U.S. women report diverse preferences related to sexual pleasure, study finds

"There had been little known at the population level about detailed aspects of women's sexual pleasure and orgasm," said Debby Herbenick, lead author of the study and professor at the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington. "Most previous studies utilized clinical, college and convenience samples. We worked to change that with this research and provide data, especially for sexual health educators, clinicians and physicians, surveying a U.S. nationally representative probability sample of adult women."

Herbenick and her research team, including Associate Professor Brian Dodge from the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington, conducted the OMGYES Sexual Pleasure Report: Women and Touch with a focus on discovering a greater understanding of women's sexual pleasure and orgasm. In addition to informing conversations for women and men interested in improving their own sexual lives, Herbenick believes their research will be helpful for physicians and surgeons who may have to perform surgery on the vulva.

"In our field, surgeons have expressed interest in our data as one of their goals is to preserve nerve function and sexual pleasure when they operate," Herbenick explained. "Previous research has been limiting in informing which areas of the vulva women more often touch or stimulate during sex, which makes it difficult for them to make informed decisions about incisions during surgery. Having data about genital sensation, pleasure, and touch can therefore be useful to the physicians as well as patients in terms of preserving sexual function following surgery."

The study found that the more than 1,000 women, ages 18 to 94, surveyed reported a diverse set of preferences for genital touch, location, pressure, shape and pattern. Further, 41% of women preferred just one specific style of touch, underscoring the value of couples having conversations about their preferences and desires.

This study provides the first U.S. nationally representative data on pathways to orgasm during intercourse, noting that nearly 75 percent of women reported that clitoral stimulation was either necessary for their intercourse-orgasms, or helped their orgasms feel better, while 18 percent noted that vaginal penetration alone was sufficient for orgasm.

Women's sexual health is one of several research areas focused on within the IU School of Public Health's Center for Sexual Health Promotion (sexualhealth.indiana.edu). The center, which is a collaborative of sexual health scholars from across the campuses of Indiana University and strategic partner academic institutions, also continually researches community based participatory research and sexual health, reproductive health (including condoms and other forms of contraception), men's sexual health, capacity building among sexual and gender minority youth, and global sexual health.