1. Female orgasm: an end in itself?
Although it is not an end in itself, orgasm is often a moment of pleasure, relaxation and very intense well-being. However, it is not so easy to explain this feeling to another person. By nature, this is a very subjective moment which depends on several factors, including your stress level, your fatigue, the feelings experienced for the partner, your excitement…
However, in the body and the brain, the mechanisms seem to be relatively the same, regardless of the feeling. Thus, orgasm (female as well as male) designates the peak of sexual pleasure. It causes a series of contractions, from three to twenty seconds, genitals, external organs and sphincters… Orgasm only lasts a few seconds. However, some women seem to be able to maintain it much longer thanks to certain exercises.
2. Female orgasm: what happens in the body and brain?
The mechanism behind pleasure is a physiological response that is triggered at the most intense moment of the excitement phase. In women, as in men, excitement can be increased tenfold by caressesvisual stimulation, sweet or naughty words… Little by little, muscular tension and respiratory and heart rate increase to this famous, coveted peak.
In a woman’s body, the first third of the vagina swells and tightens at its opening as the sexual act progresses. The bottom of the vagina, for its part, widens. Orgasm results in involuntary contractions of the vagina, uterus and internal and external sphincters of the anus. In men, orgasm results in ejaculation.
In the brain, hormones such as oxytocin, endorphins or serotonin are released continuously during sexual intercourse. They “explode” at the moment of orgasm and produce this famous sensation of well-being specific to each one. Some are even overcome by an irresistible desire to sleep.
3. “Difficult to define”, “explosive”: women tell us about their orgasms
On a physiological level, orgasm is fairly well understood. But what about sensations? There, things get complicated. For Victoire, 26, a school facilitator, the question is very difficult. “It’s very difficult to describe! It’s mainly the contractions, at the bottom of the abdomen, of the swirling heat, which leaves vagina to go up all the way through the stomach to the nipples”. For the young woman, this moment is timeless. “For a few seconds, nothing happens. No more problems, no more thoughts… As if I was leaving my body before returning to reality a little later.”. As a general rule, Victoire falls asleep right after this precious moment.
For Clémence, 41 years old and childminder, the feeling of an orgasm arrived very late. “Before my first orgasm, the feeling of pleasure was very present. Regardless of the partners, I thought that orgasm came down to a certain idea of well-being. The feeling of penetration was pleasant, as were the caresses, the visual stimulation, the atmosphere…” It wasn’t until she masturbated for the first time, around age 20, that she understood what an orgasm really was. “I didn’t understand it right away. I was seized by a conflagration that came from very, very far away. From the depths of my being. It’s not easy to explain, but I had the impression of a radiance, of a kind of quite heavy tension. The spasms were intense in my body. Brief, a real fireworks display which made my heart beat super fast”.
For Juliette, 32, orgasm remains a very special moment. “Of course, I love to cum, but alone. As a couple, it’s very difficult for me to enjoy it. The feeling of lack of control, of my mind disconnecting, the spasms, the stiffness of the body… terrify me.” For her, the sensation is very intense, and when she reaches orgasm as a couple, his mind seems to want to regain control of the situation.
In all cases, there are certainly as many orgasms as there are women. For the same person, in the same relationship, the orgasm can be intense, superficial, cosmic… It all depends on the factors that come into play during the sexual relationship. Very varied sensations, obviously still quite difficult to transcribe in precise words. However, it seems that it is generally a fairly appreciated moment.