More Frequent Vaginal Orgasm Is Associated with Experiencing Greater Excitement from Deep Vaginal Stimulation

Validation of the multidimensional model of the subjective orgasm experience in the context of same-sex relationships

Background/objective

The Multidimensional Model of the Subjective Orgasm Experience (MMSOE) has been validated in the context of heterosexual relationships, with no evidence in the context of same-sex relationships. This study aims to examine the association of its dimensions (Affective, Intimacy, Sensory, and Rewards) with the propensity for sexual excitation, rating of sexual arousal, rating of genital sensations, and genital response.

Method

Sixty-eight young adults (34 males and 34 females) who were sexually active with people of the same sex participated in a laboratory task in which they viewed content-neutral and sexually explicit gay films. Regression models were conducted to explain the dimensions of MMSOE from measures of sexual arousal.

Results

In males, the rating of sexual arousal explained the Sensory dimension, while the genital response explained the Affective dimension, with sexual arousal as a state gaining more prominence. In females, however, the propensity for sexual excitation explained the Sensory dimension, with more salience of sexual arousal as a trait.

Conclusions

The MMSOE is shown to be a valid theoretical framework for the study of orgasmic experience in the context of same-sex relationships, with clear implications for clinical practice.

And how do LGB adults rate their orgasms in a relational context?

BACKGROUND

Subjective orgasm experience (SOE) refers to the perception, assessment, and/or sensation of orgasm on a psychological level, with the particularity that the study of SOE in nonheterosexual populations is currently very scarce.

AIM

The study sought to analyze differences in SOE dimensions, comparing the intensity of each adjective of the Orgasm Rating Scale (ORS) and creating a ranking of the adjectives that better represent it in LGB men and women.

METHODS

In a sample of 1475 adults organized into 4 groups according to the type of sexual relationships reported, comparisons were made using multivariate analysis of variance and chi-square tests.

OUTCOMES

Differences were obtained in the intensity of all the SOE dimensions, and in 23 of the 25 ORS adjectives.

RESULTS

Lesbians and bisexual women reported higher intensity in SOE compared with bisexual and gay men.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Because the ORS has been established as a good tool for detecting orgasmic difficulties in nonheterosexual populations, this study could provide LGBT affirmative psychotherapy with evidence on how these individuals evaluate their orgasms in a relational context.

STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS

This study extends prior limited knowledge about how LGB people evaluate their orgasmic experiences in the context of sexual relationships. Despite this, the study poses limitations such as nonprobability sampling or the inclusion of exclusively cisgender and young individuals, making it difficult to generalize the results.

CONCLUSION

Although significant differences were found between LGB men and women, all groups agree on the adjectives they use to describe the subjective experience of orgasm in the context of sexual relationships; therefore, evidence is provided about how LGB people evaluate their orgasmic experiences in this context.

Validation of the Orgasm Rating Scale in Context of Sexual Relationships of Gay and Lesbian Adults

Currently, no validated instrument exists for assessing the subjective experience of orgasm in the gay population. The Orgasm Rating Scale (ORS), previously validated in the heterosexual population, comprises four dimensions: Affective, Sensory, Intimacy, and Rewards. This study validated it for sexual relationships in the gay population by obtaining its factorial invariance by sexual orientation and sex, its internal consistency reliability, and evidence of validity in its relationship with other variables. We assessed 1600 cisgender Spanish adults–heterosexuals, gays, and lesbians–divided into 4, sex-based groups of 400 each, according to the Kinsey scale scores. Participants reported recent experiences of orgasm in the context of sexual relationships and responded to the ORS and other scales assessing attitude toward sexual fantasies and sexual functioning. The ORS structure showed a strict multigroup-level invariance by sexual orientation and sex, confirming its four-dimensional structure. The subjective orgasm intensity was associated with a positive attitude toward sexual fantasies and sexual functioning. Scores obtained on the Affective, Intimacy, and Rewards dimensions confirmed the ability to discriminate between gay people with and without orgasmic difficulties. The ORS’s Spanish version presents good psychometric properties as a validated scale to evaluate the subjective experience of orgasm in the gay population.

