What happens to the body during orgasm & bull; hello healthy

Although the reasons for having sex can be very varied and complex, achieving orgasm in general is the goal. One thing that many people can agree on is that orgasm is a very intense pleasant experience.

So, what is an orgasm?

When in doubt, open a dictionary. The Oxford English Dictionary defines orgasm as “a sudden bodily movement; such as seizures, contractions, or vibrations due to a surge in sexual arousal. "

Merriam-Webster describes this sexual experience in more detail, stating that orgasm is a series of physical signs and symptoms that occur at the height of sexual pleasure that is usually characterized by ejaculation of semen in men and vaginal contractions in women.

The leading sex researcher, Dr. Alfred Kinsley once said that an orgasm can be likened to a crescendo climax in a musical composition. According to him, orgasm is sexual pleasure that occurs gradually, from tranquility to becoming louder, and ends with silence.

Three stages of the body's reaction before orgasm

Quoted from WebMD, William Masters and Virginia Johnson (two leading sex therapists) coined the term "sexual cycle response" to describe the sequence of events that the body goes through when its owner is sexually aroused and participates in sexually stimulating activities (penetrative sex, masturbation, foreplay, etc).

The sexual cycle response is divided into four stages: sexual arousal, stable period, orgasm, and resolution. There are no clear boundaries to where a stage begins and ends - all of this is part of an ongoing process of sexual response. Keep in mind that this cycle is a very general outline of what happens to each other's bodies when we become sexually aroused. There are many variations between individuals, as well as between different sexual events.

Both men and women go through these four phases, the only difference is time. Men usually reach orgasm first during sexual intercourse, while women can take up to 15 minutes to reach the same point.

1. What happens to the body when you get sexual arousal

This phase usually begins within 10 - 30 seconds of erotic stimulation, and can last from a few minutes to several hours.

Men: The penis becomes slightly erect. The testicles swell, the scrotum tightens, and the penis begins to secrete pre-ejaculatory fluid. A man's nipples can also be hardened and erect.

Woman: Vaginal lubrication begins. The vagina swells and lengthens. Outer lips, inner lips, clitoris, and sometimes breasts start to swell. Breasts become fuller.

Both: Muscles tighten, pupils dilate, and your pain threshold rises. Heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration increase.

There is increased vasocongestion, or tissue swelling caused by increased blood flow, which causes three common signs of arousal: tight nipples, reddening of the skin, and an erection.

At the same time, your brain is flooded with powerful hormones: dopamine and oxytocin in particular. Dopamine, which is released first, triggers motivation - in this context, motivation to reach orgasm. Oxytocin, which comes later, makes you feel attached (which is why it's called the "cuddle hormone").

As hormonal partners, these two neurotransmitters can explain why we feel immediately - even briefly - attached to our partners when we start feeling excited. Reporting from Refinery 29, brain geography lights up like fireworks during sexual arousal: Half a dozen parts of the brain become active, including the amygdala (which is linked to emotions), the hippocampus (which is linked to memory management), and the anterior insula (which helps process physical feelings).

The male and female brains do not always respond in the same way to arousal stimuli. Men show deeper amygdala brain activity while women are almost absent.

2. What happens to the body when it's in a plateau

If sexual arousal continues, the next stage in the sexual response cycle will occur. This phase, called the plateau, may or may not be expressed, either verbally or through actions or behavior.

Men: The testes are drawn into the scrotum. The penis becomes fully erect.

Woman: The lips of the vagina become more bulging. The tissues of the vaginal wall, one third of the outside, swell with blood, and the vaginal opening narrows. A woman's clitoris becomes very sensitive (it may even hurt to touch) and "hides" under the cap of the clitoris to avoid direct stimulation of the penis. The inner labia (lips) change color (although they are a little difficult to see). For women who have never had children, the lips turn from pink to bright red. In women who have had children, the color changes from bright red to dark purple.

Second: Respiration rate and pulse accelerate even further. A "sex flush" (reddish patches) may appear on the stomach, chest, shoulders, neck, or face (like blushing). The muscles of the thighs, hips, hands and buttocks tighten, and spasms may begin.

