It's Not Just About Getting There: The Experience of Orgasm Predicts Female Sexual Functioning

What is it about?

The intensity with which women experience orgasm is a relevant component of sexual health. But it is not only a response of the body: personal interpretation and the social and cultural context in which pleasure is learned are also involved. With this starting idea, this study proposes looking at orgasm from a more positive approach, focused on women without specific health problems, a profile less common in previous research, which usually focuses on sexual dysfunctions or other pathologies. The study evaluated 518 healthy women from the Spanish population (18–62 years old) to explore how their subjective experience of orgasm relates to different aspects of sexual functioning. To do this, the participants answered questionnaires on female sexual functioning (desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain) and on the orgasmic experience, broken down into dimensions such as affectivity (emotions), sensory (sensations), intimacy and reward (gratifying effects). The results pointed to a clear difference: those who had sex with a stable partner reported, on average, greater subjective intensity of orgasm (especially in affectivity, intimacy, and reward) and better overall sexual functioning. In addition, the psychological intensity of orgasm was positively associated with sexual functioning, and the analyses indicated that, together with the presence of a stable partner, the affective dimension of orgasm helped predict female sexual functioning.

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Photo by Guilherme Caetano on Unsplash

Photo by Guilherme Caetano on Unsplash

Why is it important?

These findings are of practical interest for sex therapy and sexual health promotion: they suggest that, when designing interventions, it is advisable to pay attention to the emotional and subjective components of orgasm, and not to limit themselves to purely physiological or "performance" variables. For future research, the authors point out the convenience of incorporating the concept of sexual agency, that is, the ability to initiate sexual activity, make informed decisions and communicate limits and desires. Considering this dimension could help to better understand why certain experiences are lived with more intensity and satisfaction than others, and how to promote a more autonomous and healthy sexuality.

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