“It is the least studied function, and the one that produces the most debate. More chatter and little science. And yet, orgasm is actually the most important thing in our sexual functionbecause in our species the fundamental purpose of sex is the element of pleasure and union. We do not mate with the aim of reproducing ourselves”. Emmanuele Jannini, professor of medical sexology at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, explains to Adnkronos Salute why it makes sense to have a Day in which to shine the spotlight on orgasm. This Day is celebrated on July 31st all over the world. Although there is a sort of ‘spin off’ on August 8th dedicated exclusively to the female one (“a topic on which everyone feels they can speak out”, observes Jannini), and there are those who over the years have proposed different nuances, such as activists Donna Sheehan and Paul Reffell, supporters of a Global Orgasm Day to be celebrated between December 21st and 22nd, on the occasion of the winter solstice, as a universal message of peace.
Sex and Oxytocin, The Importance of Orgasm
But orgasm is first and foremost good for the couple, the expert assures. “It is in fact also capable of producing a series of substances, in particular oxytocin which is the ‘biochemical cement’ of the couple itself“. It is therefore something that “has solid scientific foundations”. And it is good in many ways, including for health, “because it stimulates the reward areas of our brain, the areas of the dopamine zone.
Orgasm can be measured
But there’s more: orgasm can be measured“, Jannini explains. His research group did it, developing an ad hoc test. “This scientific method to measure the intensity of orgasm was a bit like ‘Columbus’s egg’, we created it by reversing the test that has been used for a hundred years for pain”. Same model, different object of study. “We called it an orgasmometer.. The male one was published in ‘Andrology’ and the female one in ‘Plos One’, and it is a widely used test, included in the international guidelines. Because, while we have had for dozens and dozens of years tests dedicated to ejaculation, lubrication, desire, all the sexual functions possible and imaginable, no one had thought about orgasm”. A scientific taboo too? “Surely – he reflects – there is also this element in our Western civilization, in the sense that a certain interpretation of religion is particularly negative towards the dimension of pleasure”. In reality this, the expert points out, “is a non-trivial problem, because for us sex is pleasure. You can’t go against the evidence. All animals have sex to reproduce. We and bonobos, with whom we share 98% of our genes, have learned to mate outside the moment of fertility. Nature, or evolution or whoever, have equipped us with a precise mechanism of exclusion of the reproductive dynamic as the engine, as the purpose of sex”.
Gender differences
And speaking of evolution, “we can’t help but mention the cultural evolution that orgasm has undergone,” Jannini points out. “Until the sexual revolution of the ’70s, sex, and therefore pleasure, was justified by reproduction, it was said that you have to do it to have children. Then people realized that this is something without biological foundation and neo-romanticism took hold. That is, it always contained a sort of moralistic necessity: sex is fine as long as there is love, the sentimental element was considered absolutely central. Today this continues to be valid for generations like mine, for the new generations it is no longer necessarily like this. I don’t know if it’s finally or not, in any case many young people couple for pleasure and don’t have to look for any justification. Whether it’s an evolution or an involution I couldn’t say, but it’s a fact. It must also be said that every time you try to use sex as a means, sex takes revenge, that is, it works badly. Sex is at its best when it’s an end in itself.”
Instructions for use? “Here we enter another context, which is the gender context. If we see – to use a metaphor – pleasure as a horse, for the male the reins must be pulled, for the woman they must be loosened”, says Jannini. What does this mean? “That the male has a biological tendency to ejaculate as quickly as possible and therefore must learn to hold back pleasure, on the contrary the more the woman abandons herself the greater the chances of experiencing an intense, pleasant orgasm. There is a real gender difference. The male needs to learn to govern his own pleasure because this biologically tends to occur in the shortest time possible, leaving in some cases also disappointment, suffering. Let us remember that premature ejaculation is the most frequent of male disorders. And in the context of practical advice it should be highlighted that the sexuality doctor has answers both for the problems of delay or absence of female orgasm and for excessive precocity in the case of males”.
In any case, orgasm cements the union, even with this coming together beyond gender differences. “It creates a bond”, it is a biochemical mechanism “dedicated to this purpose”, concludes Jannini. “First poets said it – he smiles – now even endocrinologists”.
National Orgasm Day, why in summer
Talking about it “doesn’t just mean addressing the issue of physical pleasure – for example, the experts at Anlaids Lombardia, who work to raise awareness about the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, point out – but also gender inequality, the differences between male and female orgasm and, more generally, it means talking about freedom considering that, in the world, many girls are denied their rights, through inhuman practices such as genital mutilation. And then it also means addressing the issue of sexual education and the culture of prevention of sexually transmitted infections”. National Orgasm Day is celebrated all over the world and can be an opportunity to raise awareness, this is the belief of the association’s experts, who on the occasion of the Day recall some services dedicated specifically to prevention and information. One of these is the test delivery service, and it recalls the importance of checks and early diagnosis for sexually transmitted diseases. Orgasm Day falls precisely in the summer, they observe, “when greater opportunities for meeting are created, especially among young people”.
Sex and Disease
Even today, most people do not know how HIV and STIs (sexually transmitted infections) spread in these areas, in addition to ignorance. There are still prejudices and fears. Every day, the free telephone counseling service of Anlaids Lombardia Ets receives requests for help and clarification. For example, there are those who say they had risky sex 20 days before and took the HIV test, with a negative result. “Can I rest easy?” is the question. The experts’ answer clarifies: “For the rapid saliva or blood test (finger prick), 90 days must pass from the risk event for the result to be definitive. For the blood test with blood sampling, 40 days must pass from the risk event for the test to be definitive”.
Then there are those who ask what the level of risk is linked to different circumstances, such as oral sex and so on. “Knowing your serological status, thanks to rapid saliva tests is essential to feel good and make others feel good”, urge the experts of Anlaids Lombardia, which created the project ‘At home I test’ (realized with the unconditional contribution of Gilead Science, winner of the Gilead Community Award), a sort of ‘delivery’ that includes the home delivery of the HIV and HCV test kit, and free telephone counseling (tel. 02 33608683) from an operator before, during and after the test (15 euros for 1 HIV or HCV test, 20 euros for HIV plus HCV, shipping included, free donation).
Inside the envelope, which is not marked by the sender Anlaids, in order to further guarantee the privacy of the content, there are instructions for easily performing the screening test that detects antibodies and that provides a reliable and rapid response in about 20 minutes. “Doing the test regularly must be a normal gesture: it is the way to guarantee safety and health for everyone”, conclude the experts.
According to the latest data available from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, in 2022 new infections increased among 25-35 year olds, of which half of the new diagnoses are late. In fact, “HIV infection is discovered in 58.1% of new cases already in an advanced stage, among these people 42% already had symptoms related to AIDS”, the experts recall. “To avoid a spread of advanced stages of the infection, it is necessary to spread the culture of prevention, from education to information, by carrying out widespread screening campaigns, which make tests easy and accessible for young people”.
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