your orgasms are wrong, part 2

As promised, I'm going to summarize Stuart Brody's research on female orgasm. It's important to note that he refers to any orgasm that occurs during penis-in-vagina sex WITHOUT touching the clitoris with the fingers or a toy a vaginal orgasm. And he refers to any orgasm that includes touching the clitoris with hands or a toy a clitoral orgasm. However, as I explained in my last post, these acts do not determine whether or not the orgasm was triggered by the head of the clitoris (e. g., many women orgasm during PIV sex by rubbing the head of the clitoris against their partner's body.)

To avoid perpetuating his error, I'm going to refer to the types of orgasms he studies as PIV-only orgasms versus direct-stimulation orgasms. The terminology still isn't perfect, but bear with me.

Here are his findings:

• ·         Women who reported having PIV-only orgasms preferred larger penises.
• ·         Women who reported having PIV-only orgasms reported longer durations of intercourse.
• ·         Women who reported having PIV-only orgasms were more likely to say they had been taught that the vagina was the part of awoman's body that triggers orgasm. 
• ·         Women who were anxious about their relationships were less likely to have PIV-only orgasms. Anxiety didn't relate to the ability to have direct-stimulation orgasms. 
• ·         Women with a larger bump in the center of theirupper lip (tubercle of the lip) were more likely to report PIV-only orgasms. 
• ·         Women with greater sensitivity to touch (measured from the fingers) were more likely to have PIV-only orgasms. Sensitivity to touch didn't relate to the ability to have direct-stimulation orgasms. 
• ·         Trained observers were able to reliably identify women who reported having PIV-only orgasms, based only on watching the women walk. Women who had "free, fluid, energetic" gait were more likely to report often or always having PIV-orgasms. Women who had more restricted gaits were still able to have direct-stimulation orgasms. 
• ·         Women who said they were more satisfied withlife were more likely to report having PIV-only orgasms. Satisfaction with life didn't relate to the ability to have direct-stimulation orgasms. 
• ·         Women who used "immature defensemechanisms" such as unexplained medical symptoms, dissociation (feeling disconnected from their bodies), and daydreaming ,were less likely to have PIV-only orgasms. However, they were just as able to have direct-stimulation orgasms as women who did not use these defenses.

You can probably guess what Brody's take home message from all this is: He believes that PIV-only orgasms are "better."

I'd like to suggest an alternative interpretation. What I'm getting from this data is that PIV-only orgasms are MUCH more difficult to achieve than direct-stimulation orgasms. If you're a woman, and you have anxiety, or psychological problems, or a smallish bump in the middle of your upper lip, or low sensitivity to touch, or a problem with your spine or pelvis that restricts your gait, then you may not be able to have orgasms from PIV sex alone. If intercourse with your partner doesn't last very long, or if you're not very happy with your life, you may not be able to orgasm from PIV sex alone. Or, at least, you may not be able to do it very often.

But wait, there's good news too. None of these issues are likely to prevent you from having orgasms, as long as you use direct-stimulation of the clitoral head!

Let's go back, for a moment, to the thought experiment I proposed in the last post. It was to see how many men could have the equivalent of a vaginal orgasm. This would mean the man would have to orgasm from stimulation of only the penile shaft, no touching the head of the penis allowed.

What would happen if we tested men on the variables I listed above? I'll be we'd find almost exactly the same thing as with women: Men who are anxious, or have low sensitivity to touch, or problems with their spine that affect their gait, would be less likely to have shaft-only orgasms. And if we did find this, what would it mean? Would it mean that shaft-only orgasms are superior, and are the best and only kind of orgasms for men to have? You can see how ridiculous this logic is, can you not? But again, men would never put up with being told that their orgasms are 'wrong.'