Orgasms can be extremely pleasurable experiences for women during masturbation or other forms of sexual activity. Although it’s not necessarily the end goal, it definitely feels awesome to experience an orgasm!
The female orgasm is a complex and fascinating phenomenon that has been the subject of scientific study for decades. When a woman experiences an orgasm, a number of physiological and psychological changes occur in her body. Let’s find out what women experience during an orgasm.
What happens first before an orgasm?
When sexual arousal triggered in the brain increases blood flow to the genital area, the vagina produces more fluid to make it more lubricated — a sign that the body is getting ready for sex. The increased blood flow to the genital area makes the clitoris harden and swell slightly, which lets it be more visible and sensitive to touch.
As sexual arousal heightens and continues, the outer third of the vagina tightens, and the opening becomes slightly smaller. As a woman is nearing orgasm, the clitoris becomes more sensitive and begins to retract, becoming less visible.
What do women experience during an orgasm?
Orgasms are also felt by women, and not just by men; although women’s orgasms are not as straightforward as that of the men’s, and may or may not release fluid when they orgasm.
When a woman orgasms, she experiences a series of 3 to 15 muscle contractions around the vagina, which makes her feel intense pleasure. During orgasms, women’s pelvic floor muscles contract rhythmically and involuntarily. The contractions are believed to allow blood to flow out of the erect tissues of the clitoris and vulva, allowing the tissues to return to their usual flaccid (floppy) state.
Sexual arousal and orgasm also increase women’s heart rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure. The “love hormone” oxytocin increases during sexual arousal and is believed to peak during orgasm.
How can women achieve an orgasm?
Sex usually involves the vagina, but not a lot of women consistently reach orgasms through just vaginal stimulation. Majority of women will reach orgasm with some form of stimulation of the clitoris or the clitoral area. Take note that the clitoris contains a concentration of 8,000 nerve endings—more than any other part in a man or woman’s body. Stimulating the clitoris will cause some intense euphoria!
But, then again, every woman has her own personal preferences when it comes to sex and pleasure. There are a lot of possible ways a woman can reach orgasm. For her to find out which way works best for her, it’s important to experiment on her own — yup, that means masturbating and maybe even playing around with toys!
Sources:
Watson, S. (June 24, 2021). The Sexual Response Cycle: What Happens to Our Bodies During Sex. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/features/sexual-response-cycle#1
Castleman, M. (March 16, 2009). The Most Important Sexual Statistic. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/all-about-sex/200903/the-most-important-sexual-statistic
Chalmers, J. (December 2, 2020). 4 things about female orgasms researchers actually study. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/4-things-about-female-orgasms-researchers-actually-study-151015
Lane, N. (May 5, 2023). What Real Orgasms Feel Like and How to Claim Your Own. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sex/female-orgasm-feels-like
Villines, Z. (February 13, 2020). Female orgasms: What you need to know. MedicalNewsToday. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/female-orgasm#why-do-females-orgasm
