Ask the Sexpert: The unorthodox orgasm

Dear Shanna,

I’ve heard that women can have four types of orgasms. Is it true? If so, what are the types?

– Wondering in Wittier

Hello Wondering in Wittier;

That is an outstanding question, and one that actually requires us to look out how we define orgasms, academically, scientifically, and as a society.

One group out there says there is just one type of orgasm for everyone; it’s just facilitated through different types of stimulation. They feel that the end result (pleasure, endorphins, etc) is the same so it’s silly to define them separately.

Another group, mostly of those focused on scientific and academic ways of thinking, have worked to define four distinctly–different orgasms, based on the type of stimulation a female body (or any body assigned female at birth) receives. These four ways are generally presented as clitoral, vaginal, combined clitoral and vaginal, and g-spot (or urethral sponge). When you hear people say females have four kinds of orgasms, they have probably read an article or attended a lecture by someone who focuses on these.

Lastly, there are folks, myself included, that are looking to redefine orgasms and remind people that they don’t have to be genital–centric at all. One example is a woman who was in a car accident and is now a quadriplegic.  Although her body no longer has the use of the pudendal nerve (the pelvic nerve thought to be necessary for orgasms), she and her partner have worked out a way where he strokes her cheek and she can climax. Brain scans have shown she has the same neural activity as people experiencing genital orgasms, and demonstrates that orgasms are not tied solely to the genitals but the mind.

Additionally, between 10 and 20 percent of women can have breast orgasms from nipple stimulation. Others have anal orgasms. Once you engage tantric and kink communities in these conversations, you find people who can have orgasms from mediation, being spanked, from concentrating or even being told to orgasm by a master or mistress.

The simple answer to your question is that if we open our minds to the question “what is an orgasm and how does it need to happen,” people of all sexes and genders can have an indefinite variety of orgasms. Rather than confining ourselves to one type, or four types – which may not work as well for everyone – we can recognize the whole complexity and diversity of sexual pleasure.

Enjoy exploring your orgasmic opportunity,

Shanna