Editing Orgasm (section)

== Achievement ==
[[File:Organs and tissues with sexual functions (female) 1.png|thumb|Organs and tissues involved in triggering the female orgasm]]
Orgasms can be achieved during a variety of activities, including [[Sexual intercourse|vaginal]], [[Anal sex|anal]], [[Oral sex|oral]], [[Non-penetrative sex#Manual sex|manual]], [[non-penetrative sex]], or [[masturbation]]. They may also be achieved by the use of a [[sex toy]] or an [[erotic electrostimulation]]. Achieving orgasm by stimulation of the [[nipple]]s or other [[erogenous zone]]s is rarer.<ref name="Answer">{{cite book |title = The Orgasm Answer Guide |isbn = 978-0-8018-9396-4 |publisher = JHU Press |date = 2009 |pages = 108–109 |access-date = November 6, 2011 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Kkts3AX9QVAC&pg=PA108 |author1-link = Barry Komisaruk |author2-link = Beverly Whipple |author3-link = Sara Nasserzadeh |author1 = Barry R. Komisaruk |author2 = Beverly Whipple |author3 = Sara Nasserzadeh |author4 = Carlos Beyer-Flores |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227065039/https://books.google.com/books?id=Kkts3AX9QVAC&pg=PA108 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Boston">{{cite book |author = Boston Women's Health Book Collective |title = The New Our Bodies, Ourselves: A Book by and for Women |publisher = [[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn = 978-0-684-82352-2 |page = 575 |date = 1996 |access-date = August 12, 2017 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JFI4AQAAIAAJ |quote = A few women can even experience orgasm from breast stimulation alone. |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227065046/https://books.google.com/books?id=JFI4AQAAIAAJ |url-status = live }}</ref> Multiple orgasms are also possible, especially in women, but they are also uncommon.<ref name="Rosenthal" /><ref name="Crooks and Baur">{{cite book |vauthors = Crooks RL, Baur K |title = Our Sexuality |isbn = 978-0-495-81294-4 |publisher = [[Cengage]] |date = 2010 |pages = 175–176 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=MpRnPtmdRVwC&pg=PA175 |access-date = April 15, 2019 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227065053/https://books.google.com/books?id=MpRnPtmdRVwC&pg=PA175 |url-status = live }}</ref> Multiple orgasms are orgasms that occur within a short period of one another.<ref name="Crooks and Baur" />

In addition to physical stimulation, orgasm can be achieved from psychological arousal alone, such as during dreaming ([[nocturnal emission]] for males or females)<ref name=mah_&_binik/><ref name="Mah" /><ref name="Komisaruk">{{cite journal |title = Functional MRI of the brain during orgasm in women |journal = Annual Review of Sex Research |volume = 16 |pages = 62–86 |date = 2005 |pmid = 16913288 |vauthors = Komisaruk BR, [[Beverly Whipple|Whipple B]] |doi = 10.1080/10532528.2005.10559829 |citeseerx = 10.1.1.177.782 }}</ref> or by [[forced orgasm]]. Orgasm by psychological stimulation alone was first reported among people who had [[spinal cord injury]].<ref name="Komisaruk" /> Although sexual function and [[sexuality after spinal cord injury]] are very often impacted, this injury does not deprive one of the sexual feelings such as [[sexual arousal]] and erotic desires.<ref name="Komisaruk" />

Scientific literature focuses on the psychology of female orgasm significantly more than it does on the psychology of male orgasm, which "appears to reflect the assumption that female orgasm is psychologically more complex than male orgasm," but "the limited empirical evidence available suggests that male and female orgasm may bear more similarities than differences. In one controlled study by Vance and Wagner (1976), independent raters could not differentiate written descriptions of male versus female orgasm experiences".<ref name="Mah" />

=== Female ===
{{anchor|In females}}
==== Factors and variability ====
[[File:Phases of sexual arousal and female orgasm.png|thumb|right|Schematic representation of the phases of female sexual arousal and female orgasm]]
In women, the most common way to achieve orgasm is by direct sexual stimulation of the [[clitoris]] (meaning consistent [[Fingering (sexual act)|digital]], [[Cunnilingus|oral]], or other concentrated friction against the external parts of the clitoris). General statistics indicate that 70–80 percent of women require direct clitoral stimulation to achieve orgasm,<ref name="Rosenthal" /><ref name="Flaherty">{{cite book |author = Joseph A. Flaherty |author2 = John Marcell Davis |author3 = Philip G. Janicak |title = Psychiatry: Diagnosis & therapy. A Lange clinical manual |isbn = 978-0-8385-1267-8 |publisher = Appleton & Lange (Original from Northwestern University) |date = 1993 |page = [https://archive.org/details/psychiatrydiagno00flah/page/217 217] |quote = The amount of time of sexual arousal needed to reach orgasm is variable&nbsp;— and usually much longer&nbsp;— in women than in men; thus, only 20–30% of women attain a coital climax. b. Many women (70–80%) require manual clitoral stimulation... |url = https://archive.org/details/psychiatrydiagno00flah/page/217 }}</ref><ref name="Kammerer-Doak">{{cite journal |first1 = Dorothy |last1 = Kammerer-Doak |first2 = Rebecca G. |last2 = Rogers |title = Female Sexual Function and Dysfunction |journal = Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America |volume = 35 |issue = 2 |pages = 169–183 |doi = 10.1016/j.ogc.2008.03.006 |date = June 2008 |pmid = 18486835 |quote = Most women report the inability to achieve orgasm with vaginal intercourse and require direct clitoral stimulation ... About 20% have coital climaxes... }}</ref> although indirect clitoral stimulation (for example, via [[vagina]]l penetration) may also be sufficient.<ref name="O'Connell" /><ref name="Lloyd">{{cite book |author = Elisabeth Anne Lloyd |title = The Case of the Female Orgasm: Bias In the Science of Evolution |isbn = 978-0-674-01706-1 |publisher = Harvard University Press |date = 2005 |page = 53 |access-date = January 5, 2012 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=6GFNvA6TvlwC&pg=PA53 |author-link = Elisabeth Lloyd |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227065057/https://books.google.com/books?id=6GFNvA6TvlwC&pg=PA53 |url-status = live }}</ref> The [[Mayo Clinic]] states, "Orgasms vary in intensity, and women vary in the frequency of their orgasms and the amount of stimulation necessary to trigger an orgasm."<ref name="Anorgasmia">{{cite web |url = http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/anorgasmia/DS01051 |title = Anorgasmia in women |publisher = [[Mayo Clinic]] |access-date = November 23, 2010 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140102052814/http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/anorgasmia/DS01051 |archive-date = January 2, 2014 }}</ref> Clitoral orgasms are easier to achieve because the [[Clitoris#Glans|glans of the clitoris]], or clitoris as a whole, has more than 8,000 sensory [[nerve]] endings, which is as many (or more in some cases) nerve endings as are present in the human penis or [[glans penis]].<ref name="Di Marino">{{cite book |last = Di Marino |first = Vincent |title = Anatomic Study of the Clitoris and the Bulbo-Clitoral Organ |publisher = [[Springer Publishing|Springer]] |date = 2014 |page = 81 |isbn = 978-3-319-04894-9 |access-date = September 4, 2014 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=wKMpBAAAQBAJ&q=gbs_navlinks_s |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150318213354/http://books.google.com/books?id=wKMpBAAAQBAJ&dq=gbs_navlinks_s |archive-date = March 18, 2015 }}</ref><ref name="Carroll">See [https://books.google.com/books?id=5f8mQx7ULs4C&pg=PA271 pages 270–271] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021114159/https://books.google.com/books?id=5f8mQx7ULs4C&pg=PA271 |date=October 21, 2023 }} for anal sex information, and [https://books.google.com/books?id=5f8mQx7ULs4C&pg=PA118 page 118] for information about the [[clitoris]]. {{cite book |author = Janell L. Carroll |title = Sexuality Now: Embracing Diversity |isbn = 978-0-495-60274-3 |publisher = [[Cengage]] |date = 2009 |pages = 629 pages |access-date = June 23, 2012 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5f8mQx7ULs4C&q=Sexuality+Now:+Embracing+Diversity |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227065106/https://books.google.com/books?id=5f8mQx7ULs4C&q=Sexuality+Now:+Embracing+Diversity |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last = Crooks |first = Robert |url = https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/456838969 |title = Our sexuality |date = 2011 |publisher = Wadsworth/Cengage |others = Karla Baur |isbn = 978-0-495-81294-4 |edition = Eleventh |location = Belmont, CA |oclc = 456838969 }}</ref> As the clitoris is [[Homology (biology)|homologous]] to the penis, it is the equivalent in its capacity to receive sexual stimulation.<ref name="Schünke">{{cite book |first1 = Michael |last1 = Schünke |first2 = Erik |last2 = Schulte |first3 = Lawrence M. |last3 = Ross |first4 = Edward D. |last4 = Lamperti |first5 = Udo |last5 = Schumacher |title = Thieme Atlas of Anatomy: General Anatomy and Musculoskeletal System, Volume 1 |publisher = [[Thieme Medical Publishers]] |date = 2006 |isbn = 978-3-13-142081-7 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=NK9TgTaGt6UC&pg=PA192 |access-date = December 15, 2013 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227065111/https://books.google.com/books?id=NK9TgTaGt6UC&pg=PA192 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Francoeur">{{cite book |last = Francoeur |first = Robert T. |date = 2000 |title = The Complete Dictionary of Sexology |publisher = The Continuum Publishing Company |page = [https://archive.org/details/completedictiona0000unse_w1u0/page/180 180] |isbn = 978-0-8264-0672-9 |url = https://archive.org/details/completedictiona0000unse_w1u0/page/180 }}</ref>

