12 Different Types Of Orgasms Women Can Have — How Many Have You Had?

12 Different Types Of Orgasms Women Can Have — How Many Have You Had? ©iStock/PeopleImages

Would you believe it if I told you that the average age a woman has her first orgasm is between 18-24? According to a survey conducted by sex toy company Adam & Eve, 45 percent of the women in their study said that their first orgasm was achieved in that range, while 43 percent had theirs before the age of 18 — but if you don’t fall under either criteria, that’s okay too. The truth of the matter is that there are so many different types of orgasms women can have that when you get to O-Town for the first or 50th time is really and truly up to you.

  1. Vaginal. This is probably one of the most common types of orgasms, although it can be argued that most types of orgasms are considered typical in their own ways, depending on your preference. With a vaginal orgasm, you might feel it less intensely than others, but it’s a deeper feeling of pleasure that can be achieved as long as you find the right position with your partner.
  2. Oral. As nuts as it sounds, you can legitimately have an orgasm just from kissing or from going down on someone else. It all depends on how sensitive your tongue and mouth is, but some women find that the sensation can travel from their tongues down their own bodies and give them legitimate orgasms.
  3. Butt sex. But sex isn’t for everyone, but just like a vaginal or clitoral orgasm, having an anal orgasm is a different kind of pleasure if you can do it right. Of course, this requires lots of careful planning on your partner’s part, as well as some lubrication, but women are totally capable of feeling the sensation from an anal orgasm.
  4. Clitoral. With 8,000 nerve endings camping out in that spot in your vaginal region, it’s no wonder that the clitoral orgasm is felt so strongly. For some women, having the clitoris stimulated during foreplay may be all they need to send them over the edge into orgasm, while others still require more of a warm-up before a clitoral orgasm.
  5. G-Spot. Similar to a vaginal orgasm, being able to “hit the G-spot,” so to speak, enables you to have a strictly vaginal orgasm, only much more intensely. Some find it hard to find this elusive spot within the vagina, while others claim to achieve most of their orgasms this way. Call it a myth if you will, but nothing is stopping you from trying to find it.
  6. Coregasm. Apparently, a coregasm is achieved strictly through working out. No, it’s not a ploy to get you to fit more cardio into your daily routine, but according to the book The Coregasm Workout, by getting your heart rate up and performing some core lower body and lower ab cardio workouts, you can get enough blood flowing down there to give you a small orgasm.
  7. Blended. Simply put, a blended orgasm involves a mixture of vaginal and clitoral stimulation. In fact, some women might find this to be the most pleasurable of all options and most easy to obtain too.
  8. A-Spot. The a-spot refers to the area deep in the vagina called the anterior fornix which, when reached during or after sex, can trigger an intense orgasm. Since it’s deep in the vaginal canal, it might be hard to find, much like the G-spot, but it is considered a legitimate erogenous zone on the body.
  9. Nipple Stimulated. Of course, it feels good to have nipple and breast stimulation before and during sex, but for some, an orgasm can be achieved by nipple stimulation alone. Now, before you go snapping off your bra and trying it out, remember that you have to be open to it and your mind has to be clear so you can really concentrate on it. It’s not really about tricking your mind into having an orgasm, but the mind plays a huge role in orgasms in general anyway.
  10. Mental. Think of this as meditative sex, in a way. Just lay down and let your mind clear while essentially thinking yourself into an orgasm. At the very least, it can help get you in the mood, but at its best, a mental orgasm can get you off. Like, for real.
  11. U-Spot. Yes, another type of orgasm that is too cool to not have an abbreviation. Believe it or not, the U-spot actually refers to your urethra. Since the urethra is basically right in the middle of your clitoral area, stimulating the U-spot helps trigger a clitoral type of orgasm that might even be more intense.
  12. Zonegasm. Random, non-sexual areas of your body like the inner thighs, nape of the neck, or clavicle can trigger orgasms simply by having them stimulated. Honestly, though, with all of the different types of orgasms women can have, it has never been better to be a woman in tune with her sexuality.

