8th August 2006

Physiological Sex

Content by BetterSex.com - the #1 Authority on Sex. Tip # 1: The Human Sex Response »

Tip # 2: The Sex Cycle »

Tip # 3: Endorphins »

Tip # 4: Female Ejaculation »

Tip # 5: Semen Anatomy »

Tip # 6: How Much Is Too Much? »

Tip # 7: Vaginismus »

Tip # 8: The Purpose of Pubic Hair »

Tip # 9: Body Language: The Eyes »

Tip # 10: Timing and Orgasm »

Tip # 1: The Human Sex Response

When we become aroused during a sexual encounter, our bodies go through many physical changes. The pupils of the eyes dilate; the lips of the mouth darken, the nipples become erect. For women, the clitoris swells and becomes hard and exposed; for men, the same happens to their penis. With increased excitement, the skin becomes flushed — also known as the ’sex flush’ — and it begins to sweat. In women, the labia, clitoris, vagina and pelvic organs enlarge, much the same way as the aroused penis enlarges. There is a plateau of excitement which can hold for several minutes before you are about to orgasm, depending on your personal sex cycle. Everyone has a similar sex cycle, but there is much variation within it between individuals.

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Tip # 2: The Sex Cycle

As humans, our cycles of sexual response can be divided into four separate phases: excitement phase, plateau phase, orgasmic phase, and the resolution phase. The excitement phase develops from any source of physical or psychological stimulation. The stimulation level is important establishing sufficient increments of sexual tension, which will continue the cycle. If the stimulation continues at the appropriate level for person, the intensity of response usually increases rapidly. In the plateau phase sexual tensions are intensified and reach the extreme level from which the man or woman may move to orgasm. The length of this phase has a lot to do with what the stimulation level is, combined with the person’s individual sex drive. The orgasmic phase is limited to those few seconds during which the physical build- from received sexual stimuli are released. The resolution phase is basically a reverse of these physical and psychological phases, resulting in a non-stimulated state.

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Tip # 3: Endorphins

When we orgasm during sex, endorphins are released into our spinal fluid, carrying feelings of elation and calm throughout our bodies. Endorphins are hormone-like substances that are naturally formed within the body to relieve pain. Endorphins are also considered to be involved in controlling our body’s response to stress, regulating contractions of the intestinal wall, and determining mood.

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Tip # 4: Female Ejaculation

Can women ejaculate when they orgasm? Technically, yes. But the fluid is not the same as in male ejaculation. Some say that female ejaculate is nothing more than built-up moisture which is expelled from the vaginal opening during the force of orgasmic muscular contraction. Others believe that female ejaculation is caused by a release of fluid from the Skene’s glands, which are located inside the urethra. The Skene’s gland is similar to the male prostate gland. It produces a fluid that is similar to the chemical composition of the prostatic fluid that makes up the majority of semen. Some women may produce greater amounts of fluid from these glands than others, which explains why some women seem to expel more fluid during an orgasm than others.

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Tip # 5: Semen Anatomy

Ever wonder what semen is actually made of? Each sperm is made up of three parts, the head, the mid-piece, and the tail. Inside the head are all the chromosomes of genetic material (DNA). The outside of the head is covered with enzymes that are needed for the penetration and fertilization of an ovum. The midpiece is essentially the engine of the unit, providing energy for the locomotion of the tail, which helps the sperm swim. Semen contains small amounts of more than thirty elements, including fructose, ascorbic acid, cholesterol, creatine, citric acid, lactic acid, nitrogen, vitamin B12, and various salts and enzymes. The rest of what a man ejaculates is made up of mainly of water, sugar, protein, vitamin C, zinc, and prostaglandins.

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Tip # 6: How Much Is Too Much?

What is a healthy sex drive? In other words, how much sex should a “normal” adult have? The answer is as broad as the spectrum of personalities that exist. Some are driven to sexual activity several times a week or perhaps even more than once a day, while others are entirely satisfied to have sex once a month or even less often. The need for sex varies, based on circumstance as well as physical and mental health. There is no solid agreement concerning what constitutes an abnormally low or abnormally high sex drive. Of course, tensions can arise in relationships where couples don’t have similar drives. Communication between couples can assist in fixing this problem, although some do seek the help of a sex therapist to find ways of remedying an unbalanced sex life.

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Tip # 7: Vaginismus

Most women know that strengthening the pubococcygeal (PC) muscles can benefit not only your sexual health but can even prevent problems of incontinence. However, some women suffer from a PC muscle disorder called Vaginismus. This disorder causes an involuntary contraction of these muscles surrounding the entrance to the vagina, making penetration impossible and or painful. Normally, the vaginal sphincter keeps the vagina closed until the need to expand — for sexual intercourse, child birth, medical exams, etc. When the vagina is unable to relax, the sphincter goes into spasm, which results in the tightening of the vagina. The treatment of Vaginismus is usually a therapy program that includes vaginal dilation exercises using a progression of plastic dilators. The treatment can also include moving toward more intimate contact, eventually resulting in painless intercourse.

