# Male vs. female nipples **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [April 1, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584 "2009-04-01T15:33:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/1 "2009-04-01T15:33:58Z")
Another question is why male nipples aren’t able to be sexually stimulated. Two women have asked me about this, and I just said, “I don’t know.” But I think the answer is that, if they can’t provide milk, they’re pretty useless. There’s no point in daddy trying to nurse baby. But for mommy, who can produce milk, there’s an added incentive. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/2 "2009-04-01T15:57:24Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Another question is why male nipples aren’t able to be sexually stimulated. Sez who? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/3 "2009-04-01T16:09:43Z")
Some male’s nipples are more sensitive than others. TMI alert: I had no idea that mine were sensitive until a woman stimulated them. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/4 "2009-04-01T16:15:35Z")
[Link to column in question.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/85/why-do-men-have-nipples) ---
**Author:** ![davekhps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@davekhps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davekhps)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/5 "2009-04-01T19:12:54Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Another question is why male nipples aren’t able to be sexually stimulated. Two women have asked me about this, and I just said, “I don’t know.” > > But I think the answer is that, if they can’t provide milk, they’re pretty useless. There’s no point in daddy trying to nurse baby. But for mommy, who can produce milk, there’s an added incentive. This is incorrect. I don’t know of any cases where male nipple stimulation resulted in orgasm (unlike a few anecdotal cases where this resulted in women), but there is _most definitely_ sexual stimulation via men’s nipples. Perhaps not in every man, or perhaps not as immediate or intense as they are for women, but it does occur. My experience: I never had particularly sensitive nipples until I was in my later 20s/early 30s. Now, all kinds of things done to them _greatly_ assist me in my sexual performance-- the speed I get an erection, the intensity of my erection, the pleasure I get during intercourse or masturbation, and the intensity/pleasure of my climax. When I’m particularly horny, I can and do get an erection by nipple stimulation alone. Anyway, I think that in many cases (not all, but many), male nipple stimulation is one of those things that, like male anal/prostate stimulation, is considered unbecoming of a heterosexual male. Ergo, it’s never tried, or due to the personal mental block, not enjoyed when it is tried. At the end of the day, however, it’s still just a bundle of very sensitive nerves in _either_ sex, and YMMV, with women much more likely than men to experience sexual stimulation, but the latter is NOT unheard of, or even particularly rare. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/6 "2009-04-01T21:07:11Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Another question is why male nipples aren’t able to be sexually stimulated. Huh. I guess I have female nipples. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/7 "2009-04-01T21:35:47Z")
Yeah, I find the OP’s premise amusing. For me, it’s not only the nipple specifically, but the whole breast as erogenous zone. I think my refractory period drops with breast manipulation. Flat but sensitive. ---
**Author:** ![SeanArenas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeanArenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeanArenas)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/8 "2009-04-02T01:34:56Z")
I think one’s perceptions about the erogenousness of one’s nipples can change over time. Mine used to be hyper-sensitive, and anything to “arouse” them would usually hurt them - even the “rough” side of the tongue would feel like … a cat’s tongue (not that I ever had a cat lick me there (or anywhere like that!), but imagine it)… Even mild nibbling was Right Out. So whenever someone would mention male nipple excitement, I would think they’re kidding or something. I figured there was no way a man’s nipples could be interfaced with in a way that would provide him with sexual stimulation. Eventually the hypersensitivity diminished and I found out, much to my happiness, that men can have their arousal aided there. ---
**Author:** ![Bluffcityguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ebca7d/32.png) [@Bluffcityguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bluffcityguy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/9 "2009-04-02T09:38:27Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Another question is why male nipples aren’t able to be sexually stimulated. Two women have asked me about this, and I just said, “I don’t know.” If your women friends hadn’t discovered long before this that male nipples are quite “sexually stimulatable” (mine certainly are, though I obviously don’t need to add to the flood of "me too"s upthread), I’d kindly suggest that they need a little coaching in their technique. Either that or to find more “normal” partners. (“Normal” in that I know very few men who don’t find attention paid to their nipples sexually pleasurable, though I’m sure there are some.) Cheers, bcg ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/10 "2009-04-03T14:01:20Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Some male’s nipples are more sensitive than others. TMI alert: I had no idea that mine were sensitive until a woman stimulated them. Likewise, not every woman’s nipples are sensitive. I find it rather amusing that people seem to think female nipples=orgasm detonators while male nipples=useless decoration. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/11 "2009-04-03T15:18:36Z")
[QUOTE=guizot] But for mommy, who can produce milk, there’s an added incentive. [/QUOTE] Can anyone justify the claim that nursing babies causes orgasms? That it is sexually stimulating, as opposed to a lover playing with them? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/12 "2009-04-03T15:22:53Z")
