Orgasm – H&S Love Affair

Orgasm & Everything You Should Know About It!

Orgasm is that feeling of intense pleasure and discharge of erotic tension when having sexual intercourse. The words ‘climaxing’ or ‘coming’ can be used interchangeably when describing orgasm. There is a whole lot of changes that are experienced by the human body both physically and emotionally whilst climaxing, such as increased heart rate and breathing, series of muscle contractions in the lower pelvis, sex organs and anal region, with the release of hormones such as endorphins & oxytocin there is a relaxing effect too.

There are 4 stages of Orgasm:

Excitement – which involves being stimulated or turned on.
Plateau – which involves getting pleasured.
Orgasm – which involves a burst of pleasure and release.
Resolution – also known as the refractory period.

The Female Orgasm-

Women can experience clitoral or vaginal orgasm & can experience multiple orgasms.

Excitement Phase- Once the genitals are stimulated, the blood vessels within the genitals dilate with a rush of blood to the vulva causing it to swell, making it wet. Internally the top of the vagina also expands. There is an increased heart rate and breathing with increased blood pressure and flushing that can be experienced due to the blood vessel dilation.

Plateau Phase- With the blood flow to the lower area of the vagina, the vagina becomes firm. Breasts can swell as much as 25% in size and there is an increased blood flow to the areola around the nipple causing the nipples to appear less erect. The clitoris then pulls back (disappearing).

Orgasm- Rhythmic contractions approximately 0.8 seconds apart are experienced in the genital muscles including uterine muscles. The female orgasm lasts longer than male and can last up to a minute.

Resolution Phase- In women, this is not needed as they can have more than one orgasms if they are stimulated again. However, with no further orgasms, the swelling in the genitals reduce, the heart and breathing rates return to normal.

The Male Orgasm-

Excitement Phase- Once the genitals are stimulated, the blood vessels within the genitals dilate with a rush of blood to the penis causing it to swell and become hard. The scrotum tightens and the testicles are drawn up.

Plateau Phase- With the increased blood flow, the blood vessels around the penis fill up with blood and the glans and testicles increase in size. There is an increased heart rate and breathing with increased blood pressure and the thigh and buttocks tense up.

Orgasm- The average male orgasm lasts for no longer than 30seconds. A series of contractions of the pelvic floor muscles & male genitalia; prostate gland, seminal vesicles and vas deferens forces the semen into the urethra. This then causes ejaculation where the semen is forced out of the penis.

Resolution Phase- The penis and testicles return to normal size with When a man enters a temporary recovery phase or the refractory period, he cannot experience any more orgasms. The time length for this can vary from man to man lasting anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to even a few days and with age, this phase lengthens.

Common Myths & Misconceptions-

There is a big misconception that orgasm is the only and the most important when having sex. However, orgasms are not as simple nor as common and according to research around 15 per cent of women have never had an orgasm and 1 in 3 men have experienced premature ejaculation at some point.

The other common myth is that the only way for both man and woman to achieve an orgasm is through penile-vaginal stimulation. This may be true for some but for most women clitoral stimulation is required to orgasm. In truth, orgasms don’t even need to involve the genitals and exercise-induced orgasm is proof of this.

It’s important to understand that orgasm varies from person to person and it is very personal and hence just because a certain person orgasms in a certain way doesn’t mean that is the only right way to orgasm this is also why one needs to understand that porn and other pre-existing concepts of what an orgasm should be are not necessarily true for every individual.