One misconception, particularly in older research publications, is that the vagina is completely insensitive.<ref name="Pappas">{{cite web |last = Pappas |first = Stephanie |title = Does the Vaginal Orgasm Exist? Experts Debate |publisher = [[LiveScience]] |date = April 9, 2012 |access-date = November 28, 2012 |url = http://www.livescience.com/19579-vaginal-orgasm-debate.html |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161011211945/http://www.livescience.com/19579-vaginal-orgasm-debate.html |archive-date = October 11, 2016 }}</ref> In reality, there are areas in the anterior vaginal wall and between the top junction of the [[labia minora]] and the [[urethra]] that are especially sensitive.<ref name="Lief and Berger">{{cite book |last = Lief |first = Harold I. |editor-last = Berger |editor-first = Milton Miles |chapter = Discussion of the Paper by Helen Singer Kalplan |title = Women Beyond Freud: New Concepts of Feminine Psychology |isbn = 978-0-87630-709-0 |publisher = [[Psychology Press]] |date = 1994 |pages = [https://archive.org/details/womenbeyondfreud00milt/page/65 65–66] |access-date = July 22, 2012 |chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=By3n48Gqt_kC&pg=PA65 |url = https://archive.org/details/womenbeyondfreud00milt/page/65 }}</ref> With regard to specific density of nerve endings, while the area commonly described as the [[G-spot]] may produce an orgasm,<ref name="Rosenthal" /><ref name="Acton" /> and the [[urethral sponge]] (area in which the G-spot may be found) runs along the "roof" of the vagina and can create pleasurable sensations when stimulated, intense sexual pleasure (including orgasm) from vaginal stimulation is occasional or otherwise absent because the vagina has significantly fewer nerve endings than the clitoris.<ref name="Weiten" /><ref name="Sloane">{{cite book |first = Ethel |last = Sloane |title = Biology of Women |publisher = [[Cengage]] |date = 2002 |pages = 32–33 |access-date = August 25, 2012 |isbn = 978-0-7668-1142-3 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=kqcYyk7zlHYC&pg=PA32 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227065037/https://books.google.com/books?id=kqcYyk7zlHYC&pg=PA32 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Kilchevsky">{{br}}{{bull}}{{cite journal |title = Is the Female G-Spot Truly a Distinct Anatomic Entity? |journal = [[The Journal of Sexual Medicine]] |volume = 9 |date = January 2012 |pmid = 22240236 |doi = 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2011.02623.x |vauthors = Kilchevsky A, Vardi Y, Lowenstein L, Gruenwald I |issue = 3 |pages = 719–26 }}{{br}}{{bull}}{{cite news |date = January 19, 2012 |title = G-Spot Does Not Exist, 'Without A Doubt,' Say Researchers |work = [[The Huffington Post]] |url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/19/g-spot-does-not-exist_n_1215822.html |access-date = March 2, 2012 |archive-date = March 10, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190310161629/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/19/g-spot-does-not-exist_n_1215822.html |url-status = live }}</ref> The greatest concentration of vaginal nerve endings are at the lower third (near the entrance) of the vagina.<ref name="Rosenthal" /><ref name="Weiten" /><ref name="Greenberg">{{cite book |vauthors = Greenberg JS, Bruess CE, Oswalt SB |title = Exploring the Dimensions of Human Sexuality |pages = 102–104 |isbn = 978-1-4496-4851-0 |date = 2014 |access-date = October 30, 2014 |publisher = [[Jones & Bartlett Publishers]] |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hm3aTuANFroC&pg=PA102 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227065038/https://books.google.com/books?id=hm3aTuANFroC&pg=PA102 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Sex and Society">{{cite book |title = Sex and Society, Volume 2 |isbn = 978-0-7614-7907-9 |publisher = Marshall Cavendish Corporation |date = 2009 |page = 590 |access-date = August 17, 2012 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=YtsxeWE7VD0C&pg=PA590 |author = Marshall Cavendish Corporation |archive-date = February 26, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230226053114/https://books.google.com/books?id=YtsxeWE7VD0C&pg=PA590 |url-status = live }}</ref>

[[Sex educator]] Rebecca Chalker states that only one part of the clitoris, the urethral sponge, is in contact with the penis, fingers, or a [[dildo]] in the vagina.<ref name="Cornforth">{{cite web |first = Tracee |last = Cornforth |title = The Clitoral Truth. Interview with author and sex educator Rebecca Chalker |publisher = [[About.com]] |date = July 17, 2009 |access-date = April 21, 2010 |url = http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/sexuality/a/clitoraltruthin.htm |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160203174804/http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/sexuality/a/clitoraltruthin.htm |archive-date = February 3, 2016 }}</ref> Hite and Chalker state that the tip of the clitoris and the inner lips, which are also very sensitive, are not receiving direct stimulation during penetrative intercourse.<ref name="Cornforth" /><ref name="Hite">{{cite book |last = Hite |first = Shere |author-link = Shere Hite |title = The Hite Report: A Nationwide Study of Female Sexuality |publisher = [[Seven Stories Press]] |date = 2003 |location = New York, NY |isbn = 978-1-58322-569-1 |access-date = March 2, 2012 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=s3OZaVn2wfkC&q=The%20Hite%20Report%3A%20a%20Nationwide%20Study%20of%20Female%20Sexuality&pg=PP1 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227065044/https://books.google.com/books?id=s3OZaVn2wfkC&q=The%20Hite%20Report%3A%20a%20Nationwide%20Study%20of%20Female%20Sexuality&pg=PP1 |url-status = live }}</ref> Because of this, some couples may engage in the [[Woman on top|woman on top position]] or the [[coital alignment technique]] to maximize clitoral stimulation.<ref name="Roberts">{{cite book |title = Sex |publisher = Lotus Press |date = 2006 |page = 145 |isbn = 978-81-89093-59-4 |access-date = August 17, 2012 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zDS9kC03x2IC&pg=PA145 |author = Keath Roberts |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227065052/https://books.google.com/books?id=zDS9kC03x2IC&pg=PA145 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Hurlbert">{{cite journal |title = The coital alignment technique and directed masturbation: a comparative study on female orgasm |journal = [[Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy]] |volume = 21 |pages = 21–29 |date = 1995 |pmid = 7608994 |doi = 10.1080/00926239508405968 |vauthors = Hurlbert DF, Apt C |issue = 1 }}</ref> For some women, the clitoris is very sensitive after climax, making additional stimulation initially painful.<ref name="Rathus">{{cite book |last1 = Rathus |first1 = Spencer A. |last2 = Nevid |first2 = Jeffrey S. |last3 = Fichner-Rathus |first3 = Lois |last4 = Herold |first4 = Edward S. |last5 = McKenzie |first5 = Sue Wicks |date = 2005 |title = Human Sexuality In A World Of Diversity |edition = Second |publisher = Pearson Education |location = New Jersey, USA }}</ref>

