The reason you’re struggling to orgasm? It goes deeper than you think (innuendo intended).
New research from scientists from the Mayo Clinic and the Indiana University School of Medicine has found that finding it difficult to climax isn’t just a mental thing: it comes down to two key factors.
For men, difficulty having an orgasm is largely due to an issue with the nervous system.
One of the study’s researchers, Dr Siegel, told the Daily Mail that a man’s orgasms depend on the sympathetic nervous system, which controls the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response.
Achieving orgasm depends on the proper functioning of the nervous system ‘loop’, which sends sensory information through the spinal cord or brain to the penis.
That information is then sent back up to the brain to tell the penis what to do in response.
If that loop isn’t working – which can be caused by spinal cord injuries or neurochemical issues in the brain – it’s harder for men to achieve orgasm.
For women, meanwhile, orgasm issues tend to be down to the sex position.
Dr Siegel explained: ‘The clitoris during sex tends to migrate towards the vaginal wall.’
The closer the clitoris gets to the vaginal walls, the more likely the woman will have an orgasm – which can be controlled by some smart penis positioning.
Through taking MRIs of couples during sex, researchers found that doggy style sex didn’t stimulate the vaginal wall as much as ‘front entrance’; meaning positions like missionary or woman on top.
And if you fancy getting out your protractor, here’s some very specific advice. The ideal angle for penis entry when it comes to stimulating the vaginal wall was 30 to 45 degrees. Good to know.
One thing that doesn’t have much of an effect? Penis size.
The researchers haven’t advised people to start measuring their angles or only using the ‘ideal’ sexual positions (that would get a bit boring after a while).
They just want people to be aware of some of the reasons orgasms might be a bit trickier – and to encourage anyone consistently struggling with climaxing to raise it with their GP and work towards a solution.