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Tip # 8: The Purpose of Pubic Hair

What is the purpose of pubic hair? In essence, it functions biologically as an aid for sexual attraction. Pubic hair sends out distinct scents (pheromones) from the genitals’ scent glands that both genders find sexually stimulating. We send pheromones out by a number of methods: tears, saliva, and perspiration. Human odor plays a vital role in human sexuality and physical attraction. One of our most primal instincts is to act on what we smell, even if we are unaware of it. Sometimes you are drawn to someone and can’t be sure of why. Oftentimes it is the intermingling of your pheromones that is causing the attraction.

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Tip # 9: Body Language: The Eyes

If you want to know if someone if flirting with you, take note of how s/he is looking at you. When we flirt, we look in a triangle pattern: eyes, nose and mouth, and lower to other parts of the body, generally in a progressive manner. The more intense the flirting, the more intensely someone will look at you from eye to eye, and s/he will spend more time looking at your mouth. In fact, if someone is watching your mouth while you’re talking to them, s/he could be imagining what it would be like to kiss you. In generally, if someone is turned on by what s/he sees when looking at you, his or her pupil size will increase, as will the rate at which s/he blinks.

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Tip # 10: Timing and Orgasm

Is there a standard for how quickly a person should orgasm? Why do some people reach orgasm more quickly than others? Many behavioral programs exist that can teach men who ejaculate rapidly to delay reaching orgasm. There are still others and that can help those with inhibited ejaculation bring about orgasm more easily. Women can also learn strategies to help them become aroused and orgasm more easily or, in some cases, at all. As yet, there is no standard of time which is considered to be “correct” for how long it takes to move from arousal to orgasm. Considering the uniqueness of individual tastes and sex drives, it’s nearly impossible to calculate such a time frame. Broadly speaking, as long as the sexual experience is satisfying to you and your partner, any time is the right time to orgasm.

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23rd June 2006

Orgasms - Male and Female

Content by BetterSex.com - the #1 Authority on Sex. Tip # 1: The Female Orgasm »

Tip # 2: Function of Female Orgasm »

Tip # 3: Achieving Orgasm »

Tip # 4: The Clitoris »

Tip # 5: Length of a Female Orgasm »

Tip # 6: Male Orgasm Basics »

Tip # 7: Orgasm Competition? »

Tip # 8: Prolonging Pleasure »

Tip # 9: Lubrication and Friction »

Tip # 10: Orgasm and Ejaculation »

Tip # 1: The Female Orgasm

The female orgasm is a subject that has always garnered a lot of attention. The first vibrator was invented in the Victorian era to relieve a woman’s “hysteria” by bringing her to orgasm. These vibrators were actually administered by doctors, and used to cure a woman of what we would later accept as a perfectly natural function of a human body: sex drive. During the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, even the type of a woman’s orgasm was debated. At the time, vaginal orgasms, which were triggered by stimulation of the internal G-Spot, were said to be the more “mature” than clitoral orgasms. However, this mode of thinking has been abandoned for the most part in the 21st century.

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Tip # 2: Function of Female Orgasm

No one will argue that we enjoy experiencing orgasms because they feel good. Apart from that, we are aware that the overriding purpose of a male orgasm, physiologically speaking, is to send semen into the vagina for the purpose of fertilizing an egg within the uterus. However, not many people realize that there is a physiological purpose for the female orgasm as well. During the internal spasms of a woman’s orgasm, the mouth of the cervix dips down to “catch” any semen that may be present in the vagina, thereby helping pull sperm up and into the uterus. While it is by no means necessary for a woman to orgasm in order to become pregnant, her orgasm can increase the odds for conception to occur.

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Tip # 3: Achieving Orgasm

Nearly every human being is physically able to experience sexual pleasure. But many women in particular claim never to have achieved orgasm. One of the reasons for this is an emotional withdrawal due to feelings of shame or insecurity concerning sex. A way to remedy this is to reconsider attitudes toward sex. Remember that sexuality is normal, healthy, and necessary. Women who have difficulty achieving orgasm can also work with a partner she trusts to move past previous emotional blockages. Sometimes, it is best to simply forget the goal of orgasm and simply enjoy the sensation of being touched. It takes time to change life-long attitudes. Don’t rush yourself, but do continue to think positively about sex and sexuality. This is the best way to develop a healthy sex life.

