Research finds women have three different kinds of orgasm

New research claims that women experience one of three different types of orgasms.

They’ve been categorised as ‘wave’, ‘volcano’ and ‘avalanche’.

Find out what they mean below…

Study into the different types of orgasms women experience

54 women took part in the study by using a Bluetooth-connected vibrator called the Lioness. This vibrator detects pelvic floor contractions and saves the data.

Participants performed the tasks at home and were instructed to turn off the devices two minutes after their orgasm was achieved. They were asked to repeat this over several days.

A control test was also performed, in which the vibrator was inserted, but they did not stimulate themselves.

Data showed that 26 of the women had ‘wave’ orgasms (nearly 50%), while 17 had ‘avalanches’ and 11 had ‘volcanoes’. 

The different types of orgasms

Lead researcher James Pfaus says the names refer to the way the “pelvic floor movements appeared during the build-up to orgasm and the release of tension at orgasm”. 

The wave

Looks like successive contractions of tension and release at orgasm.

The volcano

Is lower pelvic floor tension but then explodes into tension and release during orgasm.

The avalanche

Rides on a higher pelvic floor tension with contractions that lower the tension downward during orgasm. 

“We are doing a long-term study of women using the Lioness to see how these different patterns are experienced subjectively as orgasms, as levels of pleasure, where the stimulation that induces them largely comes from,” says Professor Pfaus. 

“These are adult women who have experienced orgasms many times before and, like riding a bike or swimming, there are motor patterns that have become crystallised through experience to be associated with it.”

“It is essentially a pelvic floor biofeedback instrument that, because of its shape and intended purpose, can be used to give women instant feedback on the pelvic floor movements that accompany orgasm.”

Everything you need to know about coregasms and exercises to induce them

It seems there’s an enjoyable side-effect of getting into shape, and it comes in the form of a coregasm – a.k.a. an exercise-induced orgasm of a non-sexual nature. Yes, it’s a real-life thing!

The term was coined in 1953 in the book Sexual Behavior in the Human Female, as it occurs during a core workout or exercise.

When you engage your core muscles, it can result in you contracting the pelvic floor muscles, and this is what’s believed to cause sexual arousal during your workout.

When can you have a coregasm?

Coregasms appear to be triggered during exercise when the rush of endorphins and dopamines (both associated with arousal) are combined with tension in our core pelvic muscles, creating a sensation similar to an orgasm.

A lot of people also claim they can come on fast, but they have more control over them than a sexual orgasm.

via GIPHY

Who can have them?

A survey of sexual health and behaviour in 2014 found that 10 per cent of women have experienced an orgasm during exercise.

However, men can also experience coregasms, although it seems to be less common.

Does it feel like an actual orgasm?

Many women report that coregasms feel very different from a vaginal orgasm, with some describing them as being more similar to a clitoral orgasm and also occurring much deeper in the body.

Some women describe them as feeling more muscular and less of a tingle.

But it seems every woman experiences these phenomena differently, and it can happen by doing a range of different workouts.

Which exercises cause them?

Exercises that engage the lower abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor can bring them on. It seems in order to achieve a coregasm, and there needs to be blood flow through the pelvis and genital region.

• Leg raises
• Crunches
• Boat pose
• Pull-ups
• Climbing exercises
• Hamstring curls
• Rope of pole climbing
• Knee lifts
• Hip thrusts
• Planking
• Squats
• Flutter kicks

How to prevent a coregasm

Not everyone likes the idea of having a gym orgasm, so thankfully, there are some ways you can prevent them from happening!

Don’t work out to the max, and is you begin to feel any sexual sensations in your nether regions, then stop immediately and do a different workout. Or maybe a cold shower after a workout might also help!

Have you ever experienced a coregasm? What exercise were you doing at the time?