Facts about orgasms you may not know

  1. Orgasms can make your period shorter. When we orgasm, our vaginal muscles contract, as does the uterus. In doing so, an orgasm can help the uterus shed your menstrual blood faster. Granted, it’s not going to shorten your period by several days. However, it can shorten it by a day or two. This is also why period sex is sometimes a good idea.
  2. There’s more than one type of orgasm. While we mostly think of the clitoral variety when we hear the word “orgasm,” there are more. For example, 20% of women can orgasm just from kissing, which seems pretty high. Then, of course, there are the G-spot, C-spot, U-spot, and A-spot orgasms. Don’t forget multiple orgasms and blended orgasms! You may not get the chance to experience them all in your life as some are pretty tricky to attain. Still, it’s nice to know there are more options out there.
  3. Your pain tolerance skyrockets during an orgasm. Sure, orgasms feel effing fantastic. But it’s also in that moment of climax that our threshold for pain increases by roughly 107%. Because of this, orgasms are great for menstrual cramps. (Yet another reason to consider period sex!) And it’s pretty much the best thing for a headache. So that whole “I don’t want to tonight; I have a headache” thing that we see in old movies is actually just a bunch of misinformed female characters who were probably written by men and who don’t realize that the best natural painkiller in the world is an orgasm and would do wonders for that headache (as well as other aches and pains).
  4. You can orgasm during childbirth. You shouldn’t get yourself knocked up so you can have an orgasm during childbirth, ladies. However,  0.3% of women have reported experiencing one while giving birth. Whether this is the body’s way of coping with that intense amount of pain by injecting some natural painkillers into the situation or something else that causes the orgasm to occur, it can happen. But with a 0.3% rate, I highly suggest not running out to get pregnant just to see if you can fall into that small minority.
  5. Women who engage in anal sex have more orgasms. Again, we find ourselves in a WTF moment, don’t we? While anal still remains relatively taboo in certain circles, one study found that 94% of women had an orgasm the last time they had anal sex. While there’s a physical reason for this, there’s also the fact that women who have anal tend to be more open, easy-going, and adventurous when it comes to sex, making climax easier to achieve.
  6. The female orgasm gets better and more frequent with age. If you think your orgasms are awesome now, just wait until you’re in your 40s and 50s. Research has found that once women reach those age brackets and beyond, attaining an orgasm is easier and its intensity increases. The thinking behind this is a combo of experience and higher self-esteem. Also, I’d like to point out that your clitoris is larger at that age than when you’re in your 20s and 30s, but there’s no scientific proof that that has anything to do with it—it’s just a fun fact worth knowing.
  7. There’s actually a disorder that leads to too many orgasms. While you don’t usually anyone complaining of too many orgasms, women who suffer from Permanent Sexual Arousal Disorder can orgasm as often as every five minutes to every 30 seconds, up to 100 times a day. Although there’s medication to help with the disorder, which isn’t just disrupting but can be painful, those who have it need to be really vigilant in staying away from any sort of vibrations that might cause an orgasm.
  8. Orgasms vary in length quite a bit. For the most part, the average female orgasm, a clitoral orgasm specifically, can last anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds while including three to 16 contractions. However, there have been cases in which orgasms have lasted upwards of two hours.
  9. During an orgasm, you become fearless. Although you probably won’t notice it while in the throes of passion, when a woman orgasms, she becomes fearless and her brain becomes more active. While it was long believed that the brain turned off during orgasm, research has proven otherwise. It’s basically just the rest of your body that turns off during orgasm.
  10. Aristotle was the first one to write about the female orgasm. According to research by National Geographic regarding the Greek philosopher Aristotle, the dude was obsessed with the female orgasm and loved to write about as much as he could. He was even quite certain blondes had better orgasms than brunettes, which we all know isn’t true and also suggests that maybe he should have stuck to philosophy. Dudes, man. Eye roll. 

