# Difference between vaginal and clitoral orgasms? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 27, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686 "2013-07-27T17:55:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/21 "2013-07-27T19:35:45Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > I know someone that can orgasm from just nipple stimulation. I can orgasm (or at least I can cum, it’s a pretty shitty orgasm) from stretching my hamstrings very deeply. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/22 "2013-07-27T19:38:38Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I can orgasm (or at least I can cum, it’s a pretty shitty orgasm) from stretching my hamstrings very deeply. Well, about the only thing that could top that is if someone orgasms while filling out their tax return 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BleizDu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@BleizDu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BleizDu)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/23 "2013-07-27T19:38:47Z")
> [@Mathematics](#): > > Well . . . even if the clitoris is involved in both, I can say it does feel different for me. > I liken it to a headache (I know, not that pleasant, but it’s the best analogy I can think of.) > > You know how you sometimes have those deep headaches? The pain is really “heavy” feeling, I’d say. > That’s what all vaginal pleasure is kind of like, including orgasm. > > Whereas (external) clitoral stimulation and orgasm are more like the piercing headaches. It’s intense but somehow more “light”. I don’t know. > > This lady’s letter is very similar to my own experience: > [The Clitoris, the Vagina and Orgasm: Feelings and Frameworks](http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2011/09/06/clitoris-vagina-orgasm-feelings-frameworks/) > > I have to say, the answer to her inquiry is a bit long winded and meandering. I know what I feel. Whether it’s strictly clitoral or vaginal isn’t of much consequence to me. I think that the answser to that letter may be “right”, and I know all about the interconnectivity of the whole genital area, and the politics of describing sex in that way or another for different groups of people, but in my own sex life it would make no sense not to use the terms “clitoral” or “vaginal” orgasms. I think that for me it’s highly meaningful. If I want a certain type of pleasure (coming faster, feeling more “piercing”, concentrated in the clitoris head/shaft), I stimulate my “clitoris” (I’m a trans guy taking testosterone, the clitoris has became way bigger, so I use another term for it, “dicklit”, but let’s simplify for the moment), and if I want another kind of pleasure (tricker to obtain, but feeling “fuller”, with deeper contractions, while being less “piercing” than clitoral ones and without the pleasure being concentrated in my clit, or being at all in my clit indeed), I use my vagina, going for the g-spot. I am not able to experience at once both kind of orgasms, (I only half-ass tried though) but I am not convinced it would be impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/24 "2013-07-27T19:52:23Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > Well, its certainly true for many women that orgasms are more intense with penetration. > > It’s true for men as well, actually. 😉 Well one may be more intense than the other (penetration vs other stimulation) but that doesn’t necessarily change the _nature_ of the orgasm itself. A orgasm from a blowjob is the same orgasm that comes from sex, it’s just maybe not as intense as that of sex because the intensity of the _activity_ isn’t as strong. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/25 "2013-07-27T21:13:56Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > So can men, but we don’t come up with goofy terms for it. Nocturnal emissions. What? ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/26 "2013-07-27T21:18:39Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > A orgasm from a blowjob is the same orgasm that comes from sex, it’s just maybe not as intense as that of sex because the intensity of the _activity_ isn’t as strong. But that’s the point- all male orgasms are the same. Female orgasms aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/27 "2013-07-27T21:49:01Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > But that’s the point- all male orgasms are the same. Female orgasms aren’t. Well yes, but I was responding to this post… > [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > Well, its certainly true for many women that orgasms are more intense with penetration. > > It’s true for men as well, actually. 😉 Which itself was a response to me saying that the girl I’m dating telling me that she considers ‘vaginal’ orgasms a wholly separate type of orgasm from a ‘clitoral’ one. So she ( **Miss Elizabeth** ) was trying to suggest that they _weren’t_ in fact different types of orgasms but simply the same type of orgasm separated only by degrees of intensity. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/28 "2013-07-27T22:21:48Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > But that’s the point- all male orgasms are the same. Female orgasms aren’t. Isn’t that what we are discussing here? And who could ever make the final statement about that? ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/29 "2013-07-27T22:25:53Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > But that’s the point- all male orgasms are the same. Female orgasms aren’t. All the latest research shows that female orgasms are clitoral, but also that the clitoris is much larger than previously suspected. [http://www.uic.edu/orgs/cwluherstory/CWLUArchive/vaginalmyth.html](http://www.uic.edu/orgs/cwluherstory/CWLUArchive/vaginalmyth.html) ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/30 "2013-07-27T22:36:12Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > But that’s the point- all male orgasms are the same. are they? ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/31 "2013-07-27T23:10:58Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > are they? Well, no. And in that sense, neither are women’s. That isn’t in dispute. But doctors and scientists have looked, and women do not have two different kinds of orgasmic tissue. I mean, people are weird, and there’s a ton of ways to get off. And some of those ways feel different than other ways. But it’s all still using the same equipment. There’s no evidence of a separate physical structure inside a woman’s vagina that would give her a different orgasm. It’s just.. more clitoris. Again, some people can get off from nipple stimulation. But there’s no such thing as a “nipple orgasm”. Yes, we call orgasms men achieve during sleep “nocturnal emissions” but there’s no confusion about _what_ is orgasming-- it’s the penis. Sure, the brain is the largest sex organ and all that, but there’s a special kind of tissue with special nerve endings in human genitalia that when stimulated produces an orgasm. In cisgender men this organ is the penis and in cisgender women this is called the clitoris. HOWEVER! if your lady says she prefers “vaginal orgasms” what she (probably, you should ask her) means is she likes to orgasm during penetration and finds it to be more satisfying. So go ahead and work on that. Most women still need direct stimulation of the visible clitoris to “get there” but some don’t. Neither is better or “more mature” than the other. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/32 "2013-07-27T23:16:10Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > Well, no. And in that sense, neither are women’s. That isn’t in dispute. But doctors and scientists have looked, and women do not have two different kinds of orgasmic tissue. I mean, people are weird, and there’s a ton of ways to get off. And some of those ways feel different than other ways. But it’s all still using the same equipment. There’s no evidence of a separate physical structure inside a woman’s vagina that would give her a different orgasm. It’s just.. more clitoris. > > Again, some people can get off from nipple stimulation. But there’s no such thing as a “nipple orgasm”. Yes, we call orgasms men achieve during sleep “nocturnal emissions” but there’s no confusion about _what_ is orgasming-- it’s the penis. Sure, the brain is the largest sex organ and all that, but there’s a special kind of tissue with special nerve endings in human genitalia that when stimulated produces an orgasm. In cisgender men this organ is the penis and in cisgender women this is called the clitoris. > > HOWEVER! if your lady says she prefers “vaginal orgasms” what she (probably, you should ask her) means is she likes to orgasm during penetration and finds it to be more satisfying. So go ahead and work on that. Most women still need direct stimulation of the visible clitoris to “get there” but some don’t. Neither is better or “more mature” than the other. I can tell you with absolute certainty that when I come from stretching my legs, there is **no** stimulation of the penis going on. None. I am totally flaccid. Yet I come. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/33 "2013-07-27T23:22:08Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Isn’t that what we are discussing here? And who could ever make the final statement about that? Uh…hi there! I’m a woman! I have two distinct, qualitatively different types of orgasms. 😃 That’s all you need. Not for all of us, or even most of us, but for some of us to say, “yeah, that sounds about right”. And you do, right here in this very thread. Jesus Christ, **miss elizabeth** - is the latest research on female orgasms actually 43 years old? I weep. (No, actually, as a third wave feminist, that article has just always pissed me off. No, women are confused and liars, they don’t really get off by vaginal intercourse? Fuck you, Anne. Some don’t, some do. If you don’t, try something else.) Actually, more \*recent \*research using cadavers and MRIs and other imaging indicates the “yes, it’s the clitoris, but a different part of the clitoris, one accessed vaginally” hypothesis may be correct: > [@](#): > > Australian urologist Helen O’Connell’s 2005 research additionally indicates a connection between orgasms experienced vaginally and the clitoris, suggesting that clitoral tissue extends into the anterior wall of the vagina and that therefore clitoral and vaginal orgasms are of the same origin.