Current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) definitions of sexual dysfunction do not identify all sexual problems experienced clinically by women and are not ...necessarily applicable for biologic or biopsychosocial management of female sexual dysfunction. A unified nomenclature system enables clinicians, researchers, and regulatory agencies to use the same language and criteria for determining clinical end points, assessing research results, and managing patients.
To develop nomenclature with classification systems for female sexual desire, arousal, and orgasm disorders with definitions pertinent to clinicians and researchers from multiple specialties who contribute to the field of sexual medicine.
Key national and international opinion leaders diverse in gender, geography, and areas of expertise met for 2 days to discuss and agree to definitions of female sexual desire, arousal, and orgasm disorders and persistent genital arousal disorder. The attendees consisted of 10 psychiatrists and psychologists; 12 health care providers in specialties such as gynecology, internal medicine, and sexual medicine; three basic scientists; and one sexuality educator, representing an array of societies working within the various areas of sexual function and dysfunction.
A unified set of definitions was developed and accepted for use by the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH) and members of other stakeholder societies participating in the consensus meeting.
Current DSM-5 definitions, in particular elimination of desire and arousal disorders as separate diagnoses and lack of definitions of other specific disorders, were adapted to create ISSWSH consensus nomenclature for distressing sexual dysfunctions. The ISSWSH definitions include hypoactive sexual desire disorder, female genital arousal disorder, persistent genital arousal disorder, female orgasmic disorder, pleasure dissociative orgasm disorder, and female orgasmic illness syndrome.
Definitions for female sexual dysfunctions that reflect current science provide useful nomenclature for current and future management of women with sexual disorders and development of new therapies.
The differential role of psychological traits in the etiology and maintenance of female orgasm difficulties is yet to be consistently established.
To investigate the contribution of different ...psychological trait features (personality, sexual inhibition and excitation, and sexual beliefs) to predict female orgasm and to assess the degree to which these dispositional factors moderate the association between sexual activity and orgasm occurrence in a large community sample of Portuguese women.
1,002 women (18–72 years, mean age = 26.27, SD = 8.74) completed questionnaires assessing personality traits (NEO-Five Factor Inventory), sexual inhibition and sexual excitation (Sexual Inhibition/Sexual Excitation Scales–Short Form SIS/SES), sexual beliefs (Sexual Dysfunctional Beliefs Questionnaire), sexual behavior (frequency of sexual activities and frequency of orgasm occurrence), and social desirability (Socially Desirable Response Set). Hierarchical multiple regression and moderation analyses were conducted while controlling for the effect of covariates such as social desirability, sociodemographic and medical characteristics, and relationship factors.
The main outcome measurement was orgasm frequency as predicted and moderated by personality, SIS/SES dimensions, and sexual beliefs.
Results of the hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated a significant predictive role for sexual inhibition (associated with fear of performance failure SIS1 and related to the threat of performance consequences) and body image beliefs in female orgasm occurrence. The significant predictive effect of extraversion and of sexual excitation on orgasm frequency ceased to be significant with the insertion of all trait predictors in the final model. Furthermore, SIS1 significantly moderated the relation between sexual activity and orgasm occurrence.
Attention should be given to individual factors impairing orgasmic response in women, particularly sexual inhibition processes. The development of clinical strategies to address and regulate them is recommended.
Although this study investigated a large community sample, this sample was composed of heterosexual, relatively young women and thus generalization of the present results demands some caution. Social desirability was controlled for in the analyses and questionnaires were not collected face to face, which constitutes a strength of this study because social desirability is lower in self-administered online questionnaires compared with paper-and-pencil questionnaires, particularly for more sensitive sexual issues.
SIS1 was found to be a vulnerability factor for female orgasmic difficulties. Future research should test these findings with different samples, particularly clinical samples of women with orgasmic problems, preferably with the use of longitudinal designs.
Tavares IM, Laan ETM, Nobre PJ. Sexual Inhibition is a Vulnerability Factor for Orgasm Problems in Women. J Sex Med 2018;15:361–372.
