Editing Orgasm (section)

{{Short description|Intense physical sensation of sexual release}}
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'''Orgasm''' (from [[Greek language|Greek]] {{lang|el|ὀργασμός}}, {{transliteration|el|orgasmos}}; "excitement, swelling"), '''sexual climax''', or simply '''climax''', is the sudden release of accumulated [[Sexual arousal|sexual excitement]] during the [[Human sexual response cycle|sexual response cycle]], characterized by intense sexual [[pleasure]] resulting in rhythmic, involuntary [[Muscle contraction|muscular contractions]] in the [[Pelvis|pelvic]] region.<ref name=dictbiopsych>{{cite book |last1 = Winn |first1 = Philip |title = Dictionary of Biological Psychology |date = 2003 |publisher = Routledge |isbn = 978-1-134-77815-7 |page = 1189 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=OEMSWCeeSPYC&pg=PA1189 |language = en |access-date = November 15, 2019 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227065023/https://books.google.com/books?id=OEMSWCeeSPYC&pg=PA1189 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Rosenthal">See [https://books.google.com/books?id=d58z5hgQ2gsC&pg=PT153 133–135] {{webarchive|url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20160402152531/https://books.google.com/books?id=d58z5hgQ2gsC&pg=PT153 |date=April 2, 2016 }} for orgasm information, and [https://books.google.com/books?id=d58z5hgQ2gsC&pg=PT96 page 76] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227065024/https://books.google.com/books?id=d58z5hgQ2gsC&pg=PT96 |date=February 27, 2023 }} for G-spot and vaginal nerve ending information. {{cite book |first = Martha |last = Rosenthal |title = Human Sexuality: From Cells to Society |publisher = [[Cengage]] |date = 2012 |isbn = 978-0-618-75571-4 }}</ref> Orgasms are controlled by the involuntary or [[autonomic nervous system]] and are experienced by both males and females; the body's response includes muscular [[spasm]]s (in multiple areas), a general [[euphoria|euphoric]] sensation, and, frequently, body movements and vocalizations.<ref name="Rosenthal" /> The period after orgasm (known as the [[refractory period (sex)|resolution phase]]) is typically a [[Relaxation (psychology)|relaxing experience]] after the release of the [[neurohormone]]s [[oxytocin]] and [[prolactin]], as well as [[endorphins]] (or "endogenous [[morphine]]").<ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors = Exton MS, Krüger TH, Koch M |title = Coitus-induced orgasm stimulates prolactin secretion in healthy subjects |journal = Psychoneuroendocrinology |volume = 26 |issue = 3 |pages = 287–94 |date = April 2001 |pmid = 11166491 |doi = 10.1016/S0306-4530(00)00053-6 |s2cid = 21416299 |display-authors = etal  |issn=0306-4530}}</ref>

Human orgasms usually result from physical [[sexual stimulation]] of the [[Human penis|penis]] in males (typically accompanied by [[ejaculation]]) and of the [[clitoris]] (and [[vagina]]) in females.<ref name="Rosenthal" /><ref name="Weiten">{{cite book |title = Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment in the 21st Century |isbn = 978-1-111-18663-0 |publisher = Cengage |date = 2011 |page = 386 |access-date = January 5, 2012 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CGu96TeAZo0C&pg=PT423 |author1 = Wayne Weiten |author2 = Dana S. Dunn |author3 = Elizabeth Yost Hammer |archive-date = February 26, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230226053001/https://books.google.com/books?id=CGu96TeAZo0C&pg=PT423 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="O'Connell">{{br}}{{bull}}{{Cite journal |vauthors = O'Connell HE, Sanjeevan KV, Hutson JM |title = Anatomy of the clitoris |journal = The Journal of Urology |volume = 174 |issue = 4 Pt 1 |pages = 1189–95 |date = October 2005 |pmid = 16145367 |doi = 10.1097/01.ju.0000173639.38898.cd |s2cid = 26109805 }}{{br}}{{bull}}{{cite news |author = Sharon Mascall |date = June 11, 2006 |title = Time for rethink on the clitoris |work = [[BBC News]] |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5013866.stm |access-date = October 31, 2009 |archive-date = September 9, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190909192820/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5013866.stm |url-status = live }}</ref> Sexual stimulation can be by [[masturbation]] or with a [[sexual partner]] ([[Sexual penetration|penetrative sex]], [[non-penetrative sex]], or other [[Human sexual activity|sexual activity]]). Physical stimulation is not a requisite, as it is possible to reach orgasm through psychological means.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=A Case Of Female Orgasm Without Genital Stimulation - PMC|date=24 February 2022|pmc=9023237 |last1=Pfaus |first1=J. G. |last2=Tsarski |first2=K. |journal=Sexual Medicine |volume=10 |issue=2 |doi=10.1016/j.esxm.2022.100496 |pmid=35220156 }}</ref> Getting to orgasm may be difficult without a suitable [[psychological state]]. During sleep, a sex dream can trigger an orgasm and the release of sexual fluids ([[nocturnal emission]]).

