Female Orgasm?

So are there other female animals closely related to us (or not) that have orgasms? I know its a little far fetched but I hear dolphins have sex for fun. And what about bonobo chimps, they are very promiscuous and are even observed especially among males to pleasure each other for fun ( I am taking this from a lecture by John Patton in his evolutionary psychology class). Are there any researchers out there that have observed female-female sexual stimulation among bonobos or other animals? Maybe dolphins have sex for fun but don't orgasm?

Interesting article. I think I agree with her. Orgasms are not necessarily connected with intercourse. . .in fact some women I know get far more intense one without the need for penetration.

Certainly something to talk about . . .

Sociobiology has always been weird. Historically it usually perpetuated dominant social biases and naturalized/rationalized existing power relations. The philosophy/history of science movement has provided some accountability over the past 15 years, but the juncture of social & biological science is still problematic. It sounds like evolutionary-genetics is the new old skool (pre-Haraway et al.) primatology. I find it hard to agree w/ Dr. Lloyd's notion that women are essentially failed men, passive vessels, etc. Lacanian lack anyone? :)

From the perspective of cultural anthropology, I'd say that female orgasm, male orgasm and sex (procreative and esp. non-procreative) in general are about forging social relationships, and cannot be reduced to the absolute calculus of reproduction. To put it another way, Dr. Lloyd gives short shift to "fun," discounting the evolutionary impact of social behaviors & cultural expressions.

There's an excellent scientific e-book on the subject of the practical rather than theoretical female orgasm.

It's written by Dr Irene Cooper, a professional sex therapist in the UK and you can find it and other resources at:

<a href="www.femaleorgasmz.com" name="My Female Orgasm">My Female Orgasm</a>

<a href="femaleorgazm.blogspot.com" name="Linda">Linda</a>

I don't have any links/sources... but i remember from years ago, hearing from a biology professor that there have been studies done (including pheremone sniffing, visual tests, and more) that show that women tend to prefer sensitive men most of the time (who hypothetically would be good for taking care of children), but when they are fertile they prefer strong, more aggressive men (good for making children).

You're a man? And you understand this? Wow. I think hell just froze over. : )

> sexual intercouse and orgasm do not seem to correlate for many women,

The data on this are from the United States, aren't they?

So all the stories about twins have some validity now.

Genes key to women's ability to reach orgasm -study
news.yahoo.com/news
By Patricia Reaney
Tue Jun 7, 7:16 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Women who have difficulty reaching orgasm can blame it on their genes.

Like heart disease, anxiety and depression, scientists discovered in a study of 1,397 pairs of female twins that there is a genetic basis to female orgasm.

"We found that between 34 percent and 45 percent of the variation in ability to orgasm can be explained by underlying genetic variation," said Tim Spector, of the Twin Research Unit at St Thomas' Hospital in London.

"There is a biological underlying influence that can't be attributed purely to upbringing, religion or race," he added.

Other studies have attributed differences in the ability to achieve orgasm to cultural, religious and psychological factors.

Between 12-15 percent of women don't have orgasms compared to about 2 percent of men. Males are also quicker at 2.5 minutes, while the average time it takes for a woman to reach orgasm is 12 minutes, according to Spector.

"Why is there this biological difference between the sexes? The fact that some of this is heritable suggests that evolution has a role," he told a news conference.

Spector suggested reaching an orgasm could be a way for women to assess whether a man would make a good long-term partner. It may also increase fertility, according to some theories. In a study of identical and non-identical twins published on Wednesday in the journal Biology Letters, Spector and his team found huge variations when they surveyed them about sexual problems.

One in three women, or 32 percent, said they never or infrequently had an orgasm. But 14 percent said they always had an orgasm during intercourse.

"More women were able to orgasm during masturbation, with 34 percent always reaching orgasm," the researchers said in the journal.

The frequency of orgasm was higher for identical twins with a partner and by themselves which suggests a clear genetic impact, said Spector.

"There is something biological that explains some of this large variation between women," he said, adding that many genes could be involved.

If scientists could discover which genes and how they function, it could potentially pave the way for future therapies to treat women who cannot reach orgasm.

But Spector said orgasm is a very complex process which is poorly understood. Little research has been done because it is still a taboo subject.

Anatomical and biological features and psychological factors may all play a part.