News flash: vaginas matter too

Climactic research leads to seminal moment

The vaginally orgasmic women Freud saw as the epitome of sexual maturity came to be seen as aberrant. And those seeking advice about climaxing during coitus were told it wasn't likely to happen. Think clitoris, the therapists said, suggesting vaginal orgasm was a myth detracting women from the true source of their pleasure.

But now the vagina is making a comeback, with the fascinating discovery that some women with severed spinal cords still experience orgasm despite losing the clitoris-brain nervous connection. This led Rutgers, New Jersey, professors Barry Komisaruk and Beverly Whipple to spend the past few years tracking brain activity during sexual stimulation.

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Sure, direct clitoral attention will remain the surest route to quick bliss for most women. But the new research shows the vagina is far from dead wood, but rather richly innovated and capable of detecting vibration, touch and pressure changes, particularly deep pressure.

As a vaginally orgasmic woman, this research doesn't surprise me. Clitoral and vaginal orgasms feel different to me, with the vaginal variety being more intense and visceral. It's difficult for me to have one alone due to reach and coordination issues, so masturbation is usually about the clitoris. On the other hand, it's very rare for a partner to be able to bring me to orgasm with clitoral stimulation alone; I guess my clitoris is picky. So my vaginal orgasms are very important to me! (And it is definitely nice to be lucky enough to climax during intercourse.)

Every woman's different, and I think this new discovery (news to scientists, not to many women) shows that we should explore and enjoy our own bodies, whether they do the "usual" or scientifically-supported things or not.