DURING THE ORGASMIC PHASE IN BOTH SEXES
During the orgasmic phase in both sexes, there are high levels of myotonia evident throughout the body. Late in the plateau phase or during orgasm, the myotonia is often visible in facial muscles, where a grimace or frown may be seen. While this expression is sometimes viewed by a partner as an indication of displeasure or discomfort, it is actually an involuntary response that indicates high levels of sexual arousal. Muscle spasms or cramps in the hands or feet may also occur late, in the plateau phase or during orgasm, and at the peak of orgasm, the whole body may seem to become rigid for a moment.
While many controversies about the nature of orgasms exist, there are several that deserve special mention. The first controversy originated with Freud, who believed that there were two types of female orgasm, a clitoral and a vaginal orgasm. Freud stated that clitoral orgasms (those originating from masturbation or other noncoital acts) were evidence of psychological
immaturity, since the clitoris was the center of infantile sexuality in the female. Vaginal orgasms (those deriving from coitus) were "authentic" and "mature" since they demonstrated that normal psychosexual development was complete. In his essay "Some Psychological Consequences of the Anatomical Distinction Between the Sexes," Freud wrote that "the elimination of clitoral sexuality is a necessary precondition for the development of femininity." Many women were considered neurotic or were pushed into psychoanalysis because of this view.
Physiologically, all female orgasms follow the same reflex response patterns, no matter what the source of sexual stimulation. An orgasm that comes from rubbing the clitoris cannot be distinguished physiologically from one that comes from intercourse or breast stimulation alone. This does not mean that all female orgasms feel the same, have the same intensity, or are identically satisfying. As discussed earlier, feeling and intensity are matters of perceptions, and satisfaction is influenced by many factors.
Some women prefer orgasms that occur as a result of intercourse, while others prefer masturbatory orgasms. Those who prefer coital orgasms often say that the overall experience is more satisfying, but the actual orgasm is less direct and intense. The Hite Report notes that many women find masturbatory orgasms to be more satisfying than coital ones, perhaps because the woman is not affected by her partner's style, needs, or tempo. In other reports, attempts have been made to differentiate between "vulval orgasm," "uterine orgasm," and "blended orgasm" or other classifications of orgasmic types. Recently, Ladas, Whipple, and Perry have claimed that stimulation of the "G spot" produces a completely different type of orgasm from stimulation of the clitoris: one in which no orgasmic platform forms, and in which the uterus, instead of elevating and expanding the inner portion of the vagina, "seems to be pushed down and the upper portion of the vagina compresses." However, data to support these claims have not yet been published. Despite the continued controversy about "types" of female orgasms, the idea that one type is immature or less good than another has been generally discarded.
A second controversy about female orgasm is the question of whether or not all women in good health are able to experience a coital orgasm without any other type of simultaneous stimulation. While Masters and Johnson and others such as the psychiatrist Mary Jane Sherfey and the psychologist Lonnie Barbach believe all women have this ability, some sexologists believe that there may be a group of women who do not. Helen Kaplan seems to favor the latter view when she says that "this pattern may represent a normal variant of female sexuality, at least for some women." And various studies from Kinsey's day until the present show that the number of women who experience orgasm regularly during intercourse is about 40 to 50 percent. Many authorities believe that lack of coital orgasm is usually caused by factors such as anxiety, poor communication between partners, hostility, distrust, or low self-esteem. However, if certain females are incapable of experiencing a sexual reflex because of physiological factors, it would have implications in diagnosing and treating some women's sexual problems.
Another controversial area has to do with the role of the muscles surrounding the vagina in orgasm. Both Arnold Kegel (a surgeon who was the inventor of the "Kegel exercises") and other workers, including Perry and Whipple, claim that the condition of the pubococcygeus muscle (PC muscle) is an important determinant of the occurrence of orgasms in women. However, other studies fail to document any correlation between PC muscle strength and female orgasmic responsiveness and have also found that using the Kegel exercises did not improve orgasmic responsivity in nonorgasmic women.
Finally, although many observers believe that most women don't feel that orgasm is a necessity for sexual satisfaction, a recent study by Waterman and Chiauzzi found that "orgasm consistency was significantly related to sexual satisfaction in females but not in males." While this doesn't mean that women who have the most frequent orgasms are happiest sexually, it does imply that not having orgasms (or not having them very often) may correlate with sexual dissatisfaction.
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