Genes affect women’s ability to reach orgasm

Women who have difficulty reaching orgasm can blame it on their genes. Like heart disease, anxiety and depression, scientists discovered in a study of 1,397 pairs of female twins there is a genetic basis to female orgasm.

“We found that between 34 percent and 45 percent of the variation in ability to orgasm can be explained by underlying genetic variation,” said Tim Spector, of the Twin Research Unit at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London. “There is a biological underlying influence that can’t be attributed purely to upbringing, religion or race,” he added.

Other studies have attributed differences in the ability to achieve orgasm to cultural, religious and psychological factors.

Between 12 and 15 percent of women don’t have orgasms compared to about 2 percent of men. Males are also quicker, reaching orgasm in 2.5 minutes, while the average time it takes for a woman to reach orgasm is 12 minutes, according to Spector.

And there, in that last paragraph, in a nutshell, is the difference between men and woman!

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 9 Jun 2005
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.