[[Masters and Johnson]] argue that all women are potentially multiply<!--do not change to "multiple"!--> orgasmic, but that multiply<!--do not change to "multiple"!--> orgasmic men are rare, and stated that "the female is capable of rapid return to orgasm immediately following an orgasmic experience, if re-stimulated before tensions have dropped below plateau phase response levels".<ref name="Dunn" /> Though generally reported that women do not experience a [[refractory period (sex)|refractory period]] and thus can experience an additional orgasm, or multiple orgasms, soon after the first one,<ref name="Rosenthal" /><ref name=soc>{{Cite web |title = The Sexual Response Cycle |website = UCSB SexInfo Online |publisher = [[University of California, Santa Barbara]] |url = http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/sexinfo/article/the-sexual-response-cycle |access-date = August 6, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110725051823/http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/sexinfo/article/the-sexual-response-cycle |archive-date = July 25, 2011 |url-status = dead }}</ref> some sources state that both men and women experience a refractory period because women may also experience a period after orgasm in which further sexual stimulation does not produce excitement.<ref name="Schacter">{{cite book |title = Psychology |publisher = [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]] |date = 2010 |page = 336 |access-date = November 10, 2012 |isbn = 978-1-4292-3719-2 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=emAyzTNy1cUC&pg=PA336 |author1 = Daniel L. Schacter |author2 = Daniel T. Gilbert |author3 = Daniel M. Wegner |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055134/https://books.google.com/books?id=emAyzTNy1cUC&pg=PA336 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Weiner & Craighead">{{cite book |title = The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology, Volume 2 |publisher = [[John Wiley & Sons]] |date = 2010 |page = 761 |access-date = November 10, 2012 |isbn = 978-0-470-17026-7 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=pa5vKqntwikC&pg=PA761 |author1 = Irving B. Weiner |author2 = W. Edward Craighead |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055138/https://books.google.com/books?id=pa5vKqntwikC&pg=PA761 |url-status = live }}</ref> After the initial orgasm, subsequent orgasms for women may be stronger or more pleasurable as the stimulation accumulates.<ref name="Rathus" />

==== Clitoral and vaginal categories ====
[[File:Vulva - Sexual response.png|thumb|right|Images of the female vulva in various stages of the sexual response cycle]]
Discussions of female orgasm are complicated by orgasms in women typically being divided into two categories: clitoral orgasm and vaginal (or G-spot) orgasm.<ref name="Mah" /><ref name="Sex and Society" /> In 1973, [[Irving Singer]] theorized that there are three types of female orgasms; he categorized these as [[vulva]]l, uterine, and blended, but because he was a philosopher, "these categories were generated from descriptions of orgasm in literature rather than laboratory studies."<ref name="Rosenthal" /> In 1982, Ladas, [[Beverly Whipple|Whipple]] and Perry also proposed three categories: the tenting type (derived from clitoral stimulation), the A-frame type (derived from G-spot stimulation), and the blended type (derived from clitoral and G-spot stimulation).<ref name="Bolin & Whelehan">{{cite book |title = Human Sexuality: Biological, Psychological, and Cultural Perspectives |isbn = 978-0-7890-2672-9 |publisher = [[Taylor & Francis]] |date = 2009 |page = 276 |access-date = February 11, 2012 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=lDQoIhOwwdYC&pg=PA276 |author1 = Anne Bolin |author2 = Patricia Whelehan |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055140/https://books.google.com/books?id=lDQoIhOwwdYC&pg=PA276 |url-status = live }}</ref> In 1999, Whipple and Komisaruk proposed [[cervix]] stimulation as being able to cause a fourth type of female orgasm.<ref name="Bolin & Whelehan" />

Female orgasms by means other than clitoral or vaginal/G-spot stimulation are less prevalent in scientific literature,<ref name="Mah" /> and most scientists contend that no distinction should be made between "types" of female orgasm.<ref name="Sex and Society" /> This distinction began with [[Sigmund Freud]], who postulated the concept of "vaginal orgasm" as separate from clitoral orgasm.<!-- NOTE: Rules are "promulgated"; theories are "postulated."--> In 1905, Freud stated that clitoral orgasms are purely an adolescent phenomenon and that upon reaching puberty, the proper response of mature women is a change-over to vaginal orgasms, meaning orgasms without any clitoral stimulation. While Freud provided no evidence for this basic assumption, the consequences of this theory were considerable. Many women felt inadequate when they could not achieve orgasm via vaginal intercourse alone, involving little or no clitoral stimulation, as Freud's theory made penile–vaginal intercourse the central component to women's sexual satisfaction.<ref name="Zastrow">{{cite book |author = Charles Zastrow |author-link = Charles Zastrow |title = Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare: Empowering People |publisher = [[Cengage]] |date = 2007 |page = 228 |access-date = March 15, 2014 |isbn = 978-0-495-09510-1 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=tco4YjyZab4C&pg=PT248 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055146/https://books.google.com/books?id=tco4YjyZab4C&pg=PT248 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Irvine">{{cite book |title = Disorders of Desire: Sexuality and Gender in Modern American Sexology |isbn = 978-1-59213-151-8 |publisher = Temple University Press |date = 2005 |pages = 37–38 |access-date = January 3, 2012 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uIJXT7ZCTCsC&pg=PA37 |author = Janice M. Irvine |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055146/https://books.google.com/books?id=uIJXT7ZCTCsC&pg=PA37 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Difference">{{cite web |title = Difference between clitoral and vaginal orgasm |publisher = [[Go Ask Alice!]] |date = March 28, 2008 |access-date = April 21, 2010 |url = http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/difference-between-clitoral-and-vaginal-orgasm |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150729172459/http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/difference-between-clitoral-and-vaginal-orgasm |archive-date = July 29, 2015 }}</ref><ref name="Gould">{{cite book |author = Stephen Jay Gould |title = The Structure of Evolutionary Theory |publisher = [[Harvard University Press]] |date = 2002 |pages = 1262–1263 |access-date = August 27, 2012 |isbn = 978-0-674-00613-3 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=nhIl7e61WOUC&pg=PA767 |author-link = Stephen Jay Gould |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055152/https://books.google.com/books?id=nhIl7e61WOUC&pg=PA767 |url-status = live }}</ref>

The first major national surveys of sexual behavior in the U.S. were the [[Kinsey Reports]].<ref name="Andersen" /> [[Alfred Kinsey]] was the first researcher to harshly criticize Freud's ideas about female sexuality and orgasm when, through his interviews with thousands of women,<ref name="Andersen" /> Kinsey found that most of the women he surveyed could not have vaginal orgasms.<ref name="Irvine" /> He "criticized Freud and other theorists for projecting male constructs of sexuality onto women" and "viewed the clitoris as the main center of sexual response" and the vagina as "relatively unimportant" for sexual satisfaction, relaying that "few women inserted fingers or objects into their vaginas when they masturbated." He "concluded that satisfaction from penile penetration [is] mainly psychological or perhaps the result of referred sensation".<ref name="Irvine" />

