title: Differences in Orgasm Frequency Among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Men and Women in a U.S. National Sample.
abstract: There is a notable gap between heterosexual men and women in frequency of orgasm during sex. Little is known, however, about sexual orientation differences in orgasm frequency. We examined how over 30 different traits or behaviors were associated with frequency of orgasm when sexually intimate during the past month. We analyzed a large US sample of adults (N = 52,588) who identified as heterosexual men (n = 26,032), gay men (n = 452), bisexual men (n = 550), lesbian women (n = 340), bisexual women (n = 1112), and heterosexual women (n = 24,102). Heterosexual men were most likely to say they usually-always orgasmed when sexually intimate (95%), followed by gay men (89%), bisexual men (88%), lesbian women (86%), bisexual women (66%), and heterosexual women (65%). Compared to women who orgasmed less frequently, women who orgasmed more frequently were more likely to: receive more oral sex, have longer duration of last sex, be more satisfied with their relationship, ask for what they want in bed, praise their partner for something they did in bed, call/email to tease about doing something sexual, wear sexy lingerie, try new sexual positions, anal stimulation, act out fantasies, incorporate sexy talk, and express love during sex. Women were more likely to orgasm if their last sexual encounter included deep kissing, manual genital stimulation, and/or oral sex in addition to vaginal intercourse. We consider sociocultural and evolutionary explanations for these orgasm gaps. The results suggest a variety of behaviors couples can try to increase orgasm frequency.
authors.affiliation: Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Chapman University, One University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA. enderflies1@aol.com.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Frederick
authors.affiliation: Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Chapman University, One University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA.|Division of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, USA.
authors.forename: H Kate St
authors.initials: HKS
authors.lastname: John
authors.affiliation: Department of Gender Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.|The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Justin R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.|Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Elisabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Lloyd
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009948:Orgasm / Q000502:physiology*; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D019529:Sexuality / Q000502:physiology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Communication; Orgasm; Orgasm frequency; Relationship length; Sex differences; Sexual orientation