Struggling to achieve any type of orgasm? Here’s what might be happening

  1. He’s only touching your vagina. If your partner still doesn’t know that you need clitoral stimulation to get off, has he been living under a rock somewhere? Geez, seriously. Most women can’t orgasm from vaginal penetration alone. He needs to spread his wings a bit more. How about touching other parts of you that boost your sexual pleasure?
  2. You’re drowning in stress. Life’s been pretty stressful lately. Maybe you find it hard to switch off during sex. That’s because your mind wanders to all the work you still have to do. Chill. You can’t have an orgasm if you’re not nice and relaxed. So, try to have a hot bath or chill out with a glass of wine before having sex. That can help get you in the right mood and leave stress at the bedroom door.
  3. You’re too busy watching your thighs in the mirror. Nothing destroys an orgasm like feeling self-conscious or worrying about your body during sex. Instead of enjoying every sensation and touch, you’re worrying that the cellulite on your thighs looks bad. Ugh. You have to let it go and surrender to how great sex feels. Otherwise, you’re just blocking your own orgasm.
  4. He’s always in a hurry. If he’s always rushing through sex, it doesn’t give you a chance to build up the pleasure. Remember, the best orgasms are those that you reach slowly. Plus, the ones you keep at bay for as long as possible are explosive. If you don’t have enough time to take it slow, maybe don’t bother.
  5. He continually asks you if you’re going to come. The sex is feeling amazing and then your partner asks, “Are you coming soon?” Talk about putting on the pressure! If you feel stressed about when you should be reaching climax or you’re trying to synchronize them, you’re ruining it. Can he just not talk, for the love of God?
  6. You’re on certain medications. Some medications can mess with your hormones and libido, like antidepressants and your birth control, just to name a few. If you find it hard to reach orgasm every single time you have sex and you’re on meds, it’s time to chat with your doctor.
  7. You’re not masturbating enough. You might think that not masturbating is good because then you’ll have all this pent-up pleasure to release during sex with a partner, but that can backfire. If you don’t regularly take time for solo play, you don’t know what works for you. You need to know your sexual hotspots and what triggers orgasms before you can expect to have one during sex.
  8. Your oxytocin levels are too low. Oxytocin is a happy hormone that makes you feel good. It can also make you and your partner bond, and it’s definitely important for hot sex. Research has found that oxytocin gets released during sex. It’s not just when you climax but when you’re on your way to reaching orgasm. Without it, you might find it hard to experience the Big O. Boost your feel-good feelings before sex. How? With a bit of cuddling and kissing to get you feeling warm and fuzzy.
  9. You forgot to pee. Holding it in until the deed is done is a bad idea. It’s really difficult to let go and enjoy an earth-shattering orgasm if you’re worried your bladder’s going to empty itself. Yikes. Next time, go to the bathroom before you do the deed.
  10. You’ve had a C-section. If you’ve recently had a cesarean birth, you might experience anorgasmia. This means difficulty with reaching orgasm. It’s caused by a lack of hormones that get released during vaginal delivery. It can get in the way of your sexual function. The good news is that this usually heals on its own. If not, your doctor can prescribe a hormone treatment to help you get your O back.
  11. You’re depressed or suffering from low moods. If you’re feeling depressed lately, this could definitely kill your mojo. That’s because depression changes the balance of hormones in your body, which can affect your ability to orgasm.
  12. You’re switching positions too quickly. It’s fun to change positions during sex. That’s especially true if you want greater clitoral stimulation. However, if you’re changing things up too quickly, this can backfire. It can make you lose momentum and set your orgasm back. Take it easy and don’t change positions during crucial times. When you can feel your sexual pleasure building, stay the course.
  13. You don’t feel good with your partner. This can seriously mess with your sexual pleasure. Sex isn’t just a physical thing. Your mind has to be on the same page for sexual satisfaction to happen. If you’re not feeling relaxed and happy, orgasms will remain way out of reach.