Orgasms can start with anticipating a pleasant sexual experience, often accompanied by good feelings in the genital area. When you get naked, the feelings concentrate increasingly in your genital organs as you look at and touch your own or a partner's body. The good feelings blend into a sweet, strong mix of genital tickle and itch that feels better and better as you continue to touch and look and think. The good feeling keeps building until you think you can't stand it any longer. This buildup is usually accompanied by deeper breathing, faster heart rate, and perhaps moaning, along with muscle twitches in legs, arms, and pelvis. Some males feel mounting pressure in the testicles, pelvis, and base of the penis. Some females tend to feel mounting pressure throughout the entire body but centered on the pelvic area. Some (though not all) males feel a flow of pre-seminal fluid through the penis; and some (though not all) females feel a flow of vaginal fluid that seeps from the vagina.
At the strongest point of good feeling, your genitals become almost too sensitive to touch, but you can't stop. An explosive release of pent-up energy overwhelms you as you stiffen your legs, curl your toes, pant or gasp, and perhaps moan, wail, grunt, scream, or yell. Your entire body may shudder. You seem to lose consciousness as you sink into the release; you might feel at one with the universe, yourself, your partner, or all three. At the point of release, males feel a throbbing in the penis along with what feels like a twitching of the anus. This is actually the pubococcygeus (PC) muscle contracting to pump semen out through the penis. Females feel waves of pleasure spread from the genitals out into the entire body, along with muscular contractions of the vaginal walls and anal sphincter, and for some, a gushing of vaginal fluid. People who have not yet matured physically still experience these feelings and muscular contractions, even though in males there is no pre-seminal fluid or ejaculation, and in females there is no secretion of fluids.
After release, the extremely good feelings that built up before release subside; genital organs may become too sensitive to touch; heavy breathing becomes more regular; and you can feel your heartbeat returning to normal. The sense of euphoric oneness that began in the previous phase continues. Many males experience a sharp drop in sexual interest that may be accompanied by a sense of guilt in some. Many doze or drift off to sleep. Females tend more to continue experiencing the good feelings of their release, perhaps feeling little aftershocks as they come down from the sexual high. Many females and some males like to cuddle when a partner is available. For both genders, the sense of contentment and completeness can last up to several hours.]
The first orgasm is definitely different from subsequent ones. I've chosen to describe my first one. It is a sensation unlike any other physical sensation possible. It's a liquid movement of all internal organs and parts, a joyous symphony of the disparate and awesome forces that normally control the miracles of life within the body, all taking time out of their busy schedule to gather together in a concentrated dedication of effort to arrive in one place, with the fixed objective to generate a declaration of existence, saying, "I am here! Feel the life!"
- age 40, Texas
This Week's Wackiest Response:
The combination of the worst pain in your life, a seizure, and the best chocloate cake you've ever had – all combined into one.
- age 17, New Hampshire
Take the feeling of pain, and reverse it. Just as pain can start as an uncomfortable sensation in one part of the body and spread as the intensity increases, so does the pleasure of an orgasm. I feel a really nice sensation that seems to start at the base of my penis that comes in slow waves for a minute or two, with each wave being a little more pleasurable and wider-spread than the last. The last wave doesn't fade but just keeps building. And just like a pain that grows until you can't take it anymore, the pleasure just overcomes my ability to hold back – until suddenly there's a huge wave of totally relaxing and draining energy that flows out from my pelvis to every part of my body. Even my hands and feet feel it. This is followed by about 5 more overpowering, pleasuring, relaxing waves of high intensity, then 10 or more lower-intensity waves. Sometimes I'm so drained I fall asleep within a minute afterwards (even if I'm not sleepy), but sometimes I can keep stimulating myself to 2 or 3 or more orgasms before I'm completely exhausted.
- age 29, Virginia
While impossible to actually describe, the feeling of an orgasm is somewhat like a sneeze – the feeling of inevitability just before you sneeze; then as you sneeze, the feeling of relief. It's almost a tickle.
- age 15, Connecticut
The first orgasm is like a shooting flame of ecstasy. At first you may freak out, wondering what just happened. Then you're relieved you didn't get any semen in the eye. The next night, you'll want more.
- age 35, Nebraska
Imagine watching the correct numbers for the national lottery, comparing them one by one with the numbers on your lottery ticket. Imagine that all of them match, and then spend 4 seconds in a state of uttermost joy, and then throw the ticket into the toilet and flush.
- age 25, Sweden
I don't know if I've ever experienced an orgasm. I mean, I always masturbate, and I get to a point where I'm finished – but it doesn't feel amazing or anything. I love masturbating, but I don't get a huge unbelievable sensation when I'm finished. I don't know, maybe there's something wrong with me.
- age 15, New York (female)
Your first orgasm is a little 10-to-15-second, mind-blowing vacation whose memory will last a lifetime.
- age 48, Utah
It feels like something is tickling the inside of your entire body.
- age 16, Florida
Orgasm is like peeing fire – good fire, happy fire.
- age 23, Ontario, Canada
It's like having all the good feelings you've ever had come together and concentrate in that one tiny area of your pelvis.
- age 19, Massachusetts (female)
An orgasm feels as if my entire body is exploding through the tip of my penis. If my eyes are closed, sometimes I actually see stars or colors. For that brief moment time stops, and I feel completely connected to my body.