Aim
Orgasm is the ultimate pleasurable sexual experience in sexual life, a phenomenon that is difficult to depict and uncertain. A satisfying sexual life plays a vital role in the physical and mental ...health of men and women, the relationship between husband and wife, and family harmony. In the past, it was thought that female orgasm was related to the G-spot in the vagina, but it has never been proven. In this review, we focus on the anatomy of the vaginal vestibule, vagina, Urethra, Skene gland, and clitoris to explore the origin of female orgasm.
Methods
The published articles were reviewed, including original articles, reviews, letters to the editor, and case reports, regarding the female reproductive system.
Results
The concept of the clitourethrovaginal complex (CUV) explains the mechanism of the female orgasm, which is not produced by a single organ acting alone, but by the synergistic action of multiple organs and tissues.
Conclusion
The concept of CUV complex not only reveals the principle of female orgasm but also provides new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of female sexual medicine in the future.
While previous research has established the existence of an orgasm gap between men and women, research exploring this phenomenon within dyadic samples of mixed-sex couples has been limited. The ...current study aims to investigate the impact of this orgasm disparity on novel sexual outcomes for couples, including desire and expectation for orgasm. We conducted secondary data analyses on a sample of 104 sexually active mixed-sex couples using an online Qualtrics panel (
M
age
= 43.9 years; 94.2% heterosexual; 79.3% White). Cisgender men and women within the couple reported on their sexual satisfaction, orgasm frequency, desired orgasm frequency, expectation for how often people should orgasm (“orgasm expectation”), and perceptions of their partner’s orgasm frequency. An orgasm gap emerged, and men significantly underreported the size of the orgasm gap in their relationships. In a dyadic path model, men’s and women’s own orgasm frequency positively predicted their desire and expectation for orgasm. Additionally, women’s orgasm frequency predicted men’s orgasm expectation. This relationship between orgasm frequencies and expectancies may partially explain women’s lower orgasm importance compared to men. A cycle of orgasm inequality within relationships may be perpetuated when women who experience less frequent orgasms lower their desire and expectation for orgasm. Sex educators, activists, and therapists should work to improve entitlement to sexual pleasure and orgasm, particularly for women who wish to increase their orgasm frequency.
The “orgasm gap” refers to the finding that cisgender men, on average, have more orgasms than cisgender women during heterosexual partnered sex. In the current research, we replicated evidence for ...several orgasm discrepancies across sexual contexts and assessed men’s and women’s perceptions of the orgasm gap. Our sample consisted of 276 heterosexual, cisgender, sexually active undergraduate students (56.52% women; M
age
= 18.84). We assessed participants’ self-reported orgasm frequencies with a familiar partner, with a new partner, and during masturbation, as well as participants’ perceptions of their partners’ orgasm frequencies. We found evidence for orgasm discrepancies between young men and women within contexts and for women across contexts. Additionally, men perceived the size of the orgasm gap to be smaller than women perceived it to be. We used qualitative analyses to assess participants’ perceptions of driving forces behind the orgasm gap and their responses could be grouped into five overarching themes: Sociocultural Influence, Women’s Orgasm Difficulty, Biology, Men’s Fault, and Interpersonal Communication. This qualitative data can inform education and advocacy efforts focused on improving orgasm outcomes for young women, particularly by disproving prominent biological justifications for orgasm difference and addressing relevant sociocultural concerns. Additional online materials for this article are available on PWQ’s website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843221076410.
The definition of homology and its application to reproductive structures, external genitalia, and the physiology of sexual pleasure has a tortuous history. While nowadays there is a consensus on the ...developmental homology of genital and reproductive systems, there is no agreement on the physiological translation, or the evolutionary origination and roles, of these structural correspondences and their divergent histories. This paper analyzes the impact of evolutionary perspectives on the homology concept as applied to the female orgasm, and their consequences for the biological and social understanding of female sexuality and reproduction. After a survey of the history of pre‐evolutionary biomedical views on sexual difference and sexual pleasure, we examine how the concept of sexual homology was shaped in the new phylogenetic framework of the late 19th century. We then analyse the debates on the anatomical locus of female pleasure at the crossroads of theories of sexual evolution and new scientific discourses in psychoanalysis and sex studies. Moving back to evolutionary biology, we explore the consequences of neglecting homology in adaptive explanations of the female orgasm. The last two sections investigate the role played by different articulations of the homology concept in evolutionary developmental explanations of the origin and evolution of the female orgasm. These include the role of sexual, developmental homology in the byproduct hypothesis, and a more recent hypothesis where a phylogenetic, physiological concept of homology is used to account for the origination of the female orgasm. We conclude with a brief discussion on the social implications for the understanding of female pleasure derived from these different homology frameworks.
