Sexual arousal, orgasm and ejaculation in a group of female medical students in Oslo, Norway

Abstract

Background:

First-hand accounts of female ejaculation frequency are scarce in the medical literature. This study presents self-reported experiences from a segment of well-educated, sexually active women in their 20s.

Objective:

To determine how often young, sexually active adult women experience some form of fluid release before, during, or immediately after orgasm, and to explore their practical and emotional reactions.

Method:

Fifty-three female medical students at the University of Oslo, aged 19–29 years, were interviewed by a fellow female student. Forty-four reported heterosexual orientation, while the remaining described themselves as “bisexual,” “open,” or “pansexual”; none reported “lesbian” or “queer” identity. Individual interviews were conducted at the university, without recording, and with minimal intervention from the interviewer. All participants reported sexual experience through self-stimulation and with male partners; fifteen also had experience with female partners. The number of previous sexual partners ranged from one to 60, with a median of nine.

Results:

Fifty-two participants had experienced orgasm through self-stimulation, of whom four had never experienced orgasm with a partner. Twenty-six reported some form of fluid release before, during, or immediately after orgasm, with ten describing it as a visible squirt from the genital area. The likelihood of ejaculation during orgasm depended on the duration of sexual stimulation. Unlike orgasm itself, ejaculation provided little additional pleasure.

Conclusion:

Female ejaculation is common among young, sexually active adult women.