Ohhhh, Yes!

You Have The Right To Enjoy Your Body. Here’s The Latest On Finding Satisfaction, From Self-pleasure And Digital Helpers To Having Sex After Giving Birth

- Mitzi Miller

A common belief is that sex starts in the brain and that women require more mental stimulation to enjoy sex than men do. But the scientific truth is that a woman’s clitoris has up to 8,000 nerve endings—twice the amount in a penis. Women with fully functioning anatomies have the ability to thoroughly enjoy the physical pleasures of sex—we just have to master the arousal process for our bodies. “We have this notion that female sexual pleasure is hard and confusing,” explains Shan Boodram, a sexologist and host of Make Up or Break Up on Facebook Watch. “A lot of the pressure to get in the mood comes from people just not accepting what makes them feel good [physically] and allowing that to be enough. In fact, it’s often just a matter of stroking the hot button and you’ll get there versus trying to do what you’ve heard and having it not work.”

OWN YOUR ORGASM

The arousal cycle—from the first spark of desire to orgasm—takes the average woman anywhere from 12 to 20 minutes to finish. Understanding and being able to clearly articulate what turns you on is not only empowering but also very helpful if you want to successfully complete that cycle with a partner. Rachael L. Ross, M.D., clinical sexologist, physician and former cohost of The Doctors, explains, “A lot of time, especially if you’re in a heterosexual relationship, gentlemen tend to rely on past sexual experiences and porn to figure out how to please their partners. If you can’t direct them in the right way, then they’ll just continue to be going off mystery and fabrication.” Many women still find it difficult to have straightforward conversations with our lovers about the big O.