The Complete Guide To Having Multiple Orgasms

Within the world of sex, multiple orgasms carry an almost mythical status. Women capable of experiencing them enjoy intense pleasure, while those still working toward it sometimes doubt it's even achievable. Fortunately, this may well be a skill you can develop, and we've got tips to help.

So what actually counts as a multiple orgasm? It depends on the woman. It could mean several orgasms within one session, or the ability to climax in rapid succession. For instance, you might qualify as multi-orgasmic if you can orgasm more than once within a five- or ten-minute window. These are sometimes labeled successive orgasms, too [1].

For some women, multiple orgasms mean a rapid-fire series of climaxes back to back.

Reaching even a single orgasm can already be a struggle for many women, let alone multiple. Fixating too heavily on the finish line can cost you a lot of pleasure along the way. In fact, an intense focus on achieving one or more orgasms can sometimes be the very reason a woman doesn't reach one at all.

Prioritize pleasure over the orgasm itself, so even without multiples, you've still had a great time.

Give yourself enough time for multiples to actually happen. That may also require a shift in mindset (something often necessary when trying to improve your sex life). If you assume sex has to end the moment you climax, or the moment he does, you'll need to be prepared to spend time on your own pleasure afterward, or focus on it before the grand finale.

In fact, foreplay might matter even more for multiple orgasms than it does for a typical quickie!

Read more about quickies.

That means holding off on chasing multiples with a brand-new partner if you're not fully at ease yet. Women tend to orgasm more easily in committed relationships [2]. If orgasming even once with a new partner is a struggle, multiples will be an even tougher ask.

Communicating openly about sex can boost your odds of orgasming at all [3]. So if a single orgasm, let alone multiples, feels out of reach, work on your sexual communication first.

Get tips for talking about sex.

Set the mood with music, candles, incense, or lighting that feels comfortable to you. Then have your partner get to work on your clit with his tongue or your favorite toy. We've got plenty of advice when it comes to foreplay in this post.

Master A Single Orgasm Before Chasing Two

Some women hoping to learn how to orgasm more than once haven't quite nailed down a single orgasm yet. Starting there and building up is the smarter path.

Find out how to orgasm every time.

Here are the highlights, if you want the short version:

• More women reach orgasm through clitoral stimulation alone than through vaginal stimulation alone [4], and many prefer clitoral stimulation even when it's not strictly required.
• Penetrative sex alone often isn't enough to bring a woman to orgasm [5, 6]. The farther the clitoris sits from the vaginal opening, the harder that becomes [7].
• Manual and oral stimulation work wonders for clitoral orgasm, as do sex toys.
• Positions like Thigh Tide or Coital Alignment Technique can help you climax during penetration itself.
• Mastering orgasm solo is usually easier than doing it with a partner. Check out this guide to masturbating for more.

Mastering Different Orgasm Types Is Key To Having Multiples

Variety often ends up being the secret to multiple orgasms. Like a lot of women, your clitoris might turn extremely sensitive right after an orgasm. That's entirely normal, and you may need to back off, or ask your partner to give you a breather while your body resets.

For men, this recovery window is called the refractory period, making further arousal and orgasm difficult during it [8, 9, 10]. It varies quite a bit [11] — anywhere from minutes to hours.

As a woman, though, you might have a much shorter refractory period, or none at all [12, 13], opening the door to experiencing more than one type of orgasm. That could mean a vaginal or G-spot orgasm (more about vaginal orgasms here) while your clit is still too sensitive to touch. A whole stream of varied orgasms sounds pretty appealing! Just get comfortable first with the kind of stimulation that builds toward each type.

Plenty of women are already familiar with clitoral orgasms, which you can read all about in this post, whatever the old jokes about guys never finding the clit might suggest. That fleshy bud sitting above your vaginal opening packs thousands of nerve endings, making it wonderfully responsive to fingers, tongues, and vibrators alike.

Speaking of vibrators, your trusty toy might be exactly what you need for a multiple-orgasm session. Plenty of women find it far easier to orgasm with a toy involved. It can also get you there faster while sparing your hand and fingers from strain.

There's another perk here, too. If a second or third orgasm feels harder to reach, a sex toy can smooth that path considerably.