Sexual desire and its relationship with subjective orgasm experience

Orgasm and sexual desire are components of the human sexual response. The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between the sexual desire and dimensions of the subjective orgasm experience. A sample composed of 1161 heterosexual adults, distributed into three age groups (18-34, 35-49, and 50 years old or older), completed a background questionnaire, the Orgasm Rating Scale, and the Sexual Desire Inventory. First, the effect that sex and age have on the subjective orgasm experience was analyzed. Second, correlations between sexual desire and orgasm experience were examined. Also, the predictive capacity that dimensions of sexual desire have on the subjective orgasm experience in the context of sexual relationship was examined. Results showed that age had a significant effect on the intensity of the subjective orgasm experience perceived during sexual relationships with a partner and that this experience decreased as people get older. There was an association between the components of sexual desire and the dimensions of subjective orgasm experience. Furthermore, partner-focused sexual desire contributed in a relevant manner to the subjective orgasm experience. Implications for both research and clinical field are also discussed.

Kamasutra in Practice: The Use of Sexual Positions in the Czech Population and Their Association With Female Coital Orgasm Potential

INTRODUCTION

A limited number of scientific studies explore the frequency with which various sexual positions are used in human populations and the potential of particular sexual position to facilitate female coital orgasm.

AIM

The aim of this study was to provide data about the prevalence and frequency of various sexual positions, their rated pleasurability, and their association with female coital orgasm consistency (COC).

METHODS

A sample of Czech heterosexual population (11,225 men/9,813 women) were presented with a list of 13 sexual positions in black-and-white silhouettes. For each position, they indicated frequency and pleasurability. COC was assessed as the proportion of penile-vaginal intercourse with a current partner which led to orgasm.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Participants reported the frequency of use of sexual positions and rated their pleasurability. Using ordinal logistic regression, association between the COC and frequency of use of coital positions was tested.

RESULTS

In both men and women, the most commonly used sexual positions were face to face/male above, face to face/female above, and kneeling/rear entry. Nonetheless, there emerged some gender differences in the rating of pleasurability of various positions (all P < .001). We found that a higher proportion of female coital orgasms are positively associated with the frequency of use of face to face/female above (odds ratio [OR] = 1.005, P < .001) and sitting/face-to-face positions (OR = 1.003, P < .001) and negatively associated with the frequency of kneeling/rear entry position (OR = 0.996, P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that there are no gender differences in the frequency of use of sexual positions, but their rated pleasurability differs between men and women, and higher frequency of use of face-to-face positions with female above increases the likelihood of achieving coital orgasm during penile-vaginal intercourse. Most results, however, were of small effect sizes, and more research is needed to further explore this issue. Krejčová L, Kuba R, Flegr J, et al. Kamasutra in Practice: The Use of Sexual Positions in the Czech Population and Their Association With Female Coital Orgasm Potential. Sex Med 2020;8:767-776.

Urethrovaginal space during the third trimester of pregnancy is not related to vaginal orgasm

Introduction:

Sexologists have described the urethrovaginal space (UVS) as a region of the body involved in the female orgasm. Recently certain authors have described the UVS via ultrasound (US). Pregnancy is associated with a myriad of physiological, anatomical and biochemical changes. To measure the UVS thickness in the third trimester of pregnancy and to investigate the relationship between the UVS thickness and the presence of vaginal orgasm.

Material and Methods:

Sexually active pregnant patients in the third trimester were included. We measured the UVS via US. Each patient compiled a modified female sexual function index (FSFI) questionnaire and was categorized in group with or without vaginal orgasm. Association between vaginal orgasm and UVS thickness was evaluated via t-test and ROC curve analysis.

Results:

UVS thickness resulted greater than 15 mm (average) in the third trimester, and was not related to the presence of vaginal orgasm (p>0.05). Conclusion: UVS thickness is high in the third trimester of pregnancy but it is not related to the presence of vaginal orgasm. (www.actabiomedica.it)

[Systematic review of the subjective experience of orgasm]

Orgasm is an essential component of the sexual response. Its study has generated results that point out its importance in human sexuality. The aim of the present study was to review the subjective orgasm experience, its evaluation and its association with personal, interpersonal and psychosocial variables. After conducting a literature search in major databases, we provide a total of 121 scientific articles published between 2000 and 2016, in which the subjective orgasm experience was the main variable. The analysis of the related variables shows that personal variables (for example, health and demographic factors) and interpersonal variables (for example, sexual functioning) are the most considered. To conclude, we observe the need to develop standardized instruments to evaluate specifically the subjective orgasm experience and the need to study jointly the associated variables in order to propose explanatory models of orgasm that are useful for clinical practice.

