Have you ever wondered what goes on during an orgasm for your significant other? Is the “big O” entirely different for men and women, or is that all just a myth?  Although physically similar in that both sexes experience warm, tingly, physical sensations throughout the body, according to science orgasms for men and women differ greatly.

Ability to Orgasm

Sorry ladies, but men are more likely to reach orgasm during sex.  Compared to women, this increased rate of orgasm is due to the fact that a man’s orgasm is driven by stimulation, while the rate of orgasm for a woman is driven by social and environmental factors. 

Ejaculation

Usually thought of as one, orgasm and ejaculation are actually two separate events.  Typically both event happen together, but they don’t need to.  A man may have an orgasm without ejaculation.  Female ejaculation on the other hand is still being demystified by research.

Length

Men typically have much shorter orgasms than women.  On average a woman’s orgasm lasts a whopping 14 seconds longer than a man’s.

Recovery Time

Men have a much longer refractory period, or recovery phase, (one hour – one day) that is needed between orgasms.  Women on the other hand tend to have a shorter refractory period, which leads us to our next topic.

Multiple Orgasms

The short refractory period of women means that they have an increased physical capability to have multiple orgasms. Take that boys!

Sensation

Orgasmic sensation tends to be more localized for men.  The pleasurable contractions involve the PC muscles (by the pubic bone), anal sphincter, rectum, perineum and genitals. Even though orgasms vary in type and strength from woman to woman – compared to men, women’s orgasm tends to be more of a full-body experience.

Trance

A brain scanning study showed that numerous areas of women's brains were deactivated during orgasm, but that this same effect was less significant in men at climax. Further analysis showed that the parts of the brain that shut down were responsible for regulating emotion.