Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Female Orgasm


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.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Female Sexual Organs - Clitoris


Clitoris



              Erection of the penis is relatively simple compared to what must take place before girls are ready for copulation. Let’s begin at the bottom and work up. First, the blood vessels supplying the vulva dilate and bring on the feminine equivalent of a penile erection. The spongy tissues around the labia minora as well as the labia themselves swell and grow turgid. The clitoris becomes erect and peeps from under its diminutive foreskin. The labia majora increase in size and Bartholins glands, the two sentinels located astride the vaginal opening, do – nothing. Once considered the prime source of lubrication – ‘Lover’s liniment’ – they have been demoted as medical research has discovered a new and fascinating source of these essential juices. The walls of the vagina themselves ooze a super slippery substance that smoothes the way for eager couples. In the research lab, by means of a special camera in the form of a transparent, optically correct penis, the glistening drops can be observed gently forming on the vaginal wall. In the meantime, engorgement of the vulva has formed a sort of sexual ante-room in front of the vagina. This increases the effective length of the vaginal canal and thus increases the size of the penis it can accommodate. More important, it brings the sexually sensitive structures – clitoris and labia minora – into closer contact with the penis. The vagina is also changing. In cross section the relaxed vagina looks like the H; the roof is in contact with the floor. During sexual excitement it swiftly assumes the shape of a cylinder to receive an energetic piston, the penis.
              The clitoris is the centre of sexual sensation in women. Though it is tiny in comparison to the penis, it has at least the same number of nerve cells and fibers crowded into its miniature proportions. It is a sexual time bomb with a short fuse. Actually, a pair of fuses. The labia minora, looking like misplaced of the clitoris. Pulling on them applies a gentle tug on the clitoris itself. As the labia are alternately pulled and released, the prepuce slides back and forth over the head of clitoris. As the gentle friction continues the clitoris swells even more, making each tug even more exquisite. If the vagina can be considered a cylinder and the penis a piston, the labia minora is crankshaft. With each stroke of the penis into the vagina, the ends of the labia are pulled towards the vagina, drawling down on the prepuce and clitoris. As the penis is withdrawn, the labia are released and the prepuce slides back over the clitoris. At the same time the penis is massaging the penis, the vagina, and the related structures. If everything goes right the result is orgasm.
              Everything happens during orgasm. All the transmission lines and circuits of the entire body are suddenly and deliciously overloaded. The wires get red-rot, the fuses blow, the bells chime – and then it’s all over until the next time. As a woman approaches orgasm the whole pace of her body accelerates. The heart rate zooms up to 160 or more. Respiration gives way to panting and groaning. Blood pressure can double. In the meantime the pelvis is going wild. All the veins of the pelvic area are at the point of bursting. The vulva is throbbing rhythmically almost to the point of grabbing at the surging penis. The sensory nerves are at their peak, soaking up each tiny drop of sensation. So much current is drawn by the sexual structures that the lights in the cerebrum begin to dim. The girl loses track of her surroundings and all attention is focused on that vital five per cent of her body. Suddenly the master switch is flipped and it happens! Indescribable sensations race from the vulva, vagina, and clitoris throughout the nervous system. The primitive areas of the brain seize control. The back arches, the pelvis lunges forward, the muscles surrounding the vulva expand and contract and send waves of feeling racing over the entire body. The pelvic veins empty rapidly, droplets of sweat burst out on the skin, and a sense of relaxation flows through the entire body.
              How many orgasms can a woman have?
Nobody really knows. Investigators stopped the experiments after fifty or so consecutive climaxes. The experimental technique itself was rather ingenious. Under carefully controlled conditions, with trained observers, movie lights, tape recorders, and a 16-mm movie camera grinding away, a female volunteer engaged in sexual intercourse with a male volunteer. They copulated until she reached orgasm, duly recorded by electrodes taped to various parts of her body, as well as the camera and tape recorders. The gentleman immediately withdrew from the scene and was replaced by another more or less eager volunteer. This process continued until two score and ten intrepid spirits had given their best for Science. The lady was still more or less willing but the experimenters were hungry for dinner, the recorders were running out of tape, the cameras were running out of film, and anxious wives were beginning to telephone their husbands at the laboratory.
                                                                                                                                                                                Continues……

