It takes women an average of four minutes to orgasm when masturbating
In partnered sex, it takes men about five and a half minutes, and for women, it takes about seventeen and a half minutes to orgasm.
Only 28% of women can have an orgasm from penetrative sex alone. Women need direct clitoral stimulation to have an orgasm
Is the clitoris the UFO of sexual health?
Take a look at the clitoris images on this website. They are all anatomically correct representations of the clitoris which is about 9cm by 9cm and wraps around the urethra and vagina. Did you know that the clitoris vanished from Grey’s Anatomy textbook in 1948 and really did not make a comeback? Did you know that Prof Helen O’Connell, an Australian urologist, described the anatomy of the clitoris in 2004 but no one really noticed? If any of that is news to you than you may have a case of UFO- Unreachable Female Orgasm.
Women’s sexual pleasure and the clitoris is the unidentified flying object. It is missing in most text and reference books for health professionals. I have read a few sex self-help type books for women that don’t even mention orgasm! Research tells us that sexual dysfunction in women is common: low libido, difficulty with orgasm and painful sex are frequent and often just accepted as normal.
Women’s underwhelming experience of heterosexual penetrative sex is often dismissed. Acknowledging sexual pleasure as fundamental to the human experience and bring that into sexuality education seems to be overlooked.
The funny think is most of us have not had any real education on how to deliver this type of health literacy (and porn does not count here). One step towards more sex positivity is explaining and de-stigmatising genitals and the guilt of pleasure.
One of the most common issues for women is the ‘Am I normal? question. Research on women’s masturbation is rare but demonstrates women’s uncertainty about their normality. It is likely that you don’t have good aids or teaching tools to explain the clitoris. Our models are used for teaching and therapeutic conversations.
Sexual wellbeing is invaluable to everyone. Health literacy increases bodily autonomy. Make sure you include the clitoris in your work. It isn’t hard to find!
