What is an Orgasm?
An orgasm is a feeling of intense pleasure, which usually happens during sex (people can experience them from nonsexual activity). But that definition falls a little short. Orgasm typically happens after physical stimulation and a buildup. It leads to a release of tension in your body that feels amazing, especially after your heart has been racing and your breath ragged. For people with penises, and orgasm usually involves ejaculation. Some people with vaginas can also ejaculate fluid when they have an orgasm.
Benefits of an Orgasm
But the benefits of orgasm don't end there. A surge of hormones that corresponds with orgasm can make you feel more calm and happy. Many people like to masturbate or have sex right before bed because it helps them sleep. The hormones released during sex and orgasm can also make you feel closer to your partner.
What's the easiest way to have an orgasm?
For many people, it's genital stimulation. Stimulating the penis through masturbation, manual sex (hand jobs), oral sex, or penetrative sex can lead to an ejaculatory orgasm. Note that people with penises typically cannot become erect or have another orgasm immediately because of the refractory period. For people with vaginas, clitoral stimulation from a hand, mouth, sex toy, or another body party (either alone or with vaginal penetration) is typically required for orgasm. However, there are plenty of other ways to generate an orgasm, including anal and nipple stimulation. Some people can orgasm in other ways, and there are even some who can achieve orgasm without any physical stimulation!
Types of Orgasm
Many people categorize orgasms by type: anal, vaginal, clitoral, uterine, cervical, and prostate (the organ that can be stimulated through a man's rectum or taint). There are even subtypes of vaginal orgasm, such as the G-spot (a sensitive spot a couple of inches inside the vagina along the front wall) and A-spot (a deeper spot between the bladder and cervix). G-spot orgasms may be the key for some women to ejaculate; however, others can squirt with only stimulation of the G-spot (or clitoris).
Some people are lucky enough to have multiple orgasms. That means that having multiple orgasms in a row with little need to pause or stop at all and doing so may lead to strong orgasms (although, that isn't always the case). While many people associate multiple orgasms with female orgasm, people with penises can sometimes have multiples, which may not include ejaculation, with prostate stimulation.
However, there's no wrong way to have an orgasm (and they're not required for pleasure)! Do what feels good, whether it means pumping your partner's thigh or having an orgie, and enjoy it--even if it doesn't lead to orgasm!