1. That spark or jolt up your spine that you sometimes feel when aroused is the pudendal nerve, which connects the penis/clitoris to the brain.
2. The two body parts primarily involved in orgasms, the penis and clitoris, are homologous, meaning they both originate from the same tissue in the developing embryo.
3. Men’s orgasms stimulate the same area of the brain as heroin does in an addict’s brain.
4. A “blended” orgasm is an orgasm that occurs when two or three regions of the genital area have been stimulated, creating an additive effect.
5. Multiple orgasms are most commonly associated with women, but there’s documented reports of men experiencing this phenomenon as early as 2968 B.C.
6. Anorgasmia, literally meaning “lack of orgasm” is a condition where where a person cannot achieve orgasm, and can affect both men and women.
7. According to Planned Parenthood, 30% of women have had trouble reaching an orgasm. As many as 80% have difficulty reaching orgasm through vaginal intercourse.
8. Orgasms do not stop at a certain age. Some people can experience orgasms past the age of 90.
9. Men typically require 2–10 minutes to reach orgasm.
10. Women typically require 20 minutes of stimulation to reach orgasm.
11. But some women can achieve orgasm within 30 seconds of self-stimulation.
12. The orgasm gap refers to the difference between the percentage of men that report their female partner had an orgasm (85%) and the percentage of their female partners reporting actually having orgasms (64%).
13. Some women orgasm during childbirth.
14. People have reported orgasming from simply thinking about orgasming.
15. People who have had sex reassignment surgery can and do have stimulated orgasms.
16. The reason that sometimes a person looks like they’re in pain when they’re orgasming is because two of the brain regions that are activated by pain are also activated during orgasm.
17. Orgasms can relieve pain, but only for about 8-10 mins afterwards.
18. When a woman gets wet, that’s the process of transudation during which vaginal lubricant comes from the blood capillaries and coats the vaginal canal.
19. Women who feel less secure in their relationship are less likely to orgasm.
20. The first written mention of female ejaculation is by Aristotle.
21. Orgasms can be produced in women and men with spinal cord injuries by a loved one caressing hypersensitive nongenital skin zones near the site of their injury.
22. Male ejaculation and orgasm don’t necessarily require an erection.
23. Ancient Egyptians believed that the god Atum created the world through masturbating and that the Tigris River was formed by the semen of a god.
24. Medieval writers called pre-ejaculate “the distillate of love.”
25. While orgasms are felt in the brain, the orgasmic process involves virtually every body system.
26. People have been using sex toys to orgasm for several hundred years.
27. An orgasm burns just 2–3 calories, though a person can burn around 50 calories in the activity leading up to the orgasm.
28. Former Vice President of the U.S., Nelson A Rockefeller died of a heart attack during sex with a much younger woman in a hotel room.
29. May is National Masturbation Month.
30. And to encourage people to talk about masturbation in a positive, non-shame-based way, the San Francisco Center For Sex And Culture holds a Masturbate-A-Thon each year.
31. Clitoral hood piercings don’t have any negative impact on orgasm.
32. Circumcision does not affect a man’s ability to achieve orgasm (but a partner with foreskin may experience increased duration).
33. At the moment of orgasm, certain areas of the brain shut down, including the area that process fear and “vigilance for danger.”
34. Approximately 15%–20% of American women have never had an orgasm.
35. Sexual health experts encourage using the term “experience” instead of “achieve” to describe having an orgasm because the word achieve may put pressure on sexual partners.
