As Mae West famously said, “An orgasm a day keeps the doctor away”, and the health benefits of orgasm and female sexual arousal are a nice bonus – from lowering cortisol, the main stress hormone, to pain relief. As for the event itself – the build-up, labored breathing, tense limbs, rush of adrenaline and release… Let’s look under the hood and see exactly what’s going on during female sexual arousal that leads to the mysterious and pleasurable female orgasm.
An often debated subject, the female orgasm has been historically understudied (by predominantly male researchers). There is frequent disagreement about how to properly define or classify the female orgasm. Under experimental conditions, researchers found women often reported having different types of orgasms or different intensity of orgasms (1). (That’s something that isn’t a surprise to most of us.) Just as there are different types of sexual encounters, there are different types of orgasms that follow from them, from penetrative vaginal alone, to clitoral alone. While the diversity of female orgasms are undeniable, what physiologically happens to our bodies when we experience sexual arousal ?
The Physiology of Female Sexual Arousal
During The Female Sexual Response Cycle, vascular and non-vascular muscle relaxation starts the show, creating increased vaginal lubrication, vaginal wall engorgement and increased clitoral size. Engorgement causes increased pelvic blood flow and the vaginal wall and clitoral cavernosal smooth muscle relaxes. Arousal causes an output of nitrogen oxide and noradrenaline. These substances increase blood flow to the labia which increases in diameter almost by 2-3 times. Additionally, vaginal blood flow and clitoral blood flow also increase during this time resulting in a further increase of lubrication.
Where does the enhanced sensation during sexual activity come from? It’s a direct result of somatic sensory nerve endings, primarily in the clitoris. When sexual arousal happens, the medial preoptic, anterior hypothalamic region and limbic hippocampal structures of the central nervous system transmit electrical signals through the nervous system. Essentially that means specific parts of the brain send signals throughout the body ramping up your response. Meanwhile, hormone levels of estrogen and testosterone are boosted. It’s a complex series of events that happen harmoniously. Disruptions to one or any of the combinations of events can cause achieving that O, just that much more difficult. (2)
Where does CliovanaTM fit in?
Because the increase in blood flow and nerve sensitivity are integral parts of achieving orgasm. This is where the Cliovana™ procedure potentially makes its impact. CliovanaTM is a patented treatment that may enhance arousal at the cellular level. Using gentle sound wave technology, the Cliovana may create new blood cells and increase nerve sensitivity, which may in turn, create increased responsiveness. This innovative approach may help increase blood flow, promote nerve regeneration, and enhance sensitivity in the clitoral region. By targeting the clitoral structure, CliovanaTM aims to boost sexual response, increase orgasmic potential and heighten overall sexual satisfaction.
RESOURCES
Dr. Sara Gottfried offers a fun discussion of what happens during orgasm: Orgasm Balances Your Hormones: According to Hippocrates + Modern Research
1. Herbenick, D., Fu, T.-C., Arter, J., Sanders, S, Dodge, B. (2017) Women’s Experiences with Genital Touching, Sexual Pleasure, and Orgasm: Results from a US probability sample of women ages 18 to 94. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy. doi: 10.1080/0092623x.2017.1346530
2. Berman, J. R., Adhikari, S. P., & Goldstein, I. (2000). Anatomy and Physiology of Female Sexual Function and Dysfunction. European Urology.doi:10.1159/000020247
3. Levin, R. J., Both, S., Georgiadis, J., Kukkonen, T., Park, K., & Yang, C. C. (2016). The Physiology of Female Sexual Function and the Pathophysiology of Female Sexual Dysfunction (Committee 13A). The Journal of Sexual Medicine. doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2016.02.172
