal intercourse, the process is fairly simple. As women become overly aroused blood vessels in the pelvic region such as the vagina and the uterus swell and then change shape. When women have a sensitive vagina or cervix during arousal and stimulation this can cause a powerful vaginal orgasm.
Anal Orgasm
The subject of anal orgasms has been a debate over whether it even exists. But the orgasmic process has a psychological aspect. When women are both physically and emotionally stimulated, the female sexual organs and the anus swell and contract. When anally stimulated, it is more than possible to have an anal orgasm along with other forms of stimulation.
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Editors: Karene Jade Howie
Gene Gutsalo
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