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What are the Characteristics of a Good Orgasm?

What are the Characteristics of a Good Orgasm?

Just saying the word “orgasm” can stir up controversy. Although it’s already the 21st century, many are still hesitant to talk about sex in public. Orgasms, of course, are at the center of any conversation about sex. Everyone is looking to have it and they want to experience the best orgasm possible. How can they achieve that? What are the characteristics of a good orgasm in the first place? How good are orgasms for your body?

What is an Orgasm?

An orgasm is a feeling of intense physical pleasure and release of tension, accompanied by involuntary, rhythmic contractions of your pelvic floor muscles. The way an orgasm feels varies among women, and in an individual, it can differ from orgasm to orgasm. The orgasm is the climax of the sexual response cycle that includes desire, arousal, and resolution. It’s the shortest of the phases and generally lasts only a few seconds.

What are the Characteristics of a Good Orgasm?

General characteristics of an orgasm include the following:

  • Involuntary muscle contractions begin.
  • Blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing are at their highest rates, with a rapid intake of oxygen.
  • Muscles in the feet spasm.
  • There is a sudden, forceful release of sexual tension.
  • In women, the muscles of the vagina contract. The uterus may also undergo rhythmic contractions.
  • In men, rhythmic contractions of the muscles at the base of the penis result in the ejaculation of semen.
  • A rash or “sex flush” may appear over the entire body.

The most common types of orgasm are clitoral, vaginal, anal, a combination of clitoral and vaginal, and through several erogenous zones. The ears, neck, nipples, elbows, and even knees can trigger orgasms in very sensitive people.

Female orgasms

It is inaccurate to say that all sex ends in orgasm. After all, sex is not finished once a male partner finishes. In addition, not all sex requires an orgasm and orgasms don’t necessarily mean that the sex is great.

Many women have faked orgasms after having sex. It has been said that faking orgasms reflect themes of wanting to reinforce a partner’s sexual skills, strategically ending sexual interactions, and suppressing feelings of abnormality and shame. Therefore, the best orgasm experiences showcase the power of interpersonal connection. They also present the joys of masturbation and other non-penile-vaginal intercourse behaviors.

In women, orgasms can be small, can happen many times in a row or just once, and they don’t always happen. Because bodies are different, orgasms are different as well.

Male vs female orgasms

Orgasms are under strong selective pressure in men. Their orgasms are coupled with ejaculation and thus contribute to male reproductive success. By contrast, women’s orgasms in intercourse are highly variable. They are under little selective pressure since are not a reproductive necessity. 

While it is easy to surmise that men orgasm once they have ejaculated, there is a theory that women do so only as a “fantastic bonus.” Elisabeth Lloyd, a science historian at Indiana University-Bloomington, points out that only about 8% of women consistently have orgasms during penetrative intercourse (without the use of other assistance, such as sex toys). On the other hand, nearly all men do.

Key Takeaways

While most assume that orgasms are the end goal of sex, that is not necessarily the case. For women, in particular, there are several ways that they can achieve an orgasm. When we ask “What are the characteristics of a good orgasm?,” it involves muscles spasming, blood pressure and heart rates rising, and a forceful release of sexual tension, among others.

Although ejaculating is a good sign of orgasm being achieved in men, there are other ways to trigger it in more sensitive individuals. Understanding these differences and having open communication with one’s sexual partner is important in having the best orgasm.

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Disclaimer

Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Coming to power: women’s fake orgasms and best orgasm experiences illuminate the failures of (hetero)sex and the pleasures of connection, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13691058.2014.924557, Accessed January 20, 2022

Sexual Response Cycle, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/9119-sexual-response-cycle, Accessed January 20, 2022

Anorgasmia in women: An Overview, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anorgasmia/symptoms-causes/syc-20369422,  Accessed January 20, 2022

Understanding orgasm, https://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/04/orgasm, Accessed January 20, 2022

Female sexual arousal: Genital anatomy and orgasm in intercourse,

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0018506X10002990?via%3Dihub, Accessed January 20, 2022

Current Version

07/25/2022

Written by Jason Inocencio

Medically reviewed by John Paul Abrina, MD

Updated by: Stephanie Nera, RPh, PharmD


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Medically reviewed by

John Paul Abrina, MD

Oncology · Davao Doctors Hospital


Written by Jason Inocencio · Updated Jul 25, 2022

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