Masters and Johnson's research into the female [[Human sexual response cycle|sexual response cycle]], as well as [[Shere Hite]]'s, generally supported Kinsey's findings about female orgasm.<ref name="Hite" /><ref name="Irvine" /><ref name="Archer, Lloyd">{{cite book |title = Sex and Gender |publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]] |date = 2002 |pages = 85–88 |access-date = August 25, 2012 |isbn = 978-0-521-63533-2 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=BJ1V9r_J0sUC&pg=PA85 |author1 = John Archer |author2 = Barbara Lloyd |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055101/https://books.google.com/books?id=BJ1V9r_J0sUC&pg=PA85 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Masters and Johnson">{{cite book |last = Federation of Feminist Women's Health Centers |date = 1991 |title = A New View of a Woman's Body |publisher = Feminist Heath Press |page = 46 }}</ref> Masters and Johnson's research on the topic came at the time of the [[second-wave feminism|second-wave feminist movement]] and inspired feminists such as [[Anne Koedt]], author of ''[[The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm]]'', to speak about the "false distinction" made between clitoral and vaginal orgasms and women's biology not being properly analyzed.<ref name="Koedt">{{cite news |first = Anne |last = Koedt |title = The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm |publisher = [[Chicago Women's Liberation Union]] (CWLU) |date = 1970 |access-date = December 12, 2011 |url = http://www.uic.edu/orgs/cwluherstory/CWLUArchive/vaginalmyth.html |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130106211856/http://www.uic.edu/orgs/cwluherstory/CWLUArchive/vaginalmyth.html |archive-date = January 6, 2013 }}</ref>

==== Clitoral and vaginal relationships ====
{{Further|G-spot#Society and culture}}
Accounts that the vagina is capable of producing orgasms continue to be subject to debate because, in addition to the vagina's low concentration of nerve endings, reports of the G-spot's location are inconsistent—it appears to be nonexistent in some women and may be an extension of another structure, such as the [[Skene's gland]] or the clitoris, which is a part of the Skene's gland.<ref name="O'Connell" /><ref name="Pappas" /><ref name="Kilchevsky" /><ref name="Balon, Segraves">{{cite book |vauthors = Balon R, Segraves RT |title = Clinical Manual of Sexual Disorders |publisher = [[American Psychiatric Association|American Psychiatric Pub]] |date = 2009 |access-date = January 24, 2014 |page = 258 |isbn = 978-1-58562-905-3 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=YuP3Hb0TMLQC&pg=PA258 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140627021747/http://books.google.com/books?id=YuP3Hb0TMLQC&pg=PA258 |archive-date = June 27, 2014 }}</ref> In a January 2012 ''[[The Journal of Sexual Medicine]]'' review examining years of research into the existence of the G-spot, scholars state that "[r]eports in the public media would lead one to believe the G-spot is a well-characterized entity capable of providing extreme sexual stimulation, yet this is far from the truth".<ref name="Kilchevsky" />

Possible explanations for the G-spot were examined by Masters and Johnson, who were the first researchers to determine that the clitoral structures surround and extend along and within the labia. In addition to observing that the majority of their female subjects could only have clitoral orgasms, they found that both clitoral and vaginal orgasms had the same stages of physical response. On this basis, they argue that clitoral stimulation is the source of both kinds of orgasms,<ref name="Archer, Lloyd" /><ref name="Masters and Johnson" /> reasoning that the clitoris is stimulated during penetration by friction against its hood; their notion that this provides the clitoris with sufficient sexual stimulation has been criticized by researchers such as [[Elisabeth Lloyd]].<ref name="Lloyd" />

Australian [[Urology|urologist]] Helen O'Connell's 2005 research additionally indicates a connection between orgasms experienced vaginally and the clitoris, suggesting that clitoral tissue extends into the anterior wall of the vagina and that therefore clitoral and vaginal orgasms are of the same origin.<ref name="O'Connell" /> Some studies, using [[medical ultrasound]], have found physiological evidence of the G-spot in women who report having orgasms during vaginal intercourse,<ref name="Acton" /><ref name="Buss, Meston">{{cite book |vauthors = Buss DM, Meston CM |title = Why Women Have Sex: Understanding Sexual Motivations from Adventure to Revenge (and Everything in Between) |publisher = [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]] |date = 2009 |access-date = January 24, 2014 |pages = 35–36 |isbn = 978-1-4299-5522-5 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=slyflT85lXIC&pg=PA35 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055118/https://books.google.com/books?id=slyflT85lXIC&pg=PA35 |url-status = live }}</ref> but O'Connell suggests that the clitoris's interconnected relationship with the vagina is the physiological explanation for the conjectured G-spot. Having used [[Magnetic resonance imaging|MRI]] technology which enabled her to note a direct relationship between the legs or roots of the clitoris and the erectile tissue of the "clitoral bulbs" and corpora, and the distal [[urethra]] and vagina, she stated that the vaginal wall is the clitoris; that lifting the skin off the vagina on the side walls reveals the bulbs of the clitoris—triangular, crescental masses of erectile tissue.<ref name="O'Connell" /> O'Connell et al., who performed dissections on the female genitals of [[cadaver]]s and used photography to map the structure of nerves in the clitoris, were already aware that the clitoris is more than just its glans and asserted in 1998 that there is more erectile tissue associated with the clitoris than is generally described in anatomical textbooks.<ref name="Sloane" /><ref name="Archer, Lloyd" /> They concluded that some females have more extensive clitoral tissues and nerves than others, especially having observed this in young cadavers as compared to elderly ones,<ref name="Sloane" /><ref name="Archer, Lloyd" /> and therefore whereas the majority of females can only achieve orgasm by direct stimulation of the external parts of the clitoris, the stimulation of the more generalized tissues of the clitoris via intercourse may be sufficient for others.<ref name="O'Connell" />

French researchers Odile Buisson and Pierre Foldès report similar findings to that of O'Connell's. In 2008, they published the first complete 3D sonogram via medical [[ultrasound]] of the stimulated clitoris, and republished it in 2009 with new research, demonstrating the ways in which erectile tissue of the clitoris engorges and surrounds the vagina, arguing that women may be able to achieve vaginal orgasm via stimulation of the G-spot because the highly innervated clitoris is pulled closely to the anterior wall of the vagina when the woman is sexually aroused and during vaginal penetration. They assert that since the front wall of the vagina is inextricably linked with the internal parts of the clitoris, stimulating the vagina without activating the clitoris may be next to impossible.<ref name="Pappas" /><ref name="Acton">See here [https://books.google.com/books?id=amNcvrLCGZEC&pg=PT98] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055137/https://books.google.com/books?id=amNcvrLCGZEC&pg=PT98|date=February 27, 2023}} for the 2009 King's College London's findings on the G-spot and [https://books.google.com/books?id=kP9bCflZpVkC&pg=PA145 page 145] {{webarchive|url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20151028201436/https://books.google.com/books?id=kP9bCflZpVkC&pg=PA145|date=October 28, 2015}} for ultrasound/physiological material with regard to the G-spot. {{cite book |author=Ashton Acton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=slyflT85lXIC&pg=PA35 |title=Issues in Sexuality and Sexual Behavior Research: 2011 Edition |date=2012 |publisher=[[ScholarlyEditions]] |isbn=978-1-4649-6687-3 |access-date=January 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055118/https://books.google.com/books?id=slyflT85lXIC&pg=PA35 |archive-date=February 27, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Carroll2">{{cite book |last = Carroll |first = Janell L. |title = Discovery Series: Human Sexuality |edition = 1st |publisher = [[Cengage]] |isbn = 978-1-111-84189-8 |date = 2013<!-- NOTE: Copyright date is 2013 inside of the book. --> |page = 103 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gU3SZSh-eXsC&pg=PT135 |access-date = October 21, 2015 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055158/https://books.google.com/books?id=gU3SZSh-eXsC&pg=PT135 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Buisson and Foldès 2009">{{cite journal |last1 = Buisson |first1 = Odile |last2 = Foldès |first2 = Pierre |title = The clitoral complex: a dynamic sonographic study |journal = [[The Journal of Sexual Medicine]] |volume = 6 |issue = 5 |pages = 1223–31 |date = 2009 |pmid = 19453931 |doi = 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01231.x |s2cid = 5096396 }}</ref> In their 2009 published study, the "coronal planes during [[Perineum|perineal]] contraction and finger penetration demonstrated a close relationship between the root of the clitoris and the anterior vaginal wall". Buisson and Foldès suggest "the special sensitivity of the lower anterior vaginal wall could be explained by pressure and movement of clitoris's root during a vaginal penetration and subsequent perineal contraction".<ref name="Acton" /><ref name="Buisson and Foldès 2009" />

