The Three Types of Female Orgasms You Need to Know
In recent years you’ve likely seen content or heard of folks normalizing vulva diversity, but have you heard about the diversity of female orgasms? Just like there is no single way a vulva “should” look and they all have beauty to be celebrated, there is no single way a female orgasm “should” feel like, and, you guessed it, they’re all spectacular!
c/o giphy pleasure
Before becoming a sex and relationship therapist, I remember thinking that everyone’s orgasm experience must be physiologically identical. So when a good gal pal of mine once described the nature of an orgasm she had recently had, I immediately felt a sense of shame and confusion that my experience with orgasms didn’t seem to match what she was describing. I didn’t realize how much this dissonance was lingering with me until I began my sex therapy education and came across a study from Charles University in Prague that confirmed there are (at least) three different types of orgasms: waves, avalanches, and volcanoes. I immediately felt the freeing relief of weight being lifted off my shoulders knowing that my orgasms can be different from others’ and that they’re still valid (with empirical evidence to back it up!).
The Study
Dr. James Pfaus published this groundbreaking study about just one year ago in August 2022 analyzing pelvic floor movements during orgasm in people with vulvas. The 54 participants used a Bluetooth vibrator called “The Lioness” during masturbation until orgasm for several days at home. The vibrator’s sensors on its sides were used to track and measure the force of pelvic floor contractions as well as its rhythms. From their collected data, the researchers found three common patterns or “types” of orgasms:
The Wave
The wave was the most common type of orgasm across the vulva-owning participants (nearly half!) and is defined as “undulations or successive contractions of tension and release”. This can feel like a steady build-up.
The Volcano
The volcano was the least common type of orgasm found in about 20% of participants. This type has a lower pelvic floor tension that then suddenly tenses and releases during orgasm. Just as you can probably imagine from the name, volcano orgasms are more “explosive” than waves.
The Avalanche
Over 30% of participants experienced the avalanche, which we can think of in some ways as opposite to the volcano. The avalanche orgasm rides on higher pelvic floor tension and contractions with release of tension. However, the avalanche is NOT opposite to the volcano in that it is just as climactic!
c/o giphy avalanche
I must remind you that these findings are based on a very tiny sample size, so there is still much more research to be done to better understand these types or to even declare that these three are the only orgasms that exist. So whether any of these orgasm types described above resonate with you or not, there can be comfort found in the fact that there is no “one correct way” to have an orgasm. And Dr. Pfaus and his team are conducting an extension of this into a longer-term study. So who knows, maybe your unique orgasm will have a fancy, nature-themed name written in academia too one day!
~Allison Colaianni, ALMFT