Menstruation


Menstruation



              Menstruation is the final event in a long series of complex maneuvers executed by the body with split-second timing. The whole process unfolds according to a detailed script prepared by an internal computer. The plan is reviewed constantly, moment by moment, and up-dated monthly. In spite of the advances of science, our knowledge in this area is still rudimentary. Controlling the menstrual cycle is roughly equivalent to launching a space vehicle, the egg, at the same time the launching pad is being built. Simultaneously a gigantic landing facility, the uterus, must be prepared in case the little traveler through inner space should come back in a new form – fertilized. Concurrently, preparations must be made to tear down everything that has been built up in order to start again from scratch each month.
              As the menstrual period finishes, the ovary begins pouring one of the primary female sex hormones, oestrogen, into the blood-stream. The presence of oestrogen is reported to the Central Control Area, the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. In response, Central Control directs the release of a supporting hormone, FSH. FSH restimulates increased production of oestrogen. Oestrogen acts on every reproductive organ but specifically causes rapid growth of the inner lining of the uterus. At the surface of the ovary, the egg scheduled for launch that month is already straining at its moorings. Now secretion of the other female sex hormone, progesterone, begins. When the presence of progesterone is detected by the pituitary, it responds with counter hormone, LH.
              Most of the progesterone is funneled to the uterus where it intensifies the preparations already under way. Central Control is constantly monitoring hormone levels at all areas of the body. When the ratio of FSH to LH reaches the critical point, a rapid count-down begins, and the ovum is hurled into the abdominal cavity.
              Hopefully, it goes into the Fallopian tubes. But it goes into the abdomen first. As the egg bursts from the surface of the ovary it travels freely into the vast emptiness of the pelvis. At the upper end of the Fallopian tubes, two enormous funnels with grasping fingers clutch eagerly at the tiny egg. Most eggs slide willingly into the friendly grasp. Meanwhile, back at the uterus, big things are happening. The lining has enlarged dramatically. Each individual cell is bursting at the seams. The blood vessels have become immense and are pulsating rhythmically. Day after day the build-up continues as the detection systems remain constantly alert for information about the fate of the recently launched egg. If the egg is not fertilized, Central Control reluctantly pushes the button marked DESTRUCT and everything comes crashing down. Ruthlessly the blood supply to the uterine lining is choked off. Cells on the surface are left to starve and die. They will soon slough off by the millions. Menstruation is under way. For the next three to seven days, all that remains of the ambitious undertaking of the past three weeks goes down the drain. Appropriately, menstruation has been called ‘the weeping of a disappointed uterus’. The body is perpetually optimistic; the entire project will begin again next month.
              The menstrual flow consist of the cupful or so of thin red fluid which trickles out of the vagina during each menstrual period is about fifty per cent blood mixed with varying amounts of mucus and ‘clots’. These so-called ‘clots’ are actually pieces of the uterine lining which have broken away. Menstrual blood itself does not clot, because it has already clotted. As blood pours out of the uterine wall, it coagulates quickly. As always, a short time after coagulating blood liquefies and once again flows freely.
Why does menstruation stop during pregnancy?
              It doesn’t always. In a small number of cases monthly bleeding continues throughout pregnancy. Not quite so rare is a menstrual flow during the first month or two. Usually the increase in maternal hormone from the newly formed placenta, are adequate to keep the uterine lining from decomposing. Lactation may further delay the return of the period. Lactation itself is not well understood. At birth both breasts are generally prepared to supply abundant milk. If the child begins to nurse, nervous impulses go from the nipples to Central Control in the pituitary gland. This produces still another hormone, lactogenic hormone, which starts the milk flowing and keeps it available until nursing stops. Almost like magic, when the sucking stops, the milk stops. At the same time menstruation is suppressed.