Supporting a distinct G-spot is a study by [[Rutgers University]], published 2011, which was the first to map the female genitals onto the sensory portion of the brain;<ref name="Komisaruk 2" /> brain scans showed that the brain registered distinct feelings between stimulating the clitoris, the cervix and the vaginal wall&nbsp;– where the G-spot is reported to be&nbsp;– when several women stimulated themselves in a [[Functional magnetic resonance imaging|functional magnetic resonance]] (fMRI) machine.<ref name="Komisaruk 2" /><ref name="Pappas" /> "I think that the bulk of the evidence shows that the G-spot is not a particular thing," stated [[Barry Komisaruk]], head of the research findings. "It's not like saying, 'What is the thyroid gland?' The G-spot is more of a thing like New York City is a thing. It's a region, it's a convergence of many different structures."<ref name="Kilchevsky" /> Commenting on Komisaruk's research and other findings, [[Emmanuele&nbsp;A. Jannini]], a professor of endocrinology at the University of Aquila in Italy, acknowledges a series of essays published in March 2012 in ''[[The Journal of Sexual Medicine]]'', which document evidence that vaginal and clitoral orgasms are separate phenomena that activate different areas of the brain and possibly suggest key psychological differences between women.<ref name="Pappas" />

==== Other factors and research ====

Regular difficulty reaching orgasm after ample sexual stimulation, known as [[anorgasmia]], is significantly more common in women than in men ([[#Dysfunction and satisfaction|see below]]).<ref name="Anorgasmia" /> In addition to sexual dysfunction being a cause for women's inability to reach orgasm, or the amount of time for sexual arousal needed to reach orgasm being variable and longer in women than in men, other factors include a lack of communication between sexual partners about what is needed for the woman to reach orgasm, feelings of sexual inadequacy in either partner, a focus on only penetration (vaginal or otherwise), and men generalizing women's trigger for orgasm based on their own sexual experiences with other women.<ref name="Weiten" /><ref name="Wallen K, Lloyd EA" /><ref name="Flaherty" />

Scholars state "many couples are locked into the idea that orgasms should be achieved only through intercourse [vaginal sex]" and that "[e]ven the word ''[[foreplay]]'' suggests that any other form of sexual stimulation is merely preparation for the 'main event.'...Because women reach orgasm through intercourse less consistently than men, they are more likely than men to have [[Fake orgasm|faked an orgasm]]".<ref name="Weiten" /> Sex counselor [[Ian Kerner]] states, "It's a myth that using the penis is the main way to pleasure a woman." He cites research concluding that women reach orgasm about 25 percent of the time with intercourse, compared with 81 percent of the time during oral sex ([[cunnilingus]]).<ref name="Rob Baedeker">{{cite web |last = Rob |first = Baedeker |title = Sex: Fact and Fiction |website = [[WebMD]] |pages = 2–3 |access-date = November 28, 2012 |url = http://men.webmd.com/features/sex-fact-fiction?page=2 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140112134913/http://men.webmd.com/features/sex-fact-fiction?page=2 |archive-date = January 12, 2014 }}</ref>

In the first large-scale empirical study worldwide to link specific practices with orgasm, reported in the ''[[Journal of Sex Research]]'' in 2006, demographic and sexual history variables were comparatively weakly associated with orgasm. Data was analyzed from the Australian Study of Health and Relationships, a national telephone survey of sexual behavior and attitudes and sexual health knowledge carried out in 2001–02, with a representative sample of 19,307 Australians aged 16 to 59. Practices included "vaginal intercourse alone (12%), vaginal + manual stimulation of the man's and/or woman's genitals (49%), and vaginal intercourse + manual + oral (32%)" and the "[e]ncounters may also have included other practices. Men had an orgasm in 95 percent of encounters and women in 69 percent. Generally, the more practices engaged in, the higher a woman's chance of having an orgasm. Women were more likely to reach orgasm in encounters including cunnilingus".<ref name="Richters J">{{cite journal |title = Sexual practices at last heterosexual encounter and occurrence of orgasm in a national survey |journal = [[The Journal of Sex Research]] |date = August 2006 |pmid = 17599244 |doi = 10.1080/00224490609552320 |volume = 43 |issue = 3 |pages = 217–26 |vauthors = Richters J, Visser R, Rissel C, Smith A |s2cid = 7469378 }}</ref> Other studies suggest that women exposed to lower levels of prenatal [[androgen]]s are more likely to experience orgasm during vaginal intercourse than other women.<ref name="Wallen K, Lloyd EA" />

==== Exercise-induced ====

Kinsey, in his 1953 book ''Sexual Behavior in the Human Female'', states that exercise could bring about sexual pleasure, including orgasm.<ref name=1990Rev>{{cite journal |last1 = Butt |first1 = DS |title = The sexual response as exercise. A brief review and theoretical proposal |journal = Sports Medicine |date = June 1990 |volume = 9 |issue = 6 |pages = 330–43 |pmid = 2192423 |doi = 10.2165/00007256-199009060-00002 |s2cid = 6035585 }}</ref> A review in 1990 on the sexual response as exercise states that the field was poorly researched and that [[Aerobic exercise|aerobic]] or [[Isotonic contraction|isotonic]] exercise that resembles sexual activity or sexual positions can induce sexual pleasure, including orgasm.<ref name=1990Rev/> A 2007 review of the relationship between [[pelvic floor]] dysfunction and sexual problems in men and women finds that they are commonly linked and suggests that [[physical therapy]] strengthening the pelvic floor could help address the sexual problems but that it was not well studied enough to recommend.<ref>{{cite journal |last1 = Rosenbaum |first1 = TY |title = Pelvic floor involvement in male and female sexual dysfunction and the role of pelvic floor rehabilitation in treatment: a literature review |journal = The Journal of Sexual Medicine |date = January 2007 |volume = 4 |issue = 1 |pages = 4–13 |pmid = 17233772 |doi = 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2006.00393.x }}</ref> Starting in at least 2007, the term, "coregasm" was used in popular media to refer to exercise-induced orgasm<ref name=2012primary/><ref>{{cite magazine |last1 = Campbell |first1 = Alan |title = MH The Fitness Insider: Exciting Fitness News: The Coregasm |url = http://thefitnessinsider.menshealth.com/2007/03/back_in_our_dec.html |magazine = Men's Health |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070610045647/http://thefitnessinsider.menshealth.com/2007/03/back_in_our_dec.html |archive-date = June 10, 2007 |date = March 29, 2007 }}</ref> or in academic parlance termed ''exercise-induced sexual pleasure'',<ref name=twsTand11>Volume 26, 2011, Debby Herbenick, [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14681994.2011.647902 Exercise-induced orgasm and pleasure among women] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106154009/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14681994.2011.647902 |date=January 6, 2020 }}, retrieved March 16, 2020, "...A secondary purpose was to understand and assess women's experiences of exercise-induced sexual pleasure (EISP)..."</ref> and an extensive discussion of the "yogasm" occurred in a 2011 ''[[Daily Beast]]'' posting.<ref name=2012primary/><ref>{{cite news |last1 = Crocker |first1 = Lizzie |title = Are Yogasms Real? |url = http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/09/28/yogasms-on-the-rise-instructors-say-yoga-related-orgasms-are-real.html |newspaper = The Daily Beast |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110928212544/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/09/28/yogasms-on-the-rise-instructors-say-yoga-related-orgasms-are-real.html |archive-date = September 28, 2011 |date = September 28, 2011 }}</ref> A paper published in 2012 presents results of an online survey of women who had experienced an orgasm or other sexual pleasure during exercise.<ref name=2012primary>{{cite journal |last1 = Herbenick |first1 = Debby |last2 = Fortenberry |first2 = J. Dennis |author-link1 = Debby Herbenick |title = Exercise-induced orgasm and pleasure among women |journal = Sexual and Relationship Therapy |date = March 2012 |volume = 26 |issue = 4 |pages = 373–388 |doi = 10.1080/14681994.2011.647902 |s2cid = 145405546 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1 = Herbenick |first1 = Debby |title = SURVEY: Pleasure/Orgasm During Exercise? |url = http://mysexprofessor.com/sex-in-the-news/survey-pleasureorgasm-during-exercise/ |publisher = mysexprofessor.com |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150709195335/http://mysexprofessor.com/sex-in-the-news/survey-pleasureorgasm-during-exercise/ |archive-date = July 9, 2015 |date = November 8, 2010 |access-date = December 22, 2016 |url-status = dead }}</ref> The paper was widely discussed in popular media when it was published.<ref name="twsBostonGlobe1">{{cite news |author = Deborah Kotz |date = March 22, 2012 |newspaper = Boston Globe |url = http://archive.boston.com/2012/03/22/coregasm/KYQsgEeS8c9iAWDcZNAoiI/story.html |title = Orgasms when you exercise? Research suggests it's possible |access-date = August 31, 2016 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160915060604/http://archive.boston.com/2012/03/22/coregasm/KYQsgEeS8c9iAWDcZNAoiI/story.html |archive-date = September 15, 2016 |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="twsWashPost1">{{cite news |author = Jennifer LaRue Huget |date = March 22, 2012 |newspaper = Washington Post |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-checkup/post/research-looks-into-exercise-induced-orgasm-phenomenon/2010/12/20/gIQA54BRSS_blog.html |title = Research looks into 'exercise-induced orgasm' phenomenon |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160917053650/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-checkup/post/research-looks-into-exercise-induced-orgasm-phenomenon/2010/12/20/gIQA54BRSS_blog.html |archive-date = September 17, 2016 |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="twsHealth1">{{cite web |author = Kristine Thomason |date = March 22, 2016 |publisher = Health magazine |url = http://news.health.com/2016/03/22/yes-you-can-have-an-orgasm-while-working-out/ |title = Yes, You Can Have an Orgasm While Working Out |access-date = August 31, 2016 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161020013826/http://news.health.com/2016/03/22/yes-you-can-have-an-orgasm-while-working-out/ |archive-date = October 20, 2016 |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="twsCosmo1">{{cite magazine |author = Heather Wood Rudulph |date = June 1, 2015 |magazine = Cosmopolitan |url = http://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/interviews/a41281/coregasm-debby-herbenick-orgasm/ |title = The Truth About Having an Orgasm at the Gym: Sex researcher Debby Herbenick says both men and women can experience "coregasms" |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160913225210/http://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/interviews/a41281/coregasm-debby-herbenick-orgasm/ |archive-date = September 13, 2016 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> The authors of the paper said that research on the relationship between exercise and sexual response was still lacking.<ref name=2012primary/>

