Study lists sex positions that help women reach orgasm

Who goes on top and how much of their partner’s skin touches the clitoris can make all the difference in a women’s orgasm. The conclusion is from a study carried out in New York (USA) that evaluated how the position of partners in sex interferes with female climax.

Using ultrasound, the researchers tested five positions described in the medical literature and described the change in blood flow to the clitoris before and after intercourse. The woman on top of the man, face to face with her partner, and the couple sitting, also facing each other, were the ones that most intensified the flow of blood in the erectile organ of the female apparatus.

However, the force exerted by the contact of the woman’s clitoris with her partner’s skin was more intense when she was on top, which also resulted in more powerful orgasms.

The objective of the research was to identify how the biomechanical part of the body and the forces employed (both by the couple and by gravity) can influence female pleasure. The study was led by physicians Kimberly Lovie and Amir Marashi from the Department of Medical Imaging at the New H Medical clinic.

The article “Coital positions and clitoral blood flow: A biomechanical and sonographic analysis” was published in the digital July issue of the international journal Sexologies, the official journal of the European Federation of Sexology.

“According to our results, face-to-face positions are more likely to lead to orgasm because they maximize clitoral stimulation and blood flow. In addition, positions where the female partner has more control over clitoral pressure [ou seja, quando mulher está por cima] produce more uniform increases in clitoral blood flow,” the authors state in the article.

For the researchers, the results could help in the medical treatment of sexual dysfunctions. “Difficulty reaching orgasm is a component of sexual dysfunction. Physicians can use these findings to advise patients on what sexual positions can help them reach climax,” they write.

The following positions were observed: partners lying face to face with the woman on top of the man; sitting facing each other; lying face to face with the man on top of the woman; lying face to face with the man on top of the woman and she leaning on a pillow; and the man kneeling behind the woman performing rear vaginal penetration.

Of the five, only in the latter there was no intensification of blood flow to the clitoris, justified by the lack of direct contact with this region.

In the position where the man was on top, the blood was more diffused in the woman’s pelvis and less concentrated in the clitoris, generating a less intense orgasm than when the woman was on top.

This proved that the success of face-to-face positions is not only due to the ability to facilitate verbal and physical communication between partners, but is also due to the biomechanical model of fitting.

The authors state that face-to-face with a man on top of a woman is not among the positions most likely to lead to orgasm, even though it is the most common position. Still, this can be corrected with the help of a pillow.

The idea is to balance the distribution of forces for deeper penetration and more intense contact, something that can be achieved with the help of a sexual positioning pillow (triangular and more consistent than conventional pillows). It should be under the woman’s body and in contact with the bed.

“These biomechanical factors may explain why the sitting/face-to-face position is highly likely to cause climax, but not the most likely,” report Lovie and Marashi.

To identify the blood flow in the region, ultrasounds were performed with a 32-year-old volunteer couple of doctors. The participants were in a monogamous heterosexual relationship and were known to the researchers. They performed the tests at home.

Each position lasted about 10 minutes and was done on a different day. Orgasm was not mandatory, but it was recorded whenever it occurred, and was confirmed in all five tests.

The authors point out that women may have different responses to stimulation in these positions and are also influenced by the psychological part and the varying degrees of impulse strength that partners may have.

According to psychotherapist Evelyn Ribeiro Lindholm, a specialist in sexuality and behavior, little research is focused on the development of increased sexual pleasure for women. For that reason they are of paramount importance, she says, since other sources of consultation, such as pornography, do not encourage mature or even real sexuality for couples.

“We have today the majority of men sexually satisfied, managing to reach an orgasm, while there are a large number of heterosexual women who are dissatisfied with the quality of sex,” he says. For the specialist, a more meaningful pleasure needs a more informed society and couples who are able to dialogue.

Lindholm recommends that women, if they feel there is openness, share the information with their partner before bed so that they too are comfortable trying it out.

“First of all, to make the dialogue about sexuality something more fluid. Many men when a woman comes up with something new for sex, whether it’s a different position or action, or using an accessory, there is a question of where this information came from, with who learned. Situations like this can even generate conflict”, says the psychotherapist.