You might even enjoy having your partner grind his penis against your clit! Clitoral orgasms often get described as feeling shallower than other types. You might not feel this kind as deeply, or it may not last as long, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.

As Dr. Emily Nagoski puts it,

there is no “right” or “better” kind of orgasm [14 p 271]

G-spot Orgasms

If you're one of the lucky women capable of G-spot orgasms, squirting may come along with it, adding yet another dimension to a multiple-orgasm session! The G-spot sits on the front wall of the vagina, just behind the pubic bone, and it's remarkably sensitive. This is actually where you can access your clitoris internally, since the visible glans is only part of a much larger structure extending inside the body [15].

Curled fingers or sex toys can often reach this spot even when a partner's penis misses it during standard sex.

Get the lowdown on squirting.

Your G-spot may respond to vibration, though it typically needs firmer pressure to reach orgasm. Learn more about G-spot orgasms in this guide.

A-spot Orgasms

There's another sensitive zone inside the vagina worth knowing about. The A-spot, sometimes called the anterior fornix, sits on the front vaginal wall near the cervix. Unlike the clitoris, it doesn't turn hyper-sensitive after orgasm, making it a great option when you're working toward multiples.

Anal Orgasms

Anal orgasms are less common and happen through anal stimulation alone. If you're one of the lucky ones who can climax from anal penetration or stimulation, insertion isn't even required if you're not comfortable with it, you can add this to your toolkit the first time you're chasing a multiple orgasm. Click here to learn how to improve anal sex.

If you're receiving multiple types of stimulation at once, you might experience a blended orgasm that pulls characteristics from several categories at once. As long as you're enjoying yourself, don't get too hung up on labeling exactly where it came from!

What Else Can You Do?

Rest assured there are concrete steps you can take if multiples are proving elusive. For starters, strengthening your pelvic floor, or PC muscles, can make orgasms easier to reach and more intense once you get there. To locate these muscles, imagine squeezing to stop the flow of urine near your bladder.

The muscles in your back should stay still while you do this. These little exercises fit easily into a day, even while waiting in line at the store or folding laundry.

They're called Kegels, named for the doctor who developed them originally for women, mothers especially, dealing with urinary incontinence. You can do them unaided or invest in kegel-strengthening devices.

Typically, these take the form of kegel balls, like the Luna Beads by Lelo, though you can also clench and release around a dildo or other weighted toy to build strength, holding for a count of three. Releasing the muscles matters just as much as clenching them.

Kegel exercises slot easily into your routine, and both you and your partner may notice benefits even without multiple orgasms as the payoff. Your partner can feel your PC muscles clench during sex once they're strong, and clenching and releasing as orgasm approaches can intensify things considerably.

These 4 Kegel exercises will supercharge your sex life.

Now, we've spent this whole guide on strategies for achieving multiple orgasms, so this next tip might sound contradictory: slow down. You'll obviously need to respect your own refractory period, but building up to orgasm takes a real toll, physically and mentally.

You might simply need to give your clit a short break before returning to stimulation. Use that pause to please your partner (a hand job or blow job, maybe?), kiss deeply, run your hands over each other's bodies, or just cuddle close.

Click here for a reminder of how cuddling boosts intimacy! Share some ice cream in bed, or list everything that turns you on about your partner.

Doing this helps you stay present in the moment rather than fixating on the goal of multiple orgasms. It also builds intimacy, gives you both some downtime, and lets naughty talk or gentle touches ease you back into the action. Your partner might even be ready for another round by then, perfect timing for chasing multiples!

Men and Multiple Orgasms

You're probably here because you wondered, "Can women have multiple orgasms?" but men can experience this too! Check out the resources section for books that can help you and your partner explore multiples together.

Women who discover they can achieve multiple orgasms open up a whole new dimension of their sexuality, and it's worth having fun experimenting. But if multiples stay out of reach, that's perfectly fine too. Remember that the journey usually beats the destination anyway, which might be the real key to unlocking multiple orgasms in the first place.

What The Science Says

Understanding what makes a woman multi-orgasmic starts with understanding what an orgasm actually is. Don't worry, we'll keep this simple. Think of orgasm as

the sudden discharge of accumulated sexual tension during the sexual response cycle, resulting in rhythmic muscular contractions in the pelvic region characterized by sexual pleasure.