Vaginal orgasm is associated with indices of women's better psychological, intimate relationship, and psychophysiological function

A recent study by Therrien and Brotto (2016) examined the associations of orgasm during intercourse, concordance of laboratory genital and subjective arousal, and demographic variables in a group of sexually dysfunctional women. The authors claimed that their results cast doubt on the large body of multi-method multi-national research demonstrating that women's orgasm from penile-vaginal intercourse, and specifically vaginal orgasm are associated with a broad range of indices of women's better psychological, intimate relationship, and psychophysiological health. The problems with Therrien and Brotto's (2016) conclusions are discussed, and include that they did not even measure vaginal orgasm (they measured orgasm during intercourse, which can in some cases consist of orgasm elicited by clitoral masturbation during intercourse), and the non-generalisability of their findings from a sexually dysfunctional sample to the general population of women. Evidence is also presented against their claims that findings regarding orgasm during intercourse have not been investigated by other researchers, and their denial of differences between vaginal orgasm and clitoral orgasm. Denial of the myriad benefits of vaginal orgasm undermines women's sexual and general health potential, and serves only the demands of political correctness.

The whole versus the sum of some of the parts: toward resolving the apparent controversy of clitoral versus vaginal orgasms

BACKGROUND

The nature of a woman's orgasm has been a source of scientific, political, and cultural debate for over a century. Since the Victorian era, the pendulum has swung from the vagina to the clitoris, and to some extent back again, with the current debate stuck over whether internal sensory structures exist in the vagina that could account for orgasms based largely on their stimulation, or whether stimulation of the external glans clitoris is always necessary for orgasm.

METHOD

We review the history of the clitoral versus vaginal orgasm debate as it has evolved with conflicting ideas and data from psychiatry and psychoanalysis, epidemiology, evolutionary theory, feminist political theory, physiology, and finally neuroscience.

RESULTS

A new synthesis is presented that acknowledges the enormous potential women have to experience orgasms from one or more sources of sensory input, including the external clitoral glans, internal region around the "G-spot" that corresponds to the internal clitoral bulbs, the cervix, as well as sensory stimulation of non-genital areas such as the nipples.

CONCLUSIONS

With experience, stimulation of one or all of these triggering zones are integrated into a "whole" set of sensory inputs, movements, body positions, autonomic arousal, and partner- and contextual-related cues, that reliably induces pleasure and orgasm during masturbation and copulation. The process of integration is iterative and can change across the lifespan with new experiences of orgasm.

Sexual satisfaction, sexual compatibility, and relationship adjustment in couples: the role of sexual behaviors, orgasm, and men's discernment of women's intercourse orgasm

INTRODUCTION

Research indicated that (i) vaginal orgasm consistency is associated with indices of psychological, intimate relationship, and physiological functioning, and (ii) masturbation is adversely associated with some such measures.

AIM

The aim of this study was to examine the association of various dyadic and masturbation behavior frequencies and percentage of female orgasms during these activities with: (i) measures of dyadic adjustment; (ii) sexual satisfaction; and (iii) compatibility perceived by both partners.

METHODS

In a sample of 85 Czech long-term couples (aged 20-40; mean relationship length 5.4 years), both partners provided details of recent sexual behaviors and completed sexual satisfaction, Spanier dyadic adjustment, and Hurlbert sexual compatibility measures. Multiple regression analyses were used.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

The association of sexual behaviors with dyadic adjustment, sexual compatibility, and satisfaction was analyzed.

RESULTS

In multivariate analyses, women's dyadic adjustment is independently predicted by greater vaginal orgasm consistency and lower frequency of women's masturbation. For both sexes, sexual compatibility was independently predicted by higher frequency of penile-vaginal intercourse and greater vaginal orgasm consistency. Women's sexual satisfaction score was significantly predicted by greater vaginal orgasm consistency, frequency of partner genital stimulation, and negatively with masturbation. Men's sexual satisfaction score was significantly predicted by greater intercourse frequency and any vaginal orgasm of their female partners. Concordance of partner vaginal orgasm consistency estimates was associated with greater dyadic adjustment.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that specifically penile-vaginal intercourse frequency and vaginal orgasm consistency are associated with indices of greater intimate relationship adjustment, satisfaction, and compatibility of both partners, and that women's masturbation is independently inversely associated with measures of dyadic and personal function. Results are discussed in light of previous research and an evolutionary theory of vaginal orgasm.

