Contd. From previous article
The female subject was tired but happy. One wonders how many more orgasms she might have had without the lights, cameras, recorder, and eager observers. Actually there are several varieties of orgasm in the female. Male orgasms tend to be of the all-or-nothing variety – a tremendous build-up of tension followed by an explosive release. Women have this type of orgasm too, but they are also capable of ‘skimming’.
This is a series of sexual climaxes which consist of a rapid increase in tension with an equally rapid release, rising immediately to another peak. The effect is something like a flat pebble skimming over the surface of the waves. The peaks are never as high and the valleys are never as deep as a full-scale orgasm, but it is said to be exquisitely gratifying experience just the same. Most of the female multiple orgasms are of the ‘skimming’ variety.
A woman can continue to reach climax after climax when a man is finished after the first time around. It depends on their different sexual structure and function. Erection in the male is dependent on engorgement of the veins of the penis. When sexual tension subsides, after the first orgasm, the erection droops as the blood begins to drain from the organ. Even if sexual stimulation continues, once the erection fades the organ must go through the full cycle of relaxation, rest, and re-erection. Sometimes this cycle can be speeded up, but the stages must proceed in that order. The female has no such limitation. Large veins deep in the pelvic area as well as those in the sexual organs themselves never need to empty completely after orgasm. The blood can ebb and flow according to the degree of sexual excitement. Immediately after orgasm, sexual stimulation usually diminishes and the message goes out from the brain and spinal cord to open the drainage valves. If sexual activity should resume, the order is countermanded and the internal and external genitalia become engorged with blood once again.
The orgasm is not exactly caused by blood flowing in the sexual organs. There are three components to the orgasmic experience; if any of them are missing, orgasm does not take place. First and most important is the nervous element. Sensations are fed to a cluster of nerves in the spinal cord, sort of an Orgasm Central Control, from every part of the body. Before intercourse, as her partner caresses her breasts, the sensations are fed into the spinal nerve plexus. When she places her hand on his penis, those sensations are routed via the brain to Orgasm Central. Any sexually stimulating sounds or words are also picked up and relayed to the spinal centers. As the man mounts her and begins to slide his penis into her vagina, the number of nervous messages increases a hundred times. The sensation of his skin against hers, the odor of his body, the pressure of his chest upon her breasts, the throbbing of his penis against her labia minora and vaginal entrance; these are all picked up by the appropriate sensing mechanisms and raced to Orgasm Central. At about that stage the mechanism becomes self-feeding. Nervous impulses are now going in both directions, to the spinal centre and from it. This is what builds up to orgasm. The impulses from the vagina, clitoris, labia, and even the internal pelvic structures, increase a thousand fold as the penis thrusts in and out. Finally the critical stage is reached, no more sensations can be tolerated, and Orgasm Central gives the command. Then the second component of orgasm enters the picture. Nerve impulses from the spinal centers cause vigorous muscular contraction. The network of muscles which form a circular tunnel around the vagina clamp down, let go, clamp down, again and again. Even uterus contracts under the intense nervous stimulation. This brings on the third element in orgasm – vascular. The vigorous muscular contractions pump all the blood out of the veins – the resulting vacuum drains the tissues of the vulva and sexual tension swiftly declines. That, for the moment, is that.