Built-up tension releases, muscles contract [17, 18], and pleasure generally follows [19]. Some describe orgasm as a genuinely ecstatic state [20]. Heart rate visibly climbs, too [21].

There's also plenty happening beneath conscious awareness, including the release of hormones like prolactin [22] and serotonin [23], which lift mood, sharpen memory, and can even help regulate sleep [24]. It likely contributes to a man's refractory period, too [25].

Another reason orgasm feels so good? It releases endorphins, the same chemicals exercise produces to boost mood [26]. Oxytocin gets released at orgasm as well [27], helping foster bonding.

All this activity shows up clearly on brain scans. Researchers using fMRIs have imaged women's brains during orgasm and found rising activity leading up to and during climax across the nucleus accumbens, insula, anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, operculum, right angular gyrus, paracentral lobule, cerebellum, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, ventral tegmental area, and dorsal raphe, spanning sensory, motor, reward, frontal cortical, and brainstem regions [28].

A woman's capacity for multiple orgasms ties directly to how her body experiences desire, and research has shed real light on that process.

You've probably learned that arousal follows a simple pattern: excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution. Sex researchers Masters and Johnson originally proposed this linear model [29, 30, 31]. As it turns out, that's largely accurate for men: aroused, orgasm, done.

But women's arousal cycle often departs from that linear pattern [32]. For one thing, the original model doesn't even factor in desire [33].

Curious about other ways men and women's sexual responses differ? Read this article about sexual desire.

Alternative models proposed for women include ones featuring multiple peaks, or orgasms [34, 29, 35]. A woman's arousal fades far more gradually after climax. While you're still in a heightened state (experiencing clitoral erection along the way), reaching a second orgasm, and maybe more, becomes considerably easier.

Understanding your arousal cycle isn't just useful for chasing multiple orgasms; it's also a great tool for building general horniness.

Read More: Understanding Your Sexual Response Cycle To Get Aroused (+11 Techniques)

Because women can circle back to arousal and experience multiple orgasms, researchers have also proposed a circular model to describe it [36, 37].

In short, being multi-orgasmic comes down to not resetting to square one immediately after that first climax.

Psst, this same information is handy if you're interested in trying edging.

Resources

Wikipedia has a solid entry on the sexual response cycle, covering the real differences between men's and women's cycles that make multiple orgasms more attainable for women.

The Guardian's piece titled “The search for the multiple or orgasm – does it really exist?” compares the on-screen version to real life.

Sex educator and researcher Justin Lehmiller discusses whether and how men can have multiple orgasms on his blog.

Two books worth exploring further: The Multi-Orgasmic Woman: Discover Your Full Desire, Pleasure, and Vitality and, if the topic interests you further, The Multi-Orgasmic Man: Sexual Secrets Every Man Should Know.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ #1 – Is every woman capable of multiple orgasms?

We can't honestly say "Yes" across the board. Most women likely carry the potential, much like most women can squirt. One study found that 42.7% of participants reported being able to have multiple orgasms [38].

Still, plenty of reasons might make it impossible for others. Some women are simply "one and done" when it comes to climax, just like most men. That doesn't make you any less normal or capable [39].

Before ruling it out entirely, though, it's worth learning more about your own arousal cycle and your body's specific preferences. That deeper understanding can be applied toward "sexual activities to obtain more effective stimulation for fuller use of […]sexual capacity [40]."

FAQ #2 – Can men have multiple orgasms?

Yes! Men can absolutely experience multiple orgasms. Unlike women, who typically repeat the same orgasm type multiple times, men need to master "dry" orgasms, usually achieved through prostate stimulation.

Learn more about prostate play.

If a man can hold back ejaculation during arousal, or stretch out the period of high arousal before finishing, he may be able to achieve multiple orgasms too [41, 42]!

FAQ #3 – Is there a guaranteed way to have multiple orgasms?

Unfortunately, no. Keeping arousal elevated, pausing briefly if your clitoris becomes overstimulated post-orgasm but continuing stimulation afterward, improves your odds considerably. Still, listening to your own body always matters most.

FAQ #4 – Is it normal if my first orgasm feels the strongest?

Yes! Orgasm intensity naturally varies. One study found that "contractions were more prominent during the initial orgasms [43]."

July 30, 2020