During the plateau phase, arousal stimulation can reach its highest level, can disappear, and then recur several times. Once you hit a plateau, orgasms will follow. During orgasm, all sexual tension is released. Just before orgasm, heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, and muscle tension reach their highest peak.

Orgasm is the climax stage of the fourth series of sexual cycle responses. This stage is also the shortest stage of the sexual response, usually lasting only a few seconds.

3. What happens to the body during orgasm

In men, the physiological changes upon reaching orgasm include semen accumulating in the ball of the urethra. This condition occurs when a man feels confident about having an orgasm, or what is known as "ejaculation inevitability". Next, the penis releases ejaculation. Contractions also occur in the penis during the orgasmic phase.

For women, the orgasmic phase is characterized by contractions of the leading third of the vaginal wall at a rhythm of eight tenths of a second beats. (The number and intensity of contractions varies depending on the orgasm the individual is having.) The muscles of the uterus also contract, although they are almost imperceptible.

In general, the orgasmic phase will be felt when the respiratory rate, pulse rate, and blood pressure continue to increase. Muscle tension and inflammation of the blood vessels will peak. Sometimes, orgasm comes with a "grasping" reflex in the arm and leg muscles.

For men and women, there are four types of nerves that are responsible for sending information to the brain during orgasm. The hypogastric nerve sends signals from the uterus and cervix in women, and from the prostate in men; the pelvic nerve transmits signals from the vagina and cervix in women, and from the rectum in both sexes; the pudendal nerve transmits from the clitoris in women, and from the scrotum and penis in men; and the vagus nerve transmits from the cervix, uterus, and vagina in women.

The difference between male orgasm and female orgasm

Although the two sexes tend to engage in different behaviors during sexual activity, the brains of men and women are not that different. During orgasm, the lateral orbitofrontal cortex - the area of the brain behind the left eye - shuts down during orgasm. This area is thought to provide logical reasoning and behavioral control. The brains of both men and women at orgasm are said to look like the brains of people affected by heroin, the Medical Daily reported, according to a study from the Journal of Neuroscience.

Women involve more emotions and a sense of security, men perceive sex as a relaxing activity

The difference between the sexes lies in periaqueductal gray (PAG) - the part of the brain that is activated when a woman engages in sexual intercourse. PAG is the part of the brain that controls the fight-or-flight response, and it's not activated in men when they reach orgasm. Studies have also found that women experience decreased activity in the amgydala and hippocampus when they reach orgasm, which helps control fear and anxiety.

What does this difference mean? Researchers theorize that these active parts of the brain are because women need to feel safe and relaxed to reach orgasm, something that may not be essential for male orgasms. Researchers also believe that men may be less affected by oxytocin (a chemical bond), which is released during orgasm.

Oxytocin can inspire feelings of closeness, affection, and intimacy, and some have theorized that this is the reason why women may be more prone to feeling carried away after sex. Researchers suggest that testosterone levels in the male brain may combat oxytocin and make men less affected by intimate feelings, making dating and casual sex have superficial meaning to them.

Women can reach multiple orgasms, men need time to recover

After the orgasm phase drops, the individual will be greeted by a resolution or recovery phase, which is marked by the gradual return to normal function of the body. The hardened and swollen parts of the body also slowly return to their normal size and color. This phase is characterized by a general sense of happiness and comfort, increased intimacy and, often, fatigue.

In addition, the main difference between the male and female orgasmic phase is that far more women than men have the physical ability to reach multiple orgasms in a short period of time without having to "fall" into a plateau phase first.

However, the phenomenon of multiorgasme will depend on the stimulation of continuous stimulation and also sexual interest from each party. A woman may not always experience any of these determinants, and therefore repeated orgasms do not occur during every sexual encounter.

On the other hand, after ejaculation, men will enter a recovery stage called the refractory period. During the refractory stage, further orgasm or ejaculation is not physiologically possible. The duration of the refractory period varies from man to man, and usually gets longer with age. However, some people can learn to achieve orgasm without ejaculating, making it possible to achieve multiple orgasms.