=== Male ===

==== Variability ====

In men, the most common way of achieving orgasm is by physical sexual stimulation<!-- NOTE: "Sexual stimulation" can mean or include non-physical stimulation; because it takes physical sexual stimulation of the genitals for most people to orgasm, the wording "physical sexual stimulation" is more accurate than "sexual stimulation." --> of the [[Human penis|penis]].<ref name="Rosenthal" /> This is usually accompanied by [[ejaculation]], but it is possible, though rare, for men to orgasm without ejaculation (known as a "dry orgasm").<ref name="Crooks and Baur" /> [[Preadolescence|Prepubescent]] boys have dry orgasms.<ref name="Carroll, prepubescent boys">{{cite book |vauthors = Carroll JL |title = Sexuality Now: Embracing Diversity |isbn = 978-1-111-83581-1 |publisher = [[Cengage]] |date = 2012 |pages = 147 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RY0n2CGS5EcC&pg=PT191 |access-date = April 15, 2019 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055149/https://books.google.com/books?id=RY0n2CGS5EcC&pg=PT191 |url-status = live }}</ref> Dry orgasms can also occur as a result of [[retrograde ejaculation]],<ref name="E. Jones">{{cite book |vauthors = Jones RE, Lopez KH |title = Human Reproductive Biology |isbn = 978-0-12-382185-0 |publisher = [[Academic Press]] |date = 2013 |page = 146 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=M4kEdSnS-pkC&pg=PA146 |access-date = April 15, 2019 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055152/https://books.google.com/books?id=M4kEdSnS-pkC&pg=PA146 |url-status = live }}</ref> or [[hypogonadism]].<ref name="Mulhall">{{cite book |vauthors = Mulhall JP, Incrocci L, Goldstein I, Rosen R |title = Cancer and Sexual Health |isbn = 978-1-60761-916-1 |publisher = [[Springer Science & Business Media]] |date = 2011 |page = 41 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=GpIadil3YsQC&pg=PA41 |access-date = April 15, 2019 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055205/https://books.google.com/books?id=GpIadil3YsQC&pg=PA41 |url-status = live }}</ref> Men may also ejaculate without reaching orgasm,<ref name="Mulhall" /><ref name="Peterson">{{cite book |vauthors = Peterson D |title = The Wiley Handbook of Sex Therapy |isbn = 978-1-118-51041-4 |publisher = [[John Wiley & Sons]] |date = 2017 |page = 182 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=qk1aDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT182 |access-date = April 15, 2019 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055206/https://books.google.com/books?id=qk1aDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT182 |url-status = live }}</ref> which is known as [[anorgasmia|anorgasmic ejaculation]].<ref name="Peterson" /> They may also achieve orgasm by stimulation of the [[prostate]] ([[#Anal and prostate stimulation|see below]]).<ref name="Rosenthal" /><ref name="Wibowo">{{cite journal |title = Multiple Orgasms in Men—What We Know So Far |url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/293195654 |last1 = Wibowo |first1 = Erik |last2 = Wassersug |first2 = Richard J. |date = 2016 |journal = Sexual Medicine Reviews |volume = 4 |issue = 2 |doi = 10.1016/j.sxmr.2015.12.004 |pmid = 27872023 |pages = 136–148 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170111023132/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/293195654_Multiple_Orgasms_in_Men-What_We_Know_So_Far |archive-date = January 11, 2017 }}</ref>

==== Two-stage model ====

The traditional view of male orgasm is that there are two stages: emission accompanying orgasm, almost instantly followed by a refractory period. The refractory period is the recovery phase after orgasm during which it is physiologically impossible for a man to have additional orgasms.<ref name="Morrow">{{cite book |author = Ross Morrow |title = Sex Research and Sex Therapy: A Sociological Analysis of Masters and Johnson |publisher = [[Routledge]] |date = 2013 |page = 91 |isbn = 978-1-134-13465-6 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=wqG07-UF0yoC&pg=PA91 |access-date = April 15, 2019 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055216/https://books.google.com/books?id=wqG07-UF0yoC&pg=PA91 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Carroll, Refractory period">{{cite book |author = Janell L. Carroll |title = Sexuality Now: Embracing Diversity |publisher = [[Cengage]] |date = 2015 |page = 275 |isbn = 978-1-305-44603-8 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=cy9-BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT275 |access-date = April 15, 2019 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055226/https://books.google.com/books?id=cy9-BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT275 |url-status = live }}</ref> In 1966, Masters and Johnson published pivotal research about the phases of sexual stimulation.<ref name="M&J">{{Cite book |publisher = Little, Brown |isbn = 978-0-316-54987-5 |page = [https://archive.org/details/humansexualrespo00will/page/366 366] |last1 = Masters |first1 = William H. |first2 = Virginia E. |last2 = Johnson |author3 = Reproductive Biology Research Foundation (U.S.) |title = Human Sexual Response |date = 1966 |url = https://archive.org/details/humansexualrespo00will/page/366 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = Masters and Johnson |url = http://health.discovery.com/centers/sex/sexpedia/mandj.html |publisher = The Discovery Channel |access-date = May 28, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060518002107/http://health.discovery.com/centers/sex/sexpedia/mandj.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = May 18, 2006 |url-status = dead }}</ref> Their work included women and men and—unlike Kinsey in 1948 and 1953<ref name="Andersen">{{cite book |title = Sociology: Understanding a Diverse Society |isbn = 978-0-495-00742-5 |publisher = [[Cengage]] |date = 2007 |page = 338 |access-date = January 3, 2012 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UILcQZS6Bi4C&pg=PA338 |author1 = Margaret L. Andersen |author2 = Howard Francis Taylor }}</ref>—tried to determine the physiological stages before and after orgasm.