Dynamic clinical measurements of voluntary vaginal contractions and autonomic vaginal reflexes

INTRODUCTION

The vaginal canal is an active and responsive canal. It has pressure variations along its length and shows reflex activity. At present, the prevailing idea is that the vaginal canal does not have a sphincter mechanism. It is hypothesized that an active vaginal muscular mechanism exists and might be involved in the pathophysiology of genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder.

AIM

The aim of this study was to detect the presence of a canalicular vaginal "sphincter mechanism" by measuring intravaginal pressure at different levels of the vaginal canal during voluntary pelvic floor contractions and during induced reflexive contractions.

METHODS

Sixteen nulliparous women, without sexual dysfunction and pelvic floor trauma, were included in the study. High-resolution solid-state circumferential catheters were used to measure intravaginal pressures and vaginal contractions at different levels in the vaginal canal. Voluntary intravaginal pressure measurements were performed in the left lateral recumbent position only, while reflexive intravaginal pressure measurements during slow inflation of a vaginal balloon were performed in the left lateral recumbent position and in the sitting position.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Intravaginal pressures and vaginal contractions were the main outcome measures. In addition, a general demographic and medical history questionnaire was administered to gain insight into the characteristics of the study population.

RESULTS

Fifteen out of the sixteen women had deep and superficial vaginal high-pressure zones. In one woman, no superficial high-pressure zone was found. The basal and maximum pressures, as well as the duration of the autonomic reflexive contractions significantly exceeded the pressures and the duration of the voluntary contractions. There were no significant differences between the reflexive measurements obtained in the left lateral recumbent and the sitting position.

CONCLUSION

The two high-pressure zones found in this study, as a result of voluntary contractions and, even more pronounced, as a result of reflexive contractions on intravaginal stimulation, support the hypothesis that the vaginal canal has an active and passive canalicular sphincter mechanism. Further investigation of this sphincter mechanism is required to identify its role in the sexual response and genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder.

Orgasm and women's waist circumference

OBJECTIVE

Given that adiposity is related to poorer female sexual function, among many other health problems, the present study aimed at testing the hypothesis that larger waist circumference, an index of subcutaneous and abdominal fat mass, is associated with lack of specifically vaginal orgasm. Study design One hundred and twenty Portuguese women of reproductive age had their waist measured and reported their past month frequency of penile-vaginal intercourse (PVI), vaginal orgasm, orgasm from clitoral masturbation during PVI, non-coital partnered sex (in the absence of same-day PVI), non-coital partnered sex orgasm (regardless of same-day PVI), masturbation, and masturbation orgasm.

RESULTS

In both simple and partial correlations (controlling for age, social desirability responding, relationship status, and cohabitation status), larger waist circumference was associated with lack of any vaginal orgasm and with having masturbated in the past month. In a multiple regression, larger waist circumference was independently predicted by lesser frequency of vaginal orgasm, greater frequency of masturbation, and older age.

CONCLUSION

Abdominal fat mass appears to be adversely associated with lesser capacity for vaginal orgasm, but not for orgasms from other sexual activities. Results are discussed in the context of vaginal orgasm being relatively more contingent on situations of increased fitness in both partners.

Orgasmic dysfunction: prevalence and risk factors from a cohort of young females in Mexico

INTRODUCTION

Orgasmic dysfunction (OD) is defined as the inability to achieve an orgasm, markedly diminished intensity of orgasmic sensations, or marked delay of orgasm during any kind of sexual stimulation. OD definition and method of diagnosis vary widely across studies.

AIM

The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence and risk factors that predispose Mexican women to OD.

METHODS

A representative sample of women from Mexico City was surveyed using an online website. Women between 18 to 40 years old were selected, and the orgasm domain from the Female Sexual Function Index was used to identify OD. A cutoff point was calculated using a construct with a histogram and calculated median. A univariate and multivariate analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between potential risk factors and sexual function.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

OD prevalence; significant risk factors on multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

OD prevalence was 18.3%. Univariate analysis showed younger age (P = 0.01), lower degree of education (P = 0.02), single marital status (P = 0.038), and dissatisfaction with the thickness and/or size of partner's penis (P = 0.01) as significant variables related to OD. In multivariate analysis, younger age (P = 0.01) and dissatisfaction with the thickness/size of partner's penis (hazard ratio 3.04, P = 0.01) remained significant.

CONCLUSION

OD is a prevalent alteration in young women. Marital status, education, and dissatisfaction with thickness/size of partner's penis are definitely related variables.