- age 29, New York
It feels like a mouse tingling, twisting, and running all over your body with a bunch of pure pleasure.
- age 15, Pennsylvania
An orgasm is pent-up energy escaping your body uncontrollably through your penis.
- age 26, North Carolina
It's like every single nerve in your body doing a million somersaults at once!
- age 18, Canada
I don't see how you can describe an orgasm without describing the buildup. For me, it isn't a singular event but the peak of a (hopefully) long period of building of pleasant feeling. When I get turned on and get an erection, it is the center of a good feeling. As I stimulate myself, usually with my hand, my penis gets more and more sensitive, particularly near the head. My whole body gets tense in anticipation, but the feeling concentrates in my penis and groin. When I'm about to ejaculate, it gets so intense nearly everything else is blocked out. The actual orgasm itself is wave after wave of pleasure – there are no words that can adequately describe it. I've felt this since I was about 5, and it has always been wonderful – but once I got sperm about a year ago, it seems to feel better. Now I can feel each shot of sperm come up through my penis and shoot out. There just is nothing in the world that feels better, or even comes close.
- age 13, West Virginia
An orgasm is the perfect marriage of a feather and a nuclear bomb. The end result: the gentle, slight tickle of a feather with the intensity of a nuclear bomb. Sheer ecstasy – potent, pleasing pleasure.
- age 27, New York
Imagine this: You have in your hand the power of the world's most-used and best roller coaster. You can climb little hills until you finally reach the top, and then have a strong rush going down that energizes your whole body with free pleasure.
- age 17, North Carolina
It's like lying naked on the beach, having the warm sun beat down on your bare body. The warm, frothy water rushes up and meets your toes then travels slowly through you body. It tickles every nerve as it moves up your legs and settles in your groin. It tingles from your skull down your spine and meets the wave of pleasure in your groin. Then it erupts like a volcano, and your body seizes uncontrollably.
- age 20, Virginia
An orgasm (to me, anyway) is like the pleasant-weird feeling you get when you're using a gas-powered lawnmower and your hands are vibrating.
- age 15, California
It's like a hurricane that hits you in the pelvis. After it, you know what heaven feels like.
- age 25, Puerto Rico (female)
An orgasm is a strong vibration all along your body and a feeling of floating.
- age 15, Guatemala
In a word: INTENSITY. Orgasm is the most beautiful and vulnerable position a human can be in, especially when you're with someone you love. The mind gives way to the body as a sheer feeling surges through every fiber of your being. Literally, it begins as a tingle – almost a tickle – but not an unpleasant one. Then as you come closer and closer to ejaculation, you can feel the energy and mind-blowing bliss surging up your shaft slowly towards the head. Finally, it becomes so uncontrollably strong a feeling you can't hold back any longer, and you just "explode." Semen shoots out and an intense but calm feeling runs through your penis, legs, and eventually, your body. It's incredible.
- age 19, Delaware
It feels like a covey of quails flying out of your anus.
- age 55, South Carolina
It's like this bubble grows inside your groin, and then slowly starts to release a few little bubbles off it that float all over your body – and then it explodes, sending bubbles everywhere. Sometimes it explodes with great force, and sometimes more gently.
- age 19, Australia (female)
I think an orgasm is so-so. I do masturbate a lot because it keeps me away from having sex. I don't know what girls think of it, but I think it's so-so.
- age 15, Michigan
Orgasm? It's a drug – when you try it, you cannot stop.
- age 30, France
It's like swimming in a large vat of warm milk.
- age 16, Texas
It's like a dam filling up with water that's getting hotter and hotter, and then it bursts and the water flows out down the valley, watering all the plants and making them grow, and providing electricity to Las Vegas.
- age 29, California (female)
Body buzzes, lightheadedness, a release of tension, relaxation, hot and cold streaks, immense joy – all without the use of class A narcotics.
- age 18, Australia
It's an intense and overwhelming wave of pleasure that shoots through your entire body – it can be so strong you lose muscle control and your toes curl up. It feels similar to the feeling you get right before you pee, as weird as that sounds.
- age 20, California
It feels like 1,000 little elves climbing into your penis, then gleefully jumping out like fireworks! What I'm saying is, it feels...ummm...good.
- age 15, New Jersey
It's like having the lower half of your body go into a pleasurable seizure – added to peeing after holding it for 3 days.
- age 20, Missouri (female)
An eruption in the soul that lasts a second.
- age 16, South Carolina
I once read in a child's book called "Making Babies" that an orgasm was the equivalent to needing to sneeze really badly for a long time and then finally doing it. I used to think that sounded silly, but in a way, I guess it is similar. The way I imagine it in my mind is like ripples when you throw a rock into a pond. It's cool and warm and tingly all at the same time, starting in your genitals and going through your back and legs.
- age 21, California (female)
I've never had an orgasm, thank you, and I never hope to. They are disgusting. My mum and dad told me never to get one.
- age 15, United Kingdom
It's like pushing your whole body out the end of your penis and living to tell about it.
- age 26, Oklahoma
I would describe it as a well-deserved sneeze.
- age 13, Nevada (female)
I had a college professor who once commented that the only time we humans actually live in the present is during orgasm. At every other moment, we're wishing we were somewhere else, either forward or backward in time – back in bed, off on vacation, out in a real job, back in grade school, etc. But at the point of orgasm, there's absolutely no other place or time you'd rather be!
- age 40, Ohio