Masters and Johnson state in the first stage, "accessory organs contract and the male can feel the ejaculation coming; two to three seconds later the ejaculation occurs, which the man cannot constrain, delay, or in any way control" and in the second stage, "the male feels pleasurable contractions during ejaculation, reporting greater pleasure tied to a greater volume of ejaculate".<ref name="Dunn">{{Cite journal |author = Dunn ME, Trost JE |title = Male multiple orgasms: a descriptive study |journal = Archives of Sexual Behavior |volume = 18 |issue = 5 |pages = 377–87 |date = October 1989 |pmid = 2818169 |doi = 10.1007/BF01541970 |last2 = Trost |s2cid = 13647953 }}</ref> They report "for the man the resolution phase includes a superimposed refractory period" and "many males below the age of 30, but relatively few thereafter, have the ability to ejaculate frequently and are subject to only very short refractory periods during the resolution phase". Masters and Johnson equate male orgasm and ejaculation and maintain the necessity for a refractory period between orgasms.<ref name="Dunn" />

==== Multiplicity ====

There has been little scientific study of multiple orgasms in men.<ref name="Wibowo" /> Dunn and Trost define multiple male orgasms as "two or more orgasms with or without ejaculation and without, or with only very limited, de-tumescence (loss of erection) during one and the same sexual encounter".<ref name="Crooks and Baur" /> Although it is rare for men to achieve multiple orgasms,<ref name="Rosenthal" /><ref name="Schill">{{cite book |vauthors = Schill WB, Comhaire FH, Hargreave TM |title = Andrology for the Clinician |isbn = 0-495-81294-3 |publisher = [[Springer Science & Business Media]] |date = 2006 |pages = 105 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5Ts_AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA105 |access-date = April 15, 2019 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055229/https://books.google.com/books?id=5Ts_AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA105 |url-status = live }}</ref> some men have reported having multiple consecutive orgasms, particularly without ejaculation.<ref name="Crooks and Baur" /> There may not be an obvious refractory period, and the final orgasm may cause a refractory period.<ref name="Wibowo" /> Multiple orgasms are more commonly reported in very young men than in older men.<ref name="Crooks and Baur" /> In younger men, the refractory period may only last a few minutes but last more than an hour in older men.<ref name="E. Jones" />

An increased infusion of [[oxytocin]] during ejaculation is believed to be chiefly responsible for the refractory period, and the amount by which oxytocin is increased may affect the length of each refractory period.<ref>Panksepp, Jaak (2004). ''Textbook of biological psychiatry.'' [[John Wiley & Sons|Wiley-IEEE]]. p. 129.</ref> A scientific study to successfully document natural, fully ejaculatory, multiple orgasms in an adult man was conducted at Rutgers University in 1995. During the study, six fully ejaculatory orgasms were experienced in 36 minutes, with no apparent refractory period.<ref name="Rosenthal" />

=== Anal and prostate stimulation ===
{{See also|Pegging (sexual practice)|Prostate massage|l1=Pegging}}
[[File:Thefingeringofhorusandseth.png|thumb|"The Majesty of Seth said to the Majesty of Horus, How beautiful are thy buttocks! How flourishing (?).... The Majesty of Horus said, Wait that I may tell it... to their palace. The Majesty of Horus said to his mother Isis... Seth desires (?) to have intercourse with me. And she said to him, Take care, do not approach him for that; when he mentions it to thee a second time, say thou to him, It is altogether too difficult for me because of (my) nature (?), since thou art too heavy for me; my strength will not be equal to thine, thou shalt say to him. Then, when he shall have given thee strength, do thou place thy fingers between thy buttocks. Lo, it will give... Lo, he will enjoy it exceedingly (?)... this seed which has come forth from his generative organ, without letting the sun see it... Come thou."<ref name="x898">{{cite book | last=Griffiths | first=John Gwyn | title=The Conflict of Horus and Seth from Egyptian and Classical Sources | publisher=Liverpool, U.P | date=1960 | isbn=0-85323-071-4 | page=42}}</ref><ref name="w769">{{cite web | title=Hieratic papyri from Kahun and Gurob (principally of the middle kingdom) : Griffith, F. Ll. (Francis Llewellyn), 1862-1934 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive | website=Internet Archive | date=2016-10-23 | url=https://archive.org/details/hieraticpapyrifr00grifuoft/page/n23/mode/2up | access-date=2024-09-25}}</ref>]]
In both sexes, pleasure can be derived from the nerve endings around the anus and the anus itself, such as during [[anal sex]]. Men can achieve orgasms through [[prostate]] stimulation alone.<ref name="Rosenthal" /><ref name="Answer" /> The prostate is the male homologue (variation) to the Skene's glands (which are believed to be connected to the female G-spot),<ref name="Goodman">{{cite book |author = Michael P. Goodman |title = Female Genital Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery |isbn = 978-1-118-84847-0 |publisher = [[John Wiley & Sons]] |date = 2016 |pages = 18–19 |access-date = March 25, 2018 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-p6ECwAAQBAJ&pg=PA18 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180506053119/https://books.google.com/books?id=-p6ECwAAQBAJ&pg=PA18 |archive-date = May 6, 2018 }}</ref> and can be sexually stimulated through anal sex, perineum massage or a vibrator.<ref name="Jamnicky">{{cite book |vauthors = Jamnicky L, Nam R |title = Canadian Guide to Prostate Cancer |isbn = 978-1-118-51565-5 |publisher = [[John Wiley & Sons]] |date = 2012 |page = 167 |access-date = March 25, 2018 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=EFJhvLJeWX4C&pg=PT167 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180506053120/https://books.google.com/books?id=EFJhvLJeWX4C&pg=PT167 |archive-date = May 6, 2018 }}</ref> Much of the available information about prostate-induced orgasms comes from anecdotal reports by individuals, and the exact mechanisms by which such orgasms are produced are unclear; some sources suggest this occurs via stimulation of nerves in the [[Prostatic plexus (nervous)|prostatic plexus]] surrounding the organ, others suggest it is via nerves within the prostate itself, and others say changes in the brain ([[neuroplasticity]]) are required to derive pleasure from prostate stimulation. Regardless, prostate-induced orgasms are often reported to be intensely pleasurable.<ref name="Levin 2018">{{cite journal |last1 = Levin |first1 = R. J. |title = Prostate-induced orgasms: A concise review illustrated with a highly relevant case study |journal = Clinical Anatomy |date = 2018 |volume = 31 |issue = 1 |pages = 81–85 |pmid = 29265651 |doi = 10.1002/ca.23006 |doi-access = free }}</ref> Prostate stimulation can produce a deeper orgasm, described by some men as more widespread and intense, longer-lasting, and allowing for greater feelings of ecstasy than orgasm elicited by penile stimulation only.<ref name="Rosenthal" /><ref name="Levin 2018" /><ref name="Answer" /> The practice of [[pegging (sexual practice)|pegging]] (consisting of a woman penetrating a man's anus with a [[strap-on dildo]]) stimulates the prostate. It is typical for a man to not reach orgasm as a receptive partner solely from anal sex.<ref name="W. Ross">{{cite book |author = Michael W. Ross |title = Psychopathology and Psychotherapy in Homosexuality |isbn = 978-0-86656-499-1 |publisher = [[Psychology Press]] |date = 1988 |pages = 49–50 |access-date = December 22, 2013 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=DWN2-QpbvY8C&pg=PA50 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055205/https://books.google.com/books?id=DWN2-QpbvY8C&pg=PA50 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="McConaghy">{{cite book |author = Nathaniel McConaghy |title = Sexual Behavior: Problems and Management |isbn = 978-0-306-44177-6 |publisher = [[Springer Science & Business Media]] |date = 1993 |page = 186 |access-date = March 25, 2018 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=t31pR2FybjMC&pg=PA186 |quote = In homosexual relations, most men do not reach orgasm in receptive anal intercourse, and a number report not reaching orgasm by any method in many of their sexual relationships, which they nevertheless enjoy. |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180506053119/https://books.google.com/books?id=t31pR2FybjMC&pg=PA186 |archive-date = May 6, 2018 }}</ref>

