What’s an orgasm?

What’s an orgasm? How can I tell if I've had one?

An orgasm is the release of built-up muscle tension resulting from sexual activity. It produces rapid muscle contractions usually in the genital and anal area, but these contractions can also be throughout the whole body. Most people find these muscular contractions very pleasant. At the same time, painkilling chemicals called endorphins are released into the bloodstream, causing intense pleasure and relaxation.
You may feel flushed or warm, your heartbeat will race, you will breathe harder, and you'll experience rapid muscle spasms mainly concentrated in the genital and anal areas.

In both men and some women, an orgasm is often accompanied with the release of ejaculatory fluid. Ejaculation is much more usual in men than it is in women. Only about 10 percent of women report ejaculating during orgasm.
Orgasms can be reached through many different types of sexual activity. Most women are more likely to reach orgasm through clitoral stimulation rather than stimulation of only the vagina. Men tend to reach orgasm more quickly than women, just as men tend to become sexually aroused more quickly than women. On the other hand, women are more likely to have more than one or multiple orgasms during sexual activity than men are.

Women’s experience with orgasm is more varied than men’s, and not all women experience orgasm in the same way. There are also many women and men who get great pleasure from sex, whether or not they have orgasms.