No direct relationship between human female orgasm rate and number of offspring

[Perinatal beliefs: Neurocognitive mechanisms and cultural specificities]

Perinatal beliefs contribute to the experience of pregnancy and the process of parenthood. Many of these perinatal beliefs have been perpetuated and evolved over time and throughout the world, exerting their influence on the behavior of pregnant women in interaction with medical recommendations. These beliefs generally offer explanations for gravidic and puerperal phenomena, helping to reduce the uncertainty of parents faced with the biological, psychological and social transitions of pregnancy. But certain beliefs can also be harmful, and alter the maternal experience of pregnancy and postpartum. In this paper, we provide an overview of the beliefs associated with the perinatal period. We successively detail the beliefs concerning fertility, pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, specifying the cultural beliefs from other cultures interacting with medical recommendations. Finally, we propose a neurocognitive model of perinatal beliefs generation, and we show the need to know these beliefs to improve care in midwifery, obstetrics, and fetal medicine.

Optimizing natural fertility: a committee opinion

This committee opinion provides practitioners with suggestions for optimizing the likelihood of achieving pregnancy in couples or individuals attempting conception who have no evidence of infertility. This document replaces the document of the same name previously published in 2013 (Fertil Steril 2013;100:631-7).

Testing the mate-choice hypothesis of the female orgasm: disentangling traits and behaviours

BACKGROUND

The evolution of the female orgasm in humans and its role in romantic relationships is poorly understood. Whereas the male orgasm is inherently linked to reproduction, the female orgasm is not linked to obvious reproductive or survival benefits. It also occurs less consistently during penetrative sex than does the male orgasm. Mate-choice hypotheses posit that the wide variation in female orgasm frequency reflects a discriminatory mechanism designed to select high-quality mates.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to determine (1) whether women report that their orgasm frequency varies between partners, (2) whether this variation reflects mates' personal characteristics, and (3) whether this variation reflects own and partner sexual behaviour during intercourse.

DESIGN

We collected survey data from 103 women who rated (1) the extent to which their orgasm frequency varied between partners, (2) the characteristics of previous sexual partners who induced high-orgasm frequency and those who induced low-orgasm frequency, and (3) the specific behaviours during sex with those partners. This is the first study to test within-woman variation in orgasm and partner traits.

RESULTS

Overall, women reported variation in their orgasm rates with different partners. Partners who induced high-orgasm rates were rated as more humorous, creative, warm, faithful, and better smelling than partners who induced low-orgasm rates, and also engaged in greater efforts to induce partner orgasm.

CONCLUSIONS

Some assumptions and predictions of mate-choice hypotheses of female orgasm were supported, while other aspects of our findings provide reasons to remain sceptical.

Variation in orgasm occurrence by sexual orientation in a sample of U.S. singles

INTRODUCTION

Despite recent advances in understanding orgasm variation, little is known about ways in which sexual orientation is associated with men's and women's orgasm occurrence.

AIM

To assess orgasm occurrence during sexual activity across sexual orientation categories.

METHODS

Data were collected by Internet questionnaire from 6,151 men and women (ages 21-65+ years) as part of a nationally representative sample of single individuals in the United States. Analyses were restricted to a subsample of 2,850 singles (1,497 men, 1,353 women) who had experienced sexual activity in the past 12 months.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Participants reported their sex/gender, self-identified sexual orientation (heterosexual, gay/lesbian, bisexual), and what percentage of the time they experience orgasm when having sex with a familiar partner.

RESULTS

Mean occurrence rate for experiencing orgasm during sexual activity with a familiar partner was 62.9% among single women and 85.1% among single men, which was significantly different (F1,2848  = 370.6, P < 0.001, η(2)  = 0.12). For men, mean occurrence rate of orgasm did not vary by sexual orientation: heterosexual men 85.5%, gay men 84.7%, bisexual men 77.6% (F2,1494  = 2.67, P = 0.07, η(2)  = 0.004). For women, however, mean occurrence rate of orgasm varied significantly by sexual orientation: heterosexual women 61.6%, lesbian women 74.7%, bisexual women 58.0% (F2,1350  = 10.95, P < 0.001, η(2)  = 0.02). Lesbian women had a significantly higher probability of orgasm than did either heterosexual or bisexual women (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this large dataset of U.S. singles suggest that women, regardless of sexual orientation, have less predictable, more varied orgasm experiences than do men and that for women, but not men, the likelihood of orgasm varies with sexual orientation. These findings demonstrate the need for further investigations into the comparative sexual experiences and sexual health outcomes of sexual minorities.