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Tip # 4: The Clitoris

Perhaps one of the most elusive spots in a woman’s anatomy is her clitoris. For some, its mystery is a source of frustration as the clitoris is often the key to triggering the female orgasm. In fact, it is not so difficult to find. The head, or glans, of the clitoris is located just below the top of where the inner lips of the vagina meet. There is often a small flap of skin protecting it, and once lifted, the clitoris can be seen quite clearly. Think of the clitoris as a female’s version of a penis. Biologically speaking, it is, although fluids do not pass through this area. During clitoral stimulation, as with penis stimulation, blood flow is increased. This causes the clitoris to become erect, much like a penis. Of course, the size is drastically reduced, but some clitoral erections can be quite prominent.

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Tip # 5: Length of the Female Orgasm

While it may seem to take a long time to achieve female orgasm, the orgasm itself typically lasts only a few seconds. (This is true for men as well.) The female orgasm consists of approximately three to ten rhythmic muscular contractions. These occur to the outer one-third of the vagina, the uterus, and the anal area. Pleasant sensations are typically also felt in the clitoral area and indeed over the whole body. Some women are multi-orgasmic. That is, they are able to achieve several orgasms in fairly rapid succession. Men are typically not able to experience this, as their physical “recovery” time is longer between orgasms.

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Tip # 6: Male Orgasm Basics

When men are sexually stimulated, the reflex centers of the spinal cord begin to emit impulses that move from the cord to the genitals and initiate emission, (the precursor to ejaculation). Fluid from the vas deferens, the prostate, the ampulla, and the seminal vesicles (and even more tiny glands) are sent into the internal urethra by contractions of the groin muscles. This action elicits signals that are transmitted through the pudenda nerves from the spinal cord. Increases in pressure in the urethra cause the semen to be propelled to the exterior, resulting in ejaculation. This phase of emission and ejaculation is termed male orgasm. After ejaculation, erection ceases within 1 to 2 minutes in most males.

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Tip # 7: Orgasm Competition?

Men usually have an easier time achieving orgasm than women. Because of this, many men feel that it’s their obligation to take care of their partner’s sexual needs before their own. While this is an admirable stance to take, over time ¬ñ particularly in a long-term relationship — result in a deprivation of enjoyment for the man. Women can remedy this by occasionally giving her partner the freedom to concentrate only on his own pleasure. This can be done by telling him he doesn’t have to worry about pleasuring you; he should only think of himself. Alternately, you can simply have him lie back and enjoy an evening of you pleasuring him completely.

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Tip # 8: Prolonging Pleasure

As a general rule, the longer the stimulation, the larger the release. This is true physically as well as mentally. In order to prolong pleasure during lovemaking and prevent male orgasm from occurring too soon, it’s important to start slowly. Even just talking to each other about the sex you’d like to have is a turn-on, and can initiate arousal. Once you begin to touch, you may wish to begin with a backrub or deep kissing before moving to intercourse. Once you do begin making love, you can also bring a man back from the brink of orgasm with a squeezing technique. Just prior to his orgasm, put your thumb on one side of the base of the penis and the tips of your index and middle fingers on the other side, then squeeze.

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Tip # 9: Lubrication and Friction

Two elements that are important to the male orgasm are lubrication and friction. The correct levels of both need to be achieved in order to achieve orgasm, either through masturbation or intercourse. Not enough lubrication is uncomfortable for both you and your partner, while too much can impede sensation and even cause a numbing feeling. Friction is essential to orgasm, beyond the obvious need for direct physical stimulation of the penis. The quality of an orgasm can improve once you find the level of friction that suite you best. Experiment at the moment you find your orgasm coming on, either by slowing down or speeding up, alternately. Also pay attention to how soft or hard you prefer the stroking motions of masturbation or intercourse at varying points during the sexual experience.

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Tip # 10: Orgasm and Ejaculation

Male orgasm and ejaculation are two distinct entities. This may seem obvious to many, but in reality, many men have mistakenly considered them be one and the same. Just prior to orgasm, the seminal fluids that build up at the base of the penis in the urethral bulb, create the feeling that you’re about to ejaculate. While reaching orgasm, the testicles tighten, and the urinary tract closes temporarily so that ejaculate can exit from the penis without interference from the bladder. The muscular contractions are the sensations of orgasm (along with other neurological messages being sent to the brain). However, ejaculation is actually a spontaneous muscle spasm. It is a reflex that arises at the base of the spine and causes the ejection of semen. The average male ejaculates about 3 to 5 ml of semen at a time. Each milliliter holds about 150 to 500 million sperm. This spasm also produces a pleasant sensation, which may be why many men assume orgasm and ejaculation are the same experience.

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