> [@Telperien](#): > > Likewise, not every woman’s nipples are sensitive. I find it rather amusing that people seem to think female nipples=orgasm detonators while male nipples=useless decoration. Same here. Mine do nothing for me! ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/13 "2009-04-03T17:14:42Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Can anyone justify the claim that nursing babies causes orgasms? That it is sexually stimulating, as opposed to a lover playing with them? I vaguely recall reading a few years ago about a custody case from either Rome or Utica, New York. The mother admitted to a social worker that she felt sexually aroused while nursing. The state initiated or was about to initiate custody hearings because of the mother’s supposed perversion until they heard from a host of experts that her experience was normal. I’m hoping somebody with better memory or better Google-fu can fill in the details. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/14 "2009-04-03T17:40:05Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Can anyone justify the claim that nursing babies causes orgasms? That it is sexually stimulating, as opposed to a lover playing with them? Yes, it is perfectly normal for a woman to feel sexual pleasure - I’m not sure it often goes all the way to orgasm, but I don’t see why not - from breastfeeding. Before you go all _ew!_ on me, let me point out that the uterine contractions from nursing nipple stimulation actually increase the release of oxytocin, the “cuddle hormone” which bonds us with our babies\*. The fact that these slight uterine contractions which release oxytocin and bond us to our babies are identical to the uterine contractions that release oxytocin and bond us to our sexual partners is simply nature being efficient. There’s no need for two pleasure centers to release oxytocin when nerve fibers cost in biofuel to build and run. It is NOT women being sexually perverted towards their infants, it’s evolution favoring efficiency. \*And oxytocin also triggers prolactin, the hormone which makes the breast make more milk. ---
**Author:** ![psythe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@psythe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psythe)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/15 "2009-04-03T17:44:36Z")
As a bloke I can’t give you first hand testimony, but I do know that oxytocin is the hormone involved in orgasm and in milk let-down (as well as childbirth). The theory is that all of these are situations where it is evolutionarily desirable for a strong love-bond to form. On a related note I have chatted to at least one woman who told me that breastfeeding causes contractions (uterine, I presume, but they could have been vaginal or both - whatever they were, they weren’t pleasant) - presumably the oxytocin released during breastfeeding affecting the receptors on the myometrium (google it). EDIT: Oh yeah - what WhyNot said. For some reason it didn’t show up! ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/16 "2009-04-03T18:07:55Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > I vaguely recall reading a few years ago about a custody case from either Rome or Utica, New York. The mother admitted to a social worker that she felt sexually aroused while nursing. The state initiated or was about to initiate custody hearings because of the mother’s supposed perversion until they heard from a host of experts that her experience was normal. I’m hoping somebody with better memory or better Google-fu can fill in the details. The case I was thinking of was from Syracuse in 1991. [cite](http://books.google.com/books?id=xBr0X5BNtG0C&pg=PA75&lpg=PA75&dq=1991+syracuse+sexual+arousal+breast-feeding&source=bl&ots=vrAN5XAF88&sig=Y8fp2aIaXYXGvsJ7dwNh8fFRlwQ&hl=en&ei=qk7WSeaAIpHvlQeDtLXKDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#PPA75,M1) I also found this: > [@](#): > > Many women who breastfeed have the experience of feeling aroused, and even having an orgasm, while breastfeeding. > … > In a 2000 study of breastfeeding women, 40.5% of the participants reported feeling sexually aroused at some point during infant suckling. 16.7% reported being aroused frequently during breastfeeding. > > Source: > Avery, M.D., Duckett, L., Frantzich, C.R. “The Experience of Sexuality During Breastfeeding Among Primiparous Women.” Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health Vol. 45(3), 2000: 227-236. > [http://sexuality.about.com/od/anatomyresponse/a/orgasm\_breastfe.htm](http://sexuality.about.com/od/anatomyresponse/a/orgasm_breastfe.htm) ---
**Author:** ![SeanArenas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeanArenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeanArenas)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/17 "2009-04-04T15:35:59Z")
Does being in a breastfeeding state (physiologically) increase the arousal from nipple stimulation? I’m just wondering if imitating a baby’s sucking action will as strongly arouse a woman who is not breastfeeding or has never been pregnant… ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/18 "2009-04-04T15:47:24Z")
> [@SeanArenas](#): > > Does being in a breastfeeding state (physiologically) increase the arousal from nipple stimulation? > > I’m just wondering if imitating a baby’s sucking action will as strongly arouse a woman who is not breastfeeding or has never been pregnant… I can’t answer for all women, but for me personally, no. While I was lactating, I didn’t really want my husband anywhere around there, to be honest. I was self-conscious about milk leaking, for one thing, and I was working so hard trying to pump enough milk for the baby that I didn’t want to waste even a drop of it on him! I was actually much more sensitive in my nipples \*before \*breastfeeding, and got a lot more sexual pleasure from them when I was younger. I think the pumping with the second baby might have actually damaged the tissue and caused scarring though, so I might not be the best case study there. ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/19 "2009-04-04T16:10:57Z")
This is second hand info, so take it with a grain of salt, but I have vague memories of my mother, while nursing my little brother, not producing milk in sync with his feeding times, so I would help her pump. Removing the milk, for her, was a great relief, but I never got around to asking it it also turned her on. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584/20 "2009-04-04T16:20:22Z")
Another vote for “male nipples are _certainly_ erogenous!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-vs-female-nipples/491584.md?page=2)