The health effects surrounding the human orgasm are diverse. There are many physiological responses during sexual activity, including a relaxed state, as well as changes in the [[central nervous system]], such as a temporary decrease in the [[Metabolism|metabolic]] activity of large parts of the [[cerebral cortex]] while there is no change or increased metabolic activity in the [[Limbic system|limbic]] (i.e., "bordering") areas of the brain.<ref name="Georgiadis">{{Cite journal |vauthors = Georgiadis JR, Reinders AA, Paans AM, Renken R, Kortekaas R |title = Men versus women on sexual brain function: prominent differences during tactile genital stimulation, but not during orgasm |journal = Human Brain Mapping |volume = 30 |issue = 10 |pages = 3089–101 |date = October 2009 |pmid = 19219848 |doi = 10.1002/hbm.20733 |pmc = 6871190 }}</ref> There are [[sexual dysfunction]]s involving orgasm, such as ''[[anorgasmia]]''.

Depending on culture{{Which|date=May 2025}}, reaching orgasm (and the frequency or consistency of doing so) is either important or irrelevant for satisfaction in a [[sexual relationship]],<ref name="Kinsey Institute">{{cite web |title = Frequently Asked Sexuality Questions to the Kinsey Institute: Orgasm |publisher = iub.edu/~kinsey/resources |access-date = January 3, 2012 |url = http://www.iub.edu/~kinsey/resources/FAQ.html#orgasm |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120105131500/http://iub.edu/~kinsey/resources/FAQ.html#orgasm |archive-date = January 5, 2012 }}</ref> and theories about the biological and evolutionary functions of orgasm differ.<ref name="Geoffrey Miller">{{cite book |author = Geoffrey Miller |title = The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature |publisher = [[Random House|Random House Digital]] |date = 2011 |pages = 238–239 |access-date = August 27, 2012 |isbn = 978-0-307-81374-9 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=QG-8PbZb4csC&q=The+human+clitoris+shows+no+apparent+signs+of+having+evolved+directly+through+male+mate+choice.&pg=PA238 |author-link = Geoffrey Miller (psychologist) |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227065036/https://books.google.com/books?id=QG-8PbZb4csC&q=The+human+clitoris+shows+no+apparent+signs+of+having+evolved+directly+through+male+mate+choice.&pg=PA238 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Wallen K, Lloyd EA">{{cite journal |title = Female sexual arousal: genital anatomy and orgasm in intercourse |journal = Hormones and Behavior |date = May 2011 |pmid = 21195073 |pmc = 3894744 |doi = 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2010.12.004 |volume = 59 |issue = 5 |pages = 780–92 |author = Wallen K, Lloyd EA. |last2 = Lloyd |url = https://philpapers.org/rec/WALFSA-2 |access-date = August 31, 2018 |archive-date = November 5, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211105043848/https://philpapers.org/rec/WALFSA-2 |url-status = live }}</ref>