Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffAn orgasm is a feeling of intense physical pleasure and release of tension, accompanied by involuntary, rhythmic contractions of your pelvic floor muscles. But it doesn't always look — or sound — like that famous scene from "When Harry Met Sally." Some women actually feel pelvic contractions or a quivering of the uterus during orgasm, but some don't. Some women describe fireworks all over the body, while others describe the feeling as a tingle.
By definition, the major symptoms of anorgasmia are inability to experience orgasm or long delays in reaching orgasm. But there are different types of anorgasmia:
- Primary anorgasmia. This means you've never experienced an orgasm.
- Secondary anorgasmia. This means you used to have orgasms, but now experience difficulty reaching climax.
- Situational anorgasmia. This means you are able to orgasm only during certain circumstances, such as during oral sex or masturbation. This is very common in women. In fact, most women experience orgasm only from stimulation of the clitoris.
- General anorgasmia. This means you aren't able to orgasm in any situation or with any partner.
When to see a doctor
Talk to your doctor if you have questions about orgasm or concerns about your ability to reach orgasm. You may find that your sexual experiences are normal. Or your doctor may recommend strategies to reduce your anxiety and increase your satisfaction.
- Frank JE, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of female sexual dysfunction. American Family Physician. 2008;77:635.
- Kammerer-Doak D, et al. Female sexual function and dysfunction. Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America. 2008;35:169.
- Kingsberg SA, et al. Female sexual disorders: Assessment, diagnosis and treatment. Urologic Clinics of North America. 2007;34:497.
- Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2012: 5 Books in 1. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05611-3..C2009-0-38601-8--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05611-3&uniqId=291436269-101. Accessed Jan. 9, 2012.
- Hales RE, et al. The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry. 5th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2008. http://www.psychiatryonline.com/resourceToc.aspx?resourceID=5. Accessed Jan. 9, 2012.
- Ginsberg TB. Aging and sexuality. The Medical Clinics of North America. 2006;90:1025.
- Shifren JL. Sexual dysfunction in women: Management. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 11, 2012.
- Shifren JL. Sexual dysfunction in women: Epidemiology, risk factors, and evaluation. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 11, 2012.
- IsHak WW, et al. Disorders of orgasm in women: A literature review of etiology and current treatments. Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2010;7:3254.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Practice Bulletins - Gynecology. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 119: Female sexual dysfunction. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2011;117:996.
Find Mayo Clinic on