[6] Some studies, using ultrasound, have found physiological evidence of the G-Spot in women who report having orgasms during intercourse,[49][50] but O’Connell suggests that the clitoris’s interconnected relationship with the vagina is the physiological explanation for the conjectured G-Spot. Having used MRI technology which enabled her to note a direct relationship between the legs or roots of the clitoris and the erectile tissue of the “clitoral bulbs” and corpora, and the distal urethra and vagina, she stated that the vaginal wall is the clitoris; that lifting the skin off the vagina on the side walls reveals the bulbs of the clitoris—triangular, crescental masses of erectile tissue.[6] O’Connell et al., who performed dissections on the female genitals of cadavers and used photography to map the structure of nerves in the clitoris, were already aware that the clitoris is more than just its glans and asserted in 1998 that there is more erectile tissue associated with the clitoris than is generally described in anatomical textbooks.[51][67] They concluded that some females have more extensive clitoral tissues and nerves than others, especially having observed this in young cadavers as compared to elderly ones,[51][67] and therefore whereas the majority of females can only achieve orgasm by direct stimulation of the external parts of the clitoris, the stimulation of the more generalized tissues of the clitoris via intercourse may be sufficient for others.[6] > > French researchers Odile Buisson and Pierre Foldès reported similar findings to that of O’Connell’s. In 2008, they published the first complete 3D sonography of the stimulated clitoris, and republished it in 2009 with new research, demonstrating the ways in which erectile tissue of the clitoris engorges and surrounds the vagina, arguing that women may be able to achieve vaginal orgasm via stimulation of the G-Spot because the highly innervated clitoris is pulled closely to the anterior wall of the vagina when the woman is sexually aroused and during vaginal penetration. They assert that since the front wall of the vagina is inextricably linked with the internal parts of the clitoris, stimulating the vagina without activating the clitoris may be next to impossible.[47][71][72] In their 2009 published study, the “coronal planes during perineal contraction and finger penetration demonstrated a close relationship between the root of the clitoris and the anterior vaginal wall”. Buisson and Foldès suggested “that the special sensitivity of the lower anterior vaginal wall could be explained by pressure and movement of clitoris’s root during a vaginal penetration and subsequent perineal contraction”.[72] [Orgasm - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgasm#Clitoral_and_vaginal_relationships) Perhaps we should change the terminology to “glans orgasm” and “bulb root orgasm”, but since we’ve got the terms “clitoral” and “vaginal” already, that’s what gets used. You’re correct that “it’s just more clitoris”, but that’s because it’s what we call it. We name stuff, and we decide where it begins and where it ends and where it runs into another body part we name something else. We could very well decide to call the bulb of the clitoris the Doper’s Bulb, and say that the clitoris meets the Doper’s Bulb, which lies on the anterior wall of the vagina. Would that make the biological process any different? Does a post-nasal drip cough feel the same as near-choking on food cough feel the same as a strep throat cough? It’s all stimulation of the nerves in your oropharynx making you expel air rhythmically from your lungs. All coughs come from the “same place,” but there are qualitative differences to them that are so useful and distinct, they can be used to help diagnose and differentiate illnesses. Orgasms (for some women) are like that, but fun. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/34 "2013-07-27T23:23:41Z")
> [@Girlundone](#): > > I accept its existence. First hand. I see what you did there. And nice poster name/post combo too. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/35 "2013-07-27T23:24:56Z")
While most of the information presented so far is _extremely_ factual, IMHO, this thread is better suited to IMHO rather than General Questions. Moved. **samclem** , Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/36 "2013-07-27T23:26:59Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I can tell you with absolute certainty that when I come from stretching my legs, there is **no** stimulation of the penis going on. None. I am totally flaccid. Yet I come. It should also be noted that I am a paraplegic (with full sensation and sexual function) who suffers from a _severe_ form of premature ejaculation as a result of the nerve damage sustained by my spinal cord injury. I successfully treat the P.E. with medication, but without the medication, instances such as those outlined above with the stretching can occur. But this nonetheless has nothing to do with my penis or even being turned on. It’s just a strong stretch in my legs that triggers an “orgasm”. I put it in quotes because it’s not the same as I experience when I’ve medicated for the P.E. and I experience a full, ‘normal’ orgasm (which is a truly night/day experience compared to the stretching orgasm). ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/37 "2013-07-27T23:30:47Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I can orgasm (or at least I can cum, it’s a pretty shitty orgasm) from stretching my hamstrings very deeply. > [@RaftPeople](#): > > Well, about the only thing that could top that is if someone orgasms while filling out their tax return 🙂 I don’t get any pleasure from filling out tax returns, but the tinglies that I get when I ban a spammer in mid spam feel so good that they are probably illegal. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/38 "2013-07-27T23:31:40Z")
[Manhattan by Woody Allen] Woman at party–“I finaly had an orgasm and my doctor told me it was the wrong kind.” Woody: “Wrong kind? Every one I ever had was right on the money.” [/Manhattan] ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/39 "2013-07-27T23:51:16Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Uh…hi there! I’m a woman! I have two distinct, qualitatively different types of orgasms. 😃 > > That’s all you need. Not for all of us, or even most of us, but for some of us to say, “yeah, that sounds about right”. And you do, right here in this very thread. > > Jesus Christ, **miss elizabeth** - is the latest research on female orgasms actually 43 years old? I weep. (No, actually, as a third wave feminist, that article has just always pissed me off. No, women are confused and liars, they don’t really get off by vaginal intercourse? Fuck you, Anne. Some don’t, some do. If you don’t, try something else.) > > Actually, more \*recent \*research using cadavers and MRIs and other imaging indicates the “yes, it’s the clitoris, but a different part of the clitoris, one accessed vaginally” hypothesis may be correct: > > [Orgasm - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgasm#Clitoral_and_vaginal_relationships) > > Perhaps we should change the terminology to “glans orgasm” and “bulb root orgasm”, but since we’ve got the terms “clitoral” and “vaginal” already, that’s what gets used. > > You’re correct that “it’s just more clitoris”, but that’s because it’s what we call it. We name stuff, and we decide where it begins and where it ends and where it runs into another body part we name something else. We could very well decide to call the bulb of the clitoris the Doper’s Bulb, and say that the clitoris meets the Doper’s Bulb, which lies on the anterior wall of the vagina. Would that make the biological process any different? > > Does a post-nasal drip cough feel the same as near-choking on food cough feel the same as a strep throat cough? It’s all stimulation of the nerves in your oropharynx making you expel air rhythmically from your lungs. All coughs come from the “same place,” but there are qualitative differences to them that are so useful and distinct, they can be used to help diagnose and differentiate illnesses. Orgasms (for some women) are like that, but fun. My issue with differentiating between clitoral and vaginal orgasms is that it continues to give credence to the bullshit Freud was spewing. Once you start using those terms, people begin talking about the maturity of the orgasm, and frigidity and all that other crap. I understand penetrative orgasms feel different. They do for me too. There’s just SO MUCH BULLSHIT surrounding discussions of female sexuality, it raises my hackles. Women aren’t magical, mysterious creatures with unicorn vaginas made of magic that orgasm for unknown reasons. We have parts pretty much the same as guys do, and orgasm basically the same way. Also I could have sworn I was very very recently reading about new current research into the clitoral structure, but now I can’t find anything about it, so forget it. You;re right the research is terrible though, and it all contributes to a lack of understanding of women’s sexuality. And, lastly, men and women can absolutely orgasm without any stimulation of the genitals. I assume this operates on the same principle as pain felt from a phantom limb, but I don’t know and I can’t find a cite. But of course, all feeling is really in the brain, so it makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686/40 "2013-07-28T00:05:30Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > And, lastly, men and women can absolutely orgasm without any stimulation of the genitals. I assume this operates on the same principle as pain felt from a phantom limb, but I don’t know and I can’t find a cite. But of course, all feeling is really in the brain, so it makes sense. Oh, yes. When in the throes of new-love-long-distance, just hearing his voice on the phone was enough, no batteries (or hands or contact at all) required. Now, if you’ll excuse me…it’s my Anniversary tonight. I think I may have to make this evening into the practicum for the thread. In the name of science, of course. 🆒 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-vaginal-and-clitoral-orgasms/664686.md?page=3)