Female Orgasm

The great ancient indian sexologist Vatsyayana states that ,sexual satisfaction in woman is as important as in men'. He even goes so far as to warn his readers that without sexual satisfaction, a woman's physical and mental constitution may become unbalanced. Vatsyayana notes that 'at the approach of the orgasm the following signs manifest themselves in a woman lassitude of the body, closing of eyes, absence of bashfulness and greater pressure applied towards the man's pubis with that of her own, so as to effect closer contact. Just before she attains her final pleasure, she shakes her hands, perspires, bites her partner, prevents him from detaching the sexual connection or from rising and beats him (on the legs or buttocks) with her feet. If the man attains satisfaction (ejaculation) first, she would not let him rise, and would exceed the man in forwardness and want of restraint, contrary to her natural bashfulness.'

In our society women who were orgasmic were considered to be of 'loose' character. The naturally responding women in sex had therefore to suppress and inhibit their sexual responses for fear of being branded as 'cheap' women by society.

At the dawn of the present century, western women were grudgingly permitted by male medical pundits to be 'orgasmic' only during intercourse, and not by auto manipulation. However, there was heated argument among the high priests of sexuality whether the site of her orgasm was the clitoris or the vagina.

A few prominent psychoanalysts of those days who debated and decided how a woman should have 'a normal orgasm'! Sigmund Freud in 1910 presented his three essays on the Theory of Sexuality. According to him, women can experience two kinds of orgasm clitoral and vaginal. Little girls during masturbation achieved orgasm by stimulating the clitoris. When they married they were supposed to transfer their sexual response from the clitoris to the vagina. A number of women failed to undergo such a transfer. Freud called them 'vaginally frigid', even though they could be orgasmic during manual stimulation of the clitoris, because they were frigid as far as the vagina was concerned.

Innumerable analysts wholeheartedly agreed with Freud that clitoral orgasm in a female was a sign of immaturity. Even female analysts supported Freud, the most noteworthy being Marie Bonaparte who went a step further than the Maestro by claiming that a mature woman performs a unique biological feat in transferring an orgasm from the clitoris to the vagina. She later modified her views slightly and suggested that there were women who were capable of having both types of orgasm the clitoral and the vaginal. Although the majority of psychoanalysts supported Freud's viewpoint, some expressed serious doubts and the controversy continued. Meanwhile millions of women suffered silently till the arrival on the scene of Dr. Masters and Mrs. Johnson in 1959, who after scientific research demolished the citadel of pure vaginal orgasms. Researchers proved that all orgasms in the female originate in the clitoris. Innumerable women who were erroneously labeled frigid or masculine heaved a sigh of relief. They at last felt that they were normal women responding to normal sexual stimulus.

The Masters and Johnson research findings showed that during vaginal intercourse, the thrusting in and out of the penis stretches the inner lips (labia minora) at the entrance of the vagina. These lips are joined above the vaginal opening to form the hood or the prepuce of the clitoral glans. The rhythmic thrusting of the penis ' in and out slides the Hood back and forth against the sensitive glans of the clitoris, resulting in its stimulation and culminating in an orgasm. During normal intercourse with the man on top, the clitoris participates indirectly, as there is no direct friction. A large number of women find it difficult to reach orgasm in the so called 'missionary' position; they need direct clitoral stimulation by the hand or by adopting the female on top or lateral position, where the clitoris is directly stimulated by maintaining contact between the male and the female pubic regions.

The researchers also stated in the Western Journal of Surgery, Gynecology. and Obstetrics that the response of the pelvic viscera (organs) to effective sexual stimulation occurs 'regardless of whether the clitoris is stimulated manually or during natural coitus or just by stimulating, the breasts. In other words, the response of the human female is identical irrespective of the source of stimulation, psychic or physical. They concluded that there is neither a pure clitoral nor a pure vaginal orgasm. In fact, during orgasm both the clitoris and the vagina respond according to their physiological pattern in sexual intercourse.

This 'judgment' of the Supreme Court of Sexuality by a bench comprising the honorable Dr. Masters and the honorable Mrs. Johnson permitted all women to have sexual orgasm. In other words, their 'Lordships' meant that it is the fundamental right of a woman to have one or many orgasms, either during sex or during auto manipulation. She is even at liberty not to have an orgasm, if she so desires!

Multiple Orgasms

Male sexologists have been claiming that a woman, like a man, is more than satisfied with a single orgasm during intercourse. But Masters and Johnson's finding that a normal woman can invariably have more than one orgasm during auto manipulation upset the male apple cart! The media gave wide publicity to the 'judgment' that the female partner during sex call have many orgasms. Women were delighted with their new sexual power. After age long humiliation they were one up oil men. But many unfortunate males found themselves inadequate to last the grueling four or six set rubber! The result was a tremendous pressure on the male to perform, which in many cases even caused impotency.

This feeling of inadequacy if the penis cannot produce multiple female orgasms is uncalled for. The researchers' findings relate only to auto manipulative technique in the laboratory where women were multi orgasmic. The male call uses his obliging hand equally or perhaps more effectively in the mons area to stimulate the female for as many orgasms as she wants.

Orgasm: fantasy and reality

In our permissive twentieth century society, writers about sexual eroticism have had a field day describing with their fertile imagination mind boggling and earth shaking orgasms. If such writers are to be believed even the seismograph would record shocks of mild intensity when a woman becomes orgasmic! Many women read erotic literature with high hopes of achieving explosion during sex and are deeply disappointed when such mind shattering volcanic explosions do not actually happen. Such erotic fantasies exist only in the imagination of the authors and the gullible readers. An orgasm the real thing is an extremely pleasurable event, though it has none of the components of fantasyland sex for the majority of women. A few passionate and excitable women do have violent orgasms where they wriggle, sigh, cry, scratch or bite the male partner. The poet Heine in Hastings Battlefield vividly describes such a love bite during orgasm: And on his shoulder she beheld three scars, and kissed them once again: wounds of no wars, No foeman's brand had smitten Three little scars; her own white teeth had bitten.