The homology concept and its application to reproductive/genital structures, and the physiology of sexual pleasure, has a tortuous history. While there is a current consensus on the developmental homology of genital and reproductive characters, no agreement exists on the physiological translation, neither on the evolutionary origination and roles, of these correspondences and their divergent histories. We analyze the impact of evolutionary perspectives on homology as applied to the female orgasm, and their consequences for biological and social representations of female sexuality.
Image Reference: Bonamy, C., P. Broca, and E. Beau. Atlas d'anatomie descriptive du corps humain, Vol. III, Paris, Masson et Cie., 1850.
Public domain
Source: https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/en/view/bsb10330713?page=257
Purpose of Review
Studies have consistently found that there is a gendered orgasm gap, with men experiencing orgasm more frequently than women in heterosexual sexual encounters. This literature ...review aims to highlight the current state of research on orgasm equality and to explore the reasons underlying this orgasm gap.
Recent Findings
Our review of recently published studies indicates that the gendered orgasm gap still exists today. Additionally, these studies underscore how sociocultural factors can contribute to the differences in reported orgasm frequency between men and women in heterosexual encounters.
Summary
This review suggests that our cultural prioritization of penile-vaginal intercourse over more clitorally focused sexual activities is linked to the gendered orgasm gap. Additional related contributing sociocultural factors may include women’s lack of entitlement to partnered sexual pleasure, societal scripts about masculinity, and women’s cognitive distractions during partnered sex. Recommendations to increase orgasm equality are discussed.
The complexity of female orgasm and ejaculation Arias-Castillo, Liliana; García, Lina; García-Perdomo, Herney Andrés
Archives of gynecology and obstetrics,
08/2023, Letnik:
308, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The anatomy and physiology of the female orgasm are often neglected. The female orgasm is a normal psychophysiological function to all women, and some even can achieve ejaculation as part of the ...normal physiological response at the height of sexual arousal. The complexity of female sexuality requires a deep understanding of genital anatomy. The clitoris is the principal organ for female pleasure. The vaginal stimulation of the anterior vaginal wall led women to orgasm due to the stimulation of the clitourethrovaginal complex and not due to stimulation of a particular organ called the G spot in the anterior distal vaginal wall. Female ejaculation follows orgasm. It consists of the orgasmic expulsion of a smaller quantity of whitish fluid produced by the female prostate. Squirting can be differentiated from female ejaculation because it is the orgasmic transurethral expulsion of a substantial amount of diluted urine during sexual activity, and it is not considered pathological. The female orgasm is influenced by many aspects such as communication, emotional intimacy, long-standing relationship, adequate body image and self–esteem, proper touching and knowledge of the female body, regular masturbation, male sexual performance, male and female fertility, chronic pain, and capacity to engage in new sexual acts. Stronger orgasms could be achieved when clitoral stimulation, anterior vaginal wall stimulation, and oral sex is involved in the same sexual act.
Female sexual dysfunction is highly prevalent, affecting 30% to 50% of cisgender women globally. Low sexual desire, sexual arousal disorder, and orgasm disorder affect 10% to 20%, 6% to 20%, and 4% ...to 14% of women, respectively. Dyspareunia or pain with intercourse affects 8% to 22% of women. Universal screening is recommended; and a thorough medical history and physical examination are the foundations of evaluation and assessment. Laboratory tests and imaging are sometimes warranted, but referral to a sexual medicine expert is suggested if the practitioner is unfamiliar or uncomfortable with treatment.
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