Women’s Health SEPTEMBER 2019 | 21
WO
RD
S:^ E
MIL
Y^ P
RIT
CH
AR
D;^
FL
OR
EN
CE
MI
TC
HE
LL
.^ PH
OT
OG
RA
PH
Y:^
ST
UD
IO^
33
WHAT HAPPENS WHENHOR-MOAN-AL
Feeling that chemistry?
Well, it’s actually biology,
beginning with your
hormones. ‘The body’s
sexual response cycle is
physiologically supported
by the hormones
oestrogen, progesterone
and testosterone,’
explains psychosexual
therapist Dr Ellie Birtley
(drelliebirtley.co.uk).
Addicted to (making)
love? You will be. Recent
research has highlighted
the role of dopamine, the
chemical that drives you to
seek pleasure. ‘Immediately
after orgasm, your brain is
blasted with the largest
dose of dopamine legally
available to you.’ Banging:
a legal high.FEELING FLUSH
Those feelings you’re
catching are more
physiological than you
think. The glans of the
clitoris – the bump you
can see – contains around
8,000 nerve endings, with
this zone spreading the
feels to another 15,000
nerves in the pelvis. ‘The
signature feature of this
phase is increased blood
flow to the genital organs,
resulting in vaginal
engorgement and
lubrication,’ says Dr Birtley.
‘Elsewhere, your breasts
can enlarge, your nipples
become erect and a “sex
flush” can spread over the
face, chest and abdomen.’
The sex rash is real.CLITERACY
...you do. ‘When you’re
having an orgasm, you’re
experiencing a series of
contractions in the genital
muscles,’ adds Dr Birtley.
‘The muscles reach their
maximum tone and
sustained rhythmical jerking
can be exhibited.’ Pelvic
thrusting: not just for the
dance floor. Penetration not
doing it for you? Do try this
at home. One study of over
1,000 women found that
just 18% reached orgasm
through vaginal penetration
alone, with 37% claiming to
require clitoral stimulation.
‘And women can still
experience a high degree
of sexual satisfaction even
in the absence of orgasm,’
notes Dr Birtley. It’s the
taking part that counts.Oral, doggy, girl on top – or a good old tried-and-trusted solo sesh.
However you get there, what really goes down when you get off?I orgasm
PLAT-O
It’s not all up, up and
O-way. ‘As you get closer
and closer to orgasm, the
clitoris pulls back against
the public bone and
appears to retract,’ adds
Dr Birtley, describing the
signature move of the
sexual plateau phase –
when arousal levels off
before the threshold for
orgasm is reached. IRL –
just when you think you’re
not going to get there...COME AGAIN
Typically, men can only
orgasm once without
stopping to recharge,
thanks to something called
the refractory period –
basically, downtime waiting
for a re-up of sperm, which
can take anything from 15
minutes in 18-year-olds to
20 hours for those in their
seventies. As for you?
‘Without this biological
requirement, and with
continued stimulation,
women can go on to
achieve second, third, fourth
orgasms, sometimes even
more,’ says Dr Birtley. In one
study, a female participant
recorded a whopping 134
in one hour. The male
record? 16. Girls on top.