ORGASM: THE HEIGHT OF PLEASURE

The credit for accurately describing the physiological and psychological changes during orgasm goes entirely to Dr. Masters and Mrs. Johnson. According to the researchers orgasm in the female is a total body response with sudden release from extreme vasocongestion and myotonia or muscle tension. At orgasm time, her facial expression appears painful; there is contraction of all muscles with those of the arms, legs and hands in spasm. Some females tightly grasp their partner with their hands. The muscles of the abdomen, back and buttocks are tightly contracted to increase sexual tension and eventually obtain orgasmic release.

The onset of orgasm is heralded by involuntary contraction of the vaginal wall, five to eight times, at an interval of 0.8 second. The total number of contractions varies widely and so does the intensity. The longer the duration of the contractions the longer is the interval in-between. Along with the vaginal contractions some women also experience contractions of the external rectal sphincter (the muscle guarding the opening of the rectal canal which controls the passage of stools) and the external urethral sphincter (the muscle which enables us to hold the urine). The clitoris, which was withdrawn upwards, returns to its normal overhanging position. The vasocongestion in the breasts and particularly the areolae disappears rapidly after the orgasm, making the nipples erect and prominent (false erection reaction). The prominent, erect nipples with wrinkled areolae provide a visual evidence of orgasm. Dr. Masters found that at orgasm, the heart rate went up between 110 to 180 beats a minute, the systolic blood pressure increased by 30 to 80, the diastolic pressure by 20 to 40 turn of Hg, and the breathing became more rapid with a respiratory rate of over 40 per minute. The skin over the whole body is flushed at the peak of orgasm. The sex flush is most noticeable in fair individuals and disappears immediately after orgasm.

These physiological changes occur irrespective of the method of stimulation sex with a partner or auto manipulation or mechanical manipulation with a vibrator or, rarely, just stimulation of the breasts.

Psychological response

Dr. Masters and Johnson compiled a detailed subjective response of women undergoing orgasm in their sex laboratory. There were three distinct stages. The first stage which lasts only a second is characterized by a sense of suspension or stoppage, followed by intense sensual awareness beginning in the clitoral region and radiating upwards into the pelvis. The intensity of this feeling varies widely from a mild to an extremely intense sensation, accompanied by a generalized loss of sensory feeling. During the second stage, a sense of warmth suffuses the pelvic region, spreading rapidly all over the body. During the third stage, the contractions of the orgasmic platform give rise to a throbbing sensation in the pelvic area, which a little later merges with the quickened heartbeats. Women can feel the rapid pulsations of the arteries in the pelvis and vagina.

Is every orgasm accompanied by contraction of the vaginal wall?

I have given you a detailed account of the orgasm in the sex laboratory of Masters and Johnson as they observed it, mainly during auto manipulation but also in sex with a partner. Does it mean that what happens in the laboratory during orgasm also applies universally to every woman in the bedroom, where she is frequently beset with cares and worries? Innumerable women in the West and some in our country have started comparing their experiences with the laboratory model orgasm.

While orgasm in most women is accompanied by contractions of the vaginal wall which can be felt by the male penis or by a finger in the vagina, there are some who do not feel these contractions and therefore think that they are deficient and have not reached the climax. A number of sexologists and lady sex therapists maintain that orgasms without vaginal contractions can occur. Irving Singer in Goals of Human Sexuality argues that orgasms without contractions take place in many women and are 'normal for them. Hence the Masters and Johnson type which is always triggered off by the stimulation of the clitoris, is not the only type of orgasm.

What should a woman feel during orgasm?

It is extremely difficult for a sexually aroused woman to describe accurately her feelings, and especially during orgasm. Dr. Alfred Kinsey says, 'The participant in a sexual relationship becomes physiologically incapacitated as an observer. Sexual arousal reduces one's capacity to see, to hear, to smell, to taste, or to feel with anything like normal acuity, and at the moment of orgasm one's sensory capacities may completely fail.' This difficulty in objective reporting on the orgasm was overcome by direct observation of Dr. Masters and Mrs. Johnson in their sex laboratory. It was means of double checking on the statements of the participants.

The response differs from female to female and even in the same individual at different times. Her sensations today may not be the same as those she would feel tomorrow. There are, however, certain common denominators.

(1) A gradual build up of muscular tension and later a sudden release followed by complete relaxation.

(2) A feeling akin to climbing up a steep hill on roller skates and suddenly feeling quite breathless for a second on reaching the top. (3) Wave upon wave of intense contractions which come in rapid succession, then stop suddenly.

In other words, the three common denominators of a female orgasm are:

(1) Reaching a peak.

(2) Experiencing sudden relaxation as the muscular contractions subside and the blood is drained away from the genital organs.

(3) Finally, extreme sensitivity of the clitoris. A woman does not like her man to caress the clitoris at this point.

The female experiences two types of sensations during an orgasm. The orgasm may be centered in the genital area and is therefore not felt acutely in the rest of the body, or the orgasm may involve the whole body. The second type usually occurs during prolonged love play when the female is greatly aroused. As the sensations are felt over the entire body, they are spread out and diffused, so that the female is often unaware that she has had an orgasm. On the other hand, as the local pelvic orgasms are concentrated in a small area, intense sensations can be easily observed by the responding female or during auto manipulation. She can even count the vaginal muscular contractions.