For women, penile-anal penetration may also indirectly stimulate the clitoris by the shared sensory nerves, especially the [[pudendal nerve]], which gives off the [[inferior anal nerves]] and divides into the [[perineal nerve]] and the [[dorsal nerve of clitoris|dorsal nerve of the clitoris]].<ref name="Answer" /> The G-spot area, which is considered to be interconnected with the clitoris,<ref name="O'Connell" /><ref name="Answer" /><ref name="Kilchevsky" /> may also be indirectly stimulated during anal sex.<ref name="Zdrok">{{cite book |first = Victoria |last = Zdrok |title = The Anatomy of Pleasure |publisher = Infinity Publishing |date = 2004 |pages = 100–102 |access-date = July 5, 2013 |isbn = 978-0-7414-2248-4 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Cx62zwSwbcsC&pg=PA100 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055211/https://books.google.com/books?id=Cx62zwSwbcsC&pg=PA100 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Taormino">See [https://books.google.com/books?id=bG8XqRO6rRQC&pg=PA3 page 3] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055218/https://books.google.com/books?id=bG8XqRO6rRQC&pg=PA3 |date=February 27, 2023 }} for women preferring anal sex to vaginal sex, and [https://books.google.com/books?id=bG8XqRO6rRQC&pg=PA15 page 15] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055221/https://books.google.com/books?id=bG8XqRO6rRQC&pg=PA15 |date=February 27, 2023 }} for reaching orgasm through indirect stimulation of the G-spot. {{cite book |author = Tristan Taormino |author-link = Tristan Taormino |title = The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women |isbn = 978-1-57344-221-3 |publisher = Cleis Press |date = 1997 |pages = 282 pages |access-date = November 6, 2011 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hLv1ohTIiicC |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055225/https://books.google.com/books?id=hLv1ohTIiicC |url-status = live }}</ref> Although the anus has many nerve endings, their purpose is not specifically for inducing orgasm, and so a woman achieving orgasm solely by anal stimulation is rare.<ref name="Tarrant">{{cite book |author = Shira Tarrant |title = Politics: In the Streets and Between the Sheets in the 21st Century |isbn = 978-1-317-81475-7 |publisher = [[Routledge]] |date = 2015 |pages = 247–248 |access-date = March 11, 2017 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=t6nwCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT247 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055147/https://books.google.com/books?id=t6nwCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT247 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Valdez">{{cite book |author = Natasha Janina Valdez |title = Vitamin O: Why Orgasms Are Vital to a Woman's Health and Happiness, and How to Have Them Every Time! |isbn = 978-1-61608-311-3 |publisher = [[Skyhorse Publishing]] Inc. |date = 2011 |page = 79 |access-date = November 6, 2011 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5PsNKTB87isC&pg=PT79 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055148/https://books.google.com/books?id=5PsNKTB87isC&pg=PT79 |url-status = live }}</ref> Direct stimulation of the clitoris, a G-spot area, or both, while engaging in anal sex can help some women enjoy the activity and reach orgasm during it.<ref name="Carroll" /><ref name="Taormino" />

The aforementioned orgasms are sometimes referred to as ''anal orgasms'',<ref name="Valdez" /><ref name="Wasserman">{{cite book |author = Marlene Wasserman |title = Pillowbook: creating a sensual lifestyle |isbn = 978-1-77020-009-8 |publisher = Oshun |date = 2007 |access-date = November 6, 2011 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=BC74fx9DrqoC&pg=PA95 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055149/https://books.google.com/books?id=BC74fx9DrqoC&pg=PA95 |url-status = live }}</ref> but sexologists and sex educators generally believe that orgasms derived from anal penetration are the result of the relationship between the nerves of the anus, rectum, clitoris or G-spot area in women, and the anus's proximity to the prostate and relationship between the anal and rectal nerves in men, rather than orgasms originating from the anus itself.<ref name="Answer" /><ref name="Taormino" /><ref name="Valdez" />

=== Nipple stimulation ===

For women, stimulation of the [[breast]] area during sexual intercourse or foreplay, or solely having the breasts [[Physical intimacy|fondled]], can create mild to intense orgasms, sometimes referred to as a ''breast orgasm'' or ''nipple orgasm''.<ref name="Komisaruk 2" /> Few women report experiencing orgasm from nipple stimulation.<ref name="Boston" /><ref name="Kinsey">{{cite book |vauthors = Kinsey AC, Pomeroy WB, Martin CE, Gebhard PH |title = Sexual Behavior in the Human Female |publisher = [[Indiana University Press]] |isbn = 978-0-253-01924-0 |page = 587 |date = 1998 |access-date = August 12, 2017 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JHWHCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA587 |quote = There are some females who appear to find no erotic satisfaction in having their breasts manipulated; perhaps half of them derive some distinct satisfaction, but not more than a very small percentage ever respond intensely enough to reach orgasm as a result of such stimulation (Chapter 5). [...] Records of females reaching orgasm from breast stimulation alone are rare. }}</ref> Before Komisaruk et al.'s fMRI research on nipple stimulation in 2011, reports of women achieving orgasm from nipple stimulation relied solely on [[anecdotal evidence]].<ref name="Smith">{{cite book |author = Merril D. Smith |title = Cultural Encyclopedia of the Breast |publisher = [[Rowman & Littlefield]] |isbn = 978-0-7591-2332-8 |page = 71 |date = 2014 |access-date = August 12, 2017 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=qrCCBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA71 }}</ref> Komisaruk's study was the first to map the female genitals onto the sensory portion of the brain; it indicates that sensation from the nipples travels to the same part of the brain as sensations from the vagina, clitoris and cervix, and that these reported orgasms are genital orgasms caused by nipple stimulation and may be directly linked to the genital sensory cortex ("the genital area of the brain").<ref name="Smith" /><ref name="Lehmiller">{{cite book |author = Justin J. Lehmiller |title = The Psychology of Human Sexuality |publisher = [[John Wiley & Sons]] |isbn = 978-1-118-35132-1 |page = 120 |date = 2013 |access-date = August 12, 2017 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=pQRgAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT120 |archive-date = February 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230227055151/https://books.google.com/books?id=pQRgAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT120 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Komisaruk 2">{{br}}{{bull}}{{Cite journal |vauthors = Komisaruk BR, Wise N, Frangos E, Liu WC, Allen K, Brody S |title = Women's Clitoris, Vagina, and Cervix Mapped on the Sensory Cortex: fMRI Evidence |journal = [[The Journal of Sexual Medicine]] |date = 2011 |doi = 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2011.02388.x |volume = 8 |issue = 10 |pages = 2822–30 |pmid = 21797981 |pmc = 3186818 }}{{br}}{{bull}}{{cite news |author = Stephanie Pappas |date = August 5, 2011 |title = Surprise finding in response to nipple stimulation |work = CBS News |url = http://www.cbsnews.com/news/surprise-finding-in-response-to-nipple-stimulation/ |access-date = December 15, 2013 |archive-date = July 1, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160701074316/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/surprise-finding-in-response-to-nipple-stimulation/ |url-status = live }}</ref>

An orgasm is believed to occur in part because of oxytocin, which is produced in the body during sexual excitement and arousal, and labor. It has also been shown that oxytocin is produced when a man or woman's nipples are stimulated and become erect.<ref name="Komisaruk 2" /><ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors = Levin R, Meston C |title = Nipple/Breast stimulation and sexual arousal in young men and women |journal = The Journal of Sexual Medicine |volume = 3 |issue = 3 |pages = 450–4 |date = May 2006 |pmid = 16681470 |doi = 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2006.00230.x |citeseerx = 10.1.1.421.7798 }}</ref> Komisaruk also relays that preliminary data suggests that nipple nerves may directly link up with the relevant parts of the brain without uterine mediation, acknowledging the men in his study who showed the same pattern of nipple stimulation activating genital brain regions.<ref name="Komisaruk 2" />