Can you get pregnant without an orgasm?

It is complex and always provides the basis for hot discussion and debate: the female orgasm. Women climax in different ways and with different intensity. Even though it is often unfairly claimed that women have a harder time reaching climax than men, women seem to have a benefit with the clitoris, as it is an organ that exists mostly for the sensation of pleasure. During the male orgasm, sperm is ejaculated, which is of course absolutely necessary for conception. But what about the female orgasm? Is it really ‘necessary’ for successful conception?

We all enjoy climaxing but what actually happens during an orgasm? Well, orgasm primarily requires some form of stimulation, vaginal or clitoral. When people with vaginas are aroused and the clitoris is stimulated they usually become wet, the pulse and blood pressure increase, the skin turns pink and the genitals swell due to the increased blood supply. In addition, muscle tension in the body increases. Shortly before climax, the orgasmic cuff is formed. This causes the outer part of the vagina to fill with blood, resulting in the tissue to constrict. The heartbeat and breathing accelerate and the muscle tension increases further. Eventually, involuntary, rhythmic muscle contractions of the vaginal, rectal and uterine muscles occur. When the muscles relax again after orgasm, there is usually a feeling of letting go. Dopamine and oxytocin are released in the brain during orgasm. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that makes you feel happy and oxytocin, the ‘bonding hormone’, makes you feel close to your partner. Research also shows that the hippocampus and amygdala show decreased activity before orgasm. These areas in the brain are associated with feelings of fear and anxiety. This suggests that it is especially important for women to feel safe and relaxed during sex in order to reach climax.

A clitoral orgasm refers to the orgasm achieved when the clitoris is stimulated. Sexual arousal is triggered and continuously increased during sexual stimulation.

A vaginal orgasm refers to the orgasm achieved when the vagina is stimulated. Usually during sex both areas, sometimes the clitoris and sometimes the vagina, are stimulated. Because the clitoris and vagina are located close to each other, it is difficult to speak of purely clitoral or vaginal stimulation during sex. In science, it is assumed that there is probably no such thing as an exclusively vaginal orgasm, because the clitoris is, in one way or the other, always stimulated during penetration. After all, the visible part of the clitoris is only a small part of the actual organ.

For centuries there has been a more or less heated discussion about a woman’s climax. In the course of time, the rumour has arisen that a woman must experience an orgasm during the sexual act in order to conceive successfully. This assumption is and remains a rumour. Fertilisation of the egg also occurs if the woman does not have an orgasm during unprotected sexual intercourse. So it is not a necessity, even though it is a big component in a woman’s pleasure. When a woman has reached climax, there are rhythmic contractions of the muscles in the genital area. This includes the uterine muscles. The orgasm can last up to 50 seconds. Since women, unlike men, do not need any recovery time, women can achieve multiple orgasms with continued stimulation. The muscle contractions in the vagina and uterus led to the assumption that a woman’s orgasm would make it easier for sperm to reach the uterus and thus increase the chances of successful fertilisation. However, significant studies showing a connection between the female orgasm and pregnancy are still pending.

The so-called ‘pre-ejaculate’ is often also called ‘drop of precum’. This refers to a small amount of clear fluid that comes out of the penis during sexual arousal before the actual ejaculation. This fluid is formed by the so-called Cowper’s gland. From there, it reaches the tip of the penis via the urethra. When it is formed, the fluid itself does not contain any sperm. Nevertheless, there are studies that have been able to confirm that sperm can be found in the drop of precum. But how can this happen? Well, if ejaculation has taken place shortly before sexual arousal, it is quite possible that the drop of precum contains sperm. Even without a previous climax, sperm cells can be present in the fluid. Since sexual stimulation triggers the process of ejaculation, it is possible that sperm cells are found in the drop of precum – even if there has not been a climax beforehand. In this case, the sperm have already penetrated the urethra and are ‘flushed out’ with this fluid. If a woman is highly fertile at the time of intercourse, successful fertilisation is therefore possible, taking into account the viability of sperm in the female body, even if it is rather unlikely.