Female Sexual Organs - Hymen


Hymen



              The hymen is a structure that gets attention all out of proportion to its function, which is – nothing. For centuries it has been regarded as a barometer of chastity – guardian of purity – sentinel at the gates of Venus. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is possible for a woman to have sexual intercourse twenty times a day, give birth to a dozen children, and still have that flag of virtue, the hymen, waving at the vaginal portal. It all depends on the kind of hymen she is born with.
              To understand the hymen’s relative position in the genital area, it helps to have a model. If one makes a circle with the thumb and finger is the hymen in its usual position. Ordinarily, during the first sexual act, the penis pushes through the hymen, tearing it in several places. Repeated intercourse continues to erode the membrane, leaving only a few shreds to mark its former position of glory. In some cases the hymen is flexible, and instead of breaking before the penile assault, it merely bends. It is forced down towards the vaginal floor and allows the penis to glide over it. At childbirth the same thing happens in reverse. The child’s head pushes the hymen outward without tearing it. A prostitute with a stretchable, if she plays her cards right, can make a fortune by surrendering her maiden state several times a night, at premium prices. Certain of the more swinging establishments in European cities make the ceremony into quite a production. It requires a man (not a regular customer) with a penchant for virgins. The lady of the houses chooses her specialist – the one with the flexible hymen – and arranges for the two to meet – at triple the going rate. The lucky couple occupies a room fitted with a dozen peepholes – admission is charged. The performance is always a sell-out to the men (and ladies) who enjoy this kind of thing. Accompanied by appropriate shrieks and squeals, the ravisher has his way. Virginity loses again. Thirty minutes later, after a hot bath and a little massage, the hymen is back in position ready to do its bit keeping its mistress in the upper tax brackets. Now a question arises – what about the bleeding when the hymen is really broken? And the answer is yes. But the professional virgins also bleed. Careful analysis might reveal that an hour earlier the blood flowed in the veins of a chicken, but then most customers are not interested in probing that deeply.
              In the Eastern world, the hymen is a big deal. It is considered the symbol of virginity and for some explained reason most normal males want to make love with a virgin. In some community, a newly married couple’s bed sheet is always white for the first three weeks to make sure the new bride was a virgin before marriage. During the period of virginity test, every morning, the husband checks the bed sheet. I think I don’t have to tell you how he finds out whether his wife was a virgin or not.
              But an intact hymen is not a reliable indicator of virginity. And a tattered or absent hymen doesn’t mean the young lady has dispensed her favors freely. Some women just don’t have much of a hymen. Others lose what they had by vigorous exercise. Sliding down poles and climbing trees are not exactly designed to keep a tiny tab of delicate tissue in place. Another old enemy of the vaginal gatekeeper is masturbation. Introducing a finger into the vagina is tough on any hymen. The vaginal tampon to absorb menstrual flow, is also an easy way to say goodbye to this fragile membrane. The only reliable sign of a virgin vagina is what the doctors call an imperforate hymen, and they are rarely seen by anyone but doctors. This type of hymen closes off the vaginal entrance completely. It is rarely noticed until menstruation begins – more precisely, does not begin. Usually if a girl does not start to menstruate by the age of sixteen or so, her mother becomes anxious and takes her to the doctor. After a quick glance at the vaginal orifice he makes the diagnosis. The opening is completely sealed off by a bulging hymen. Actual menstruation may have begun six months ago but instead of draining to the outside, the fluid has backed up into the vagina. A few nicks with the scalpel and the problem disappear. So does the hymen.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

What is Hymen?

              The hymen is a structure that gets attention all out of proportion to its function, which is – nothing. For centuries it has been regarded as a barometer of chastity – guardian of purity – sentinel at the gates of Venus. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is possible for a woman to have sexual intercourse twenty times a day, give birth to a dozen children, and still have that flag of virtue, the hymen, waving at the vaginal portal. It all depends on the kind of hymen she is born with.
              To understand the hymen’s relative position in the genital area, it helps to have a model. If one makes a circle with the thumb and finger is the hymen in its usual position. Ordinarily, during the first sexual act, the penis pushes through the hymen, tearing it in several places. Repeated intercourse continues to erode the membrane, leaving only a few shreds to mark its former position of glory. In some cases the hymen is flexible, and instead of breaking before the penile assault, it merely bends. It is forced down towards the vaginal floor and allows the penis to glide over it. At childbirth the same thing happens in reverse. The child’s head pushes the hymen outward without tearing it. A prostitute with a stretchable, if she plays her cards right, can make a fortune by surrendering her maiden state several times a night, at premium prices. Certain of the more swinging establishments in European cities make the ceremony into quite a production. It requires a man (not a regular customer) with a penchant for virgins. The lady of the houses chooses her specialist – the one with the flexible hymen – and arranges for the two to meet – at triple the going rate. The lucky couple occupies a room fitted with a dozen peepholes – admission is charged. The performance is always a sell-out to the men (and ladies) who enjoy this kind of thing. Accompanied by appropriate shrieks and squeals, the ravisher has his way. Virginity loses again. Thirty minutes later, after a hot bath and a little massage, the hymen is back in position ready to do its bit keeping its mistress in the upper tax brackets. Now a question arises – what about the bleeding when the hymen is really broken? And the answer is yes. But the professional virgins also bleed. Careful analysis might reveal that an hour earlier the blood flowed in the veins of a chicken, but then most customers are not interested in probing that deeply.
              In the Eastern world, the hymen is a big deal. It is considered the symbol of virginity and for some explained reason most normal males want to make love with a virgin. In some community, a newly married couple’s bed sheet is always white for the first three weeks to make sure the new bride was a virgin before marriage. During the period of virginity test, every morning, the husband checks the bed sheet. I think I don’t have to tell you how he finds out whether his wife was a virgin or not.
              But an intact hymen is not a reliable indicator of virginity. And a tattered or absent hymen doesn’t mean the young lady has dispensed her favors freely. Some women just don’t have much of a hymen. Others lose what they had by vigorous exercise. Sliding down poles and climbing trees are not exactly designed to keep a tiny tab of delicate tissue in place. Another old enemy of the vaginal gatekeeper is masturbation. Introducing a finger into the vagina is tough on any hymen. The vaginal tampon to absorb menstrual flow, is also an easy way to say goodbye to this fragile membrane. The only reliable sign of a virgin vagina is what the doctors call an imperforate hymen, and they are rarely seen by anyone but doctors. This type of hymen closes off the vaginal entrance completely. It is rarely noticed until menstruation begins – more precisely, does not begin. Usually if a girl does not start to menstruate by the age of sixteen or so, her mother becomes anxious and takes her to the doctor. After a quick glance at the vaginal orifice he makes the diagnosis. The opening is completely sealed off by a bulging hymen. Actual menstruation may have begun six months ago but instead of draining to the outside, the fluid has backed up into the vagina. A few nicks with the scalpel and the problem disappear. So does the hymen.

