So you're sitting in Dewick talking to your friend — you know, that one girl that never stops talking about her sex life. She's telling you all about her steamy Halloween weekend and claims that she had the best orgasm of her entire life during sex with this hot junior. The way this girl is talking makes it seem like this mind-blowing orgasm was longer and more intense than Kim Kardashian's marriage. Excuse me? Girls can climax during sex? Why has this never happened to you? What the hell is going on? Let's explore some myths around the female orgasm.
Myth #1: Women orgasm just as often as men do.
Wrong. In fact, a higher percentage of women have difficulty reaching orgasm than men. Up to 15 percent of women can almost never climax, while up to 10 percent of men struggle to reach orgasm. If you find that you can't reach orgasm easily — if at all — don't stress out. It's not your fault, and it's totally normal. One reason that women can't climax as easily as men may be biological. If men don't reach orgasm, they aren't able to produce children. The female orgasm isn't linked to fertility or reproduction, which may be one reason that it occurs less often. If you're still frustrated, don't blame your partner — it's probably not his or her fault. There are tons of resources online for people who have trouble climaxing. Check them out!
Myth #2: Women can easily orgasm during vaginal intercourse.
Nope. While 90 percent of men can reach orgasm through intercourse pretty much all of the time, only 25 percent of women are able to reach orgasm from intercourse alone. Is your mind blown yet? While many women blame themselves or their partners for not being able to climax during intercourse, it's totally normal. If you're getting frustrated while getting it on, try some other kind of stimulation with your partner. Usually, most women can only reach orgasm through clitoral stimulation rather than vaginal intercourse. Ohmygod, did they just say clitoris? Yes. Embrace it. Your clitoris will love you back.
Myth #3: Women can orgasm as quickly as men can.
Definitely not. While men typically orgasm in three to 13 minutes (refer to our first column), women take on average 14 minutes to climax. In many cases, women don't reach orgasm because their partners aren't aware that it takes longer for women to climax. If you're not climaxing often, ask your partner to spend some more time on you. You know your body better than your partner does, so help him or her out and explain what you like. You're in control of making any kind of sexual activity more satisfying.
Myth #4: There's only one type of female orgasm.
Yes! Just kidding, no. There are actually multiple types. The most common is the clitoral orgasm, which is the result of constant clitoral stimulation for a certain amount of time. This type is the one that most women are able to achieve. The second is the vaginal orgasm, which results from direct stimulation of the G-spot, a small area behind the female pubic bone. Vaginal orgasms usually result from intercourse, hence the term "vaginal." There is tons of other research out there about different types of orgasms. You should probably ask that friend of yours what kind of orgasm she supposedly had. Chances are she might have no idea.
We hope we've expanded your knowledge and cleared up some of the myths around the female orgasm. Although the concept of the female orgasm may still remain a mystery to most, these facts will hopefully help you out. We also hope that this knowledge might make your weekend just a little more climactic … eh?
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Alison Williams is a sophomore majoring in English, and Sarah Gottlieb is a sophomore majoring in psychology. Williams can be reached at Alison.Williams@tufts.edu and Gottlieb can be reached at Sarah.Gottlieb@tufts.edu.
