Science is important. Sex is important. We gathered the most recent compilation of research on the compelling and magical topic of… orgasms.
Female Orgasm Gap: Translating Contemporary Scientific Understanding and Sociocultural Movement into Clinical Wisdom
Journal of Psychosexual Health, August 2025
Findings
- The “orgasm gap,” a persistent disparity between cisgender women and men during heterosexual intercourse, reflects multiple complex physiological and sociocultural factors.
- Women who experience orgasm more frequently during sexual intercourse report increased levels of sexual and relational satisfaction.
- There may be genetic factors at play; a twin study analyzed in the paper suggests the heritability of difficulty reaching orgasm was at 45% during masturbation and 34% during intercourse.
- Cognitive-affective difficulties play a key role in the orgasm gap. Women experiencing sexual difficulties report more negative automatic thoughts during sexual activity, centering around sexual abuse, failure and disengagement, passivity, negative body image, lack of affection from their partner, and fewer erotic thoughts.
- While there has been a slight societal shift towards men being considered enabling partners in a mutual pursuit of sexual pleasure rather than sole dispenser of orgasm. Continuing this shift towards shared responsibility is critical to reducing the orgasm gap and increasing sexual fulfillment.
- Most women require clitoral stimulation to reach orgasm. Important diagnostic criteria systems such as the DSM-5 are now agreeing that failure to experience orgasm during intercourse due to an absence of clitoral stimulation is not considered clinical anorgasmia, but rather a normal variation due to lack of stimulation.
Devaluing Women’s Orgasm: An Experimental Investigation of Whether, When, and to What Effect Women and Men Reduce the Importance of Women’s Orgasm
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Feb 2026
Findings
- When an orgasm is repeatedly absent across different partners, women may begin to downplay its importance in order to make their partners feel better and convince themselves they’re happy.
- This devaluation of orgasm may contribute to the “orgasm gap,” because women lower their expectations and stop striving towards orgasm during sex.
- When women imagined not experiencing an orgasm with a partner, they consistently reported lower sexual satisfaction, lower relationship commitment, and less desire.
- How women view orgasms are not necessarily fixed, but rather molded by context and experience. Through open communication and trust, couples can work together to prioritize female pleasure and find something that works for them.
Vaginal Squirting: Experiences, Discoveries, and Strategies in a U.S. Probability Sample of Women Ages 18-93
Journal of Sex Research, Aug 2023
Findings
- Vaginal squirting is a phenomenon where a substantial amount of liquid is involuntarily released from the urethra approaching or during orgasm. This is distinct from female ejaculation – when a small amount of thick, white fluid is released from the female prostate.
- In an analysis of 3,017 women aged 18-93, researchers found that forty-one percent of women reported experiencing squirting at least once in their lives.
- Common concerns among these women included fear of peeing (41.8% and worry about messiness (28%); 29% of women reported no concerns at all.
- Self-consciousness about one’s sexual experiences impacts well-being; education about various aspects of sexuality and addressing concerns is key to sexual confidence. Sharing information about the diversity of sexual experiences can help address societal shame surrounding female sexuality.
Sexual Satisfaction and Orgasm Experiences During Partnered and Solo Sex Among 27,931 Users of the Flo App
Archives of Sexual Behavior, June 2026
Findings
- 56.2% of participants reported being moderately or very satisfied with their sex life, while 19.5% were moderately or very dissatisfied.
- Women who orgasmed frequently from partnered sex were significantly more likely to be satisfied with their sex life, while orgasm frequency from solo sex did not have the same correlation. However, women were more likely to orgasm solo than doing similar sexual activities with a partner.
- Greater variety in partnered sexual activities was a significant positive indicator of satisfaction, while the same was not true of greater variety in solo sexual activities.
- The highest orgasm frequencies during solo activities were associated with clitoral stimulation using a vibrator/dildo, clitoral stimulation by hand, and watching porn/erotica. During partner sex, vaginal penetration with clitoral stimulation,using sex toys, and masturbation with partner present had the highest orgasm frequencies.
Sexual Pleasure after Breast Cancer Treatment: A Narrative Review of Embodied, Relational, and Sociocultural Influences
Current Sexual Health Reports, June 2026
Findings
- Sexual pleasure is an essential part of overall well-being. Framing sexual health after breast cancer solely through a dysfunction-oriented lens – focusing solely on survivorship in relation to functional impairment, and risk management – is only part of the equation. Examining how sexual pleasure is impacted and renegotiated after breast cancer treatment helps women move forwards and lead more satisfactory lives.
- Evidence across multidisciplinary literature suggests that improvements in sexual functioning alone is not enough to restore pleasurable sexual experience. Researchers found that pleasure is shaped more by meaning-making, relational safety, emotional connection, and broader cultural context.
- In the aftermath of medical treatment, women may have trouble defining themselves as sexual beings worthy of pleasure and desire. Compounded by factors such as shame, body image issues, and fear of negative partner evaluation, these cognitive-emotional processes negatively impact one’s ability to experience sexual pleasure.
- Addressing sexual health-related care needs through practical and emotional support, provider-initiated information, and normalizing communication is key to breast cancer survivors being able to lead meaningful and pleasurable sexual lives.
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