Monday, February 21, 2011

More about female sexual organs

Is it true that every embryo is originally female and about half of them develop into males? Probably not. There is however one element of female superiority that is undeniable. In relatively primitive animals such as chickens, urination, defecation, and reproduction are all conducted at one common orifice known as the cloaca. (Literal-minded scholars coined the term – in Latin cloaca means sewer.) On moving up the evolutionary scale, the functions of the various openings become increasingly specialized. At what we like to consider the top of the tree, human beings, the male has progressed to the point of developing a separate orifice for defecation. He is still committed however to time-sharing for urination and reproduction; the urethra serves both purposes. The female meanwhile has reached the top. She is a deluxe model, anatomically speaking, with complete segregation of structure and function of structure and function; three jobs, three orifices. Male superiority? Well, men like to think so anyway.
             All the female sexual organs have a counterpart in the male. Since the genitalia originally were identical, there must be at least a remnant of each female organ in the male and of each male organ in the female. Every man carries with him a little souvenir of the time when his masculinity was not obvious. In the anatomy books it is called vagina masculine, or male vagina. Once upon a time it was destined to become a real vagina, but that never worked out. It is simply a tiny tag of tissue tacked on to the edge of the bladder. Men even have an equivalent of the hymen. Virgin or not, this tiny memento remains permanently intact in every adult male. It is called the ‘seminal colliculus’ – colliculus is Latin for little hill. Not nearly as informative as the female hymen, it is simply a little hill of tissue next to the prostate gland, a leftover of the sex that might have been. There is a prostate gland in women, or at least the equivalent. In women the prostate gland turns to be Skenes glands, two tiny openings on either side of the urethra. Aside from becoming badly infected in ladies with gonorrhea, they have long ago lost any function. Bartholins glands, which get the credit (without doing the work) for supplying the vaginal lubrication during intercourse, have developed into structures known as the bulbo-urethra glands in male.
             The bulbo-urethrals don’t do much but when they do it, it counts. They rarely supply more than one tiny drop of secretion during intercourse, but it is a mighty important drop. The initial secretion originating at the bulbo-urethral glands appears shortly after erection. No more than an expectant drop at the end of the penis, it can count as many as 50,000 sperms. If they are wiped against the vulva by an aggressive penis, only one of the kicking, squirming swimmers needs to snake its way up the vagina into the cervix. Because of the long distance involved – from the labia to the cervix, the chances are against being impregnated this way. On the other hand, girls are more likely to play this game instead of fully-fledged intercourse, because of the false sense of security it gives them. Since the odds are directly proportional to the number of exposures, it gets riskier each time. A bigger gamble is the common practice of inserting the penis, starting pelvic thrusts, and disengaging before ejaculation. A bad way to have sex and a good way to get pregnant.
             Breasts: - This is another example of rudimentary organs present in both sexes. In this case they remain undeveloped until needed. In the male this means they never develop (under normal conditions); in the female they are quiescent until puberty. The only exception is the first few days of life. Then both male and female breasts produce a clear secretion called colostrum. This is a product of the milk-producing glands brought on by the large amount of sex hormones present in the infants’ body at birth. In a few days the hormones subside and the ‘milk’ disappears. The breasts themselves are actually sweat glands which have increased in size and become specialized in function. Milk is a specialized form of sweat, enriched with proteins from the mother’s blood. Fortunately this unromantic fact is buried deep in the textbooks of Embryology. Imagine the effect on the millions of red-blooded men tantalized by gorgeous globular breasts if they learned they were romantically involved with gigantic sweat glands. Why do women have only two breasts? This is the type of question that no mere human being can answer with authority. It obviously was decided that way by some higher power. However, we can guess at some possible reasons: Humans usually have only one offspring at a time; two breasts, still leave one in reserve. Only human beings, primates, and elephants have a single set of  breasts at the nipple line. Other species are more amply endowed, with six or more pairs of mammary glands.
             About one out of every 200 women has extra nipples. They usually extend downward over the abdomen from the regular nipples to the pubic area. In rare cases a woman may have extra set of breasts located just below the original pair. In a culture with such admiration for breasts, it is a wonder that these ladies are not in greater demand.