The topic of vaginal orgasms has been debated for decades. Can women climax through vaginal penetration alone? Is there a difference between vaginal and clitoral orgasms? Is the vagina anatomically designed for orgasm? Are orgasms from other sources possible?
The issue remains controversial today. In the April 2012 issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, six experts revisit the debate and offer fresh perspectives in a series of essays.
Dr. Emmanuele Jannini (University of L’Aquila, Italy) and biologist Alberto Rubio-Casillas (Universidad of Guadalajara, México) start the discussion with some history. For years, the clitoris has been considered the primary organ responsible for female orgasm. Past researchers have suggested that the vagina is “poorly responsive.” However, more recent studies have shown that the vagina does indeed have the nerves necessary for sexual response and that vaginal orgasms can be distinguished from clitoral orgasms.
Jannini and Rubio-Casillas note that not all women have vaginal orgasms. Those that do not “should be educated to reject the feeling of being inadequate or underachieving.”
In the next essay, Dr. Beverly Whipple (Rutgers University, USA) makes her case for vaginal orgasms. Whipple discusses the G-spot, an especially sensitive vaginal area that, when stimulated, swells and leads many women to orgasm and ejaculation.
Is the G-spot meant only for sexual pleasure? Whipple and her colleagues found that women’s pain thresholds increased when the G-spot was stimulated. These increases ranged from 47% when pressure was applied to the area to 107% for women reaching orgasm. The researchers suggest that there may be pressure on the G-spot during vaginal birth and that this pressure may alleviate labor pain.
Whipple also addresses other types of female orgasms. She and her colleagues studied women who could climax just through imagery, with no external stimulation. They also reported that women with spinal cord injuries can reach orgasm by stimulating the vagina or cervix.
Dr. Odile Buisson (Saint Germain en Laye, France) is not so sure that the vagina and clitoris work separately. She writes of the anatomical connection between the clitoris and the anterior vaginal wall. She suggests that pressure on the clitoris can stimulate the lower part of the vagina and that the two areas work together during orgasm. She also notes that echo scans have shown that when stimulating the lower vagina, it’s difficult not to stimulate the clitoris.
Dr. Barry Komisaruk (Rutgers University, USA) discusses his work mapping women’s brains during orgasm. In his study, each participant entered an fMRI machine and stimulated her own cervix, clitoris, and vagina until she climaxed. Each woman also stimulated a nipple, finger, and toe in the fMRI machine to provide comparison data.
During analysis, Dr. Komisaruk and his colleagues discovered that stimulating different genital areas and the nipple activated different parts of the brain. Some areas did overlap, but the researchers found enough separation to conclude that orgasms were possible by stimulating one area alone.
In the final essay, Dr. Stuart Brody (University of West Scotland) writes of differences in clitoral and vaginal orgasms that are unrelated to anatomy. Women’s ability to reach orgasm, he notes, may be based on their sexual education. If women are brought up to believe that orgasms originate in the vagina, they may be more likely to have vaginal orgasms.
Dr. Brody also discusses links between vaginal orgasms and psychological health. He cites a Swedish study that found vaginally-orgasmic women more satisfied with their lives than women who were not vaginally-orgasmic. In addition, he suggests that women who do not have vaginal orgasms may have poorer psychological coping skills.
Resources
The Journal of Sexual Medicine
Jannini, Emmanuele A., MD, et al.
“Female Orgasm(s): One, Two, Several”
(Full-text. Article first published online: March 28, 2012)
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2012.02694.x/abstract\
MailOnline
Gayle, Damien
“Put away the road map, lads: Scientists present new proof that women can climax through intercourse alone”
(Published – April 10, 2012; Updated – April 11, 2012)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2127901/Put-away-road-map-lads-Scientists-present-new-proof-women-climax-intercourse-alone.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Sexual Medicine Society of North America
“Experts weigh in on vaginal orgasms”
(April 27, 2012)
http://www.sexhealthmatters.org/news/experts-weigh-in-on-vaginal-orgasms