It’s all part of research aimed at helping women who find it hard to have an orgasm, Dutch daily Spits reports.
Recent figures show that more than a quarter of all women aged between 19 and 69 never or very rarely have an orgasm, says sexologist Ellen Laan, a senior lecturer at the AMC.
When the hospital advertised in the paper for women who don’t have orgasms to take part in their study, the response was huge – more than 400 enthusiastic volunteers came forward.
Aroused
The main problem is that some women aren’t familiar with their own bodies, says Dr Laan. They’re not really aware that when a woman is aroused her vulva swells and her vagina becomes moist.
As a result, they don’t realise that they’re having sex without getting properly aroused. Girls should be taught about this when they're 11 or 12, the doctor argues.
Lubricant
When women have sex without being aroused, their vagina is dry, so it hurts, says Dr Laan. This puts them off having sex altogether, so there’s no chance of them having an orgasm.
“The desire to have sex is the result of having good sex,” she says. “An orgasm is the result of being aroused.”
She doesn’t recommend using lubricant, because it only helps the symptom but not the cause. “The vagina produces its own lubricant if the woman is sufficiently aroused.”
Embarrassed
Another problem is that women aren’t sure about what they enjoy during sex and what turns them on. “In spite of the sexual revolution, many women are embarrassed to talk about it,” she says, “but men are often really keen to hear.”
*To protect the identity, names have been changed and the person/s in the picture is/are models.
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