Doctor's advice: What is female orgasm?

Q I am a young woman, and I would like to know what it feels like to have an orgasm. I have never had one so far, and I am puzzled as to what it feels like.

Sometimes I wonder if I have had one, but not noticed it.

A If you had really had one, you would certainly have noticed it, because this is quite a dramatic physiological event.

Research shows that quite a lot of young females, such as yourself, do not have an orgasm until they have been having sex for a couple of years or so. Very often, it does not happen until they are totally relaxed about sexual activity.

You ask what it feels like. Well, many female writers have tried to describe the sensation, but without great success. All I can do is explain to you, from a medical point of view, what are the changes which occur in the female body at the moment of orgasm.

Laboratory experiments with women volunteers have demonstrated that the following things are characteristic of this phenomenon:

"Waves of powerful muscular contraction occur throughout the body, at intervals of approximately 0.8 seconds;

"Similar waves of contraction occur in the outer third of the vagina, and these are perceived by the woman as highly pleasurable;

The toes curl up, and frequently the fingers do so too;

The muscles of the rectal area also go into waves of spasm;

Various complex changes occur in the areola (which is the disc-shaped area around the nipple), so that the nipple appears more prominent;

The respiratory (breathing) rate becomes very fast, often approaching 60 per minute for a few seconds;

The pulse also becomes very fast, and may hit a rate of 160 per minute for 10 seconds or so;

The face briefly becomes contorted into a grimace;

Usually, though not invariably, a cry escapes from the lips.

As you can see from all this, the experience of female orgasm is usually a pretty shattering one. What is so astonishing is that many women can do it again, almost immediately afterwards. That capacity for 'multiple orgasm' is most marked in more mature women, ie those over the age of around 35.

Finally, I urge you not to fret too much about this business of orgasm. Just be cool about it, look after your health, and avoid 'sleeping around'. Eventually, you will find a good, loving partner with whom you will have many orgasms.

Q I am a guy of 19, and I have recently noticed bright red blood on the toilet paper whenever time I go out. Is this cancer?

A That is real unlikely at your age. In young adults, by far the commonest cause of bleeding that occurs when 'going out' is piles.

Things would be very different if you were older. Indeed, rectal bleeding in someone aged over about 35 is a serious symptom, which can sometimes indicate cancer.

But because you are so young, you have no need to fret. Please go to a doctor, who will examine your bottom and confirm that you have piles (haemorrhoids). He will give you medication, plus good advice about diet.

Q I have an odour coming out of my vagina. What can I do to stop this?

A Well, please bear in mind that a younger woman's vagina is supposed to have a natural aroma. Psychologists say that the purpose of this is to attract the male.

However, if the smell is offensive (that is, unpleasant), then you should go to a doctor and have an examination and some tests.

Q My fiancée thinks that the penis must remain very hard throughout sex. Is she correct, doc?

I find that after 10 or 20 minutes, I 'go soft' for a little while, and then get the erection back again. Am I sick, or is this natural?

A That is perfectly natural for a lot of guys. They find that they need to take a little rest during love-making, rather as if they were recharging their batteries. Then they get the erection back, and can start again.

So please tell your partner that there is no need to fret.

Q Doctor, I am 25 years old. Ten months ago, I had surgery on my ovary. Two weeks later, a doctor gave me an injection called 'Lucrin Depot' to stop my periods.

Since then, I have not seen any menses so I am worried about what is happening. Please give me some advice.

A Sorry to hear that you have been fretting. You say you had this injection in order to stop the periods. It certainly seems to have worked in that respect, so there is nothing to be alarmed about.

However, presumably you would like your menses to return sometime, so I think you should go back and see that doc now, and ask her when she expects menstruation to resume.

To be frank, I am a little puzzled about that injection that you had, which is called Lucrin Depot. This drug is given to men for prostate cancer. It is also given to some women when they have a disorder called endometriosis.

It can also be administered to women with fibroids, which are swellings in the womb. But fibroids are unusual in someone as young as yourself.

So I feel that you need to ask that doctor what your diagnosis is. Do you have endometriosis, which is certainly a common condition in young women, and a frequent cause of severe period pain?

If so, then the Lucrin treatment was perfectly reasonable. Please be guided by that doc.

Q My boyfriend and I try to avoid full sex, because I do not want to get pregnant.

So we just go in for 'fooling around', with mutual rubbing and 'blow jobs', etc.

However, what is worrying me is this. Would I be harmed if any of his sex fluid got in my eyes?

I have female friends who have told me that it is very bad if that happens.

A It is a fact that if male semen (that is, sex fluid) gets into the eyes, it can sometimes cause unpleasant stinging. If that happens, the best thing to do is to wash it out with lots of cool water.

So in the course of your 'love play', try to ensure that your guy's fluid does not go near your eyes.

Q I notice that I have 'spotting' for a week or so before my menstruation actually flows. Does this matter, doc?

A Well, it should not be happening. Are you on the Pill? That kind of 'spotting' often happens when a woman is on a pill that is too low in dosage for her.

So if you are taking the Pill, ask your doctor to increase your dose slightly, and see if that clears up the problem.

However, you must also have an internal examination, in case there is some problem with your cervix or womb that is making you spot. Please do not delay.

Got any questions for Doc? Send feedback to him at saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com.