Sex brings with it an array of emotions, hormones and responses in the body – researchers have identified that there are four main stages of sexual arousal in the female body. These include initial arousal, plateau, orgasm and the resolution.
Stage One- Arousal
When a woman is sexually aroused, the blood vessels in her genitals dilate – this increases the flow of blood to the vagina and sexual organs, causing fluid to pass through them. This process causes the vagina to become wet, providing a natural source of lubrication. The clitoral walls and the vulva become enlarged, due to the blood supply flowing through them, and the vagina expands within the body. This activity causes the woman’s blood pressure to rise, her pulse to quicken and her breathing rate to increase.
Stage Two: Plateau
The lower third of the vagina is flooded with more blood until it reaches its limit, causing the vagina to become swollen. This stage is known as introitus, and is also referred to as the orgasmic platform, and it is during this stage that the body goes through the contractions of orgasm. During this stage, a woman’s breasts can swell to more than 25 percent their original size. The clitoris pulls back against the pubic bone, and during this phase a woman needs constant stimulation in order to reach an orgasm.
Stage Three: Orgasm
The sexual tension built up in the previous two stages of sex are epitomised in the form of contractions throughout the genital muscles, generally 0.8 seconds apart. While men require a recovery period following an orgasm, women don’t – if a woman is stimulated again, she can achieve another orgasm in quick succession. It’s normal for a woman not to achieve an orgasm every time she has sex, as foreplay plays more of a vital role in achieving this third stage – this involves stroking the erogenous zones and stimulating the clitoris, as penetrative sex rarely results in orgasm amongst women.
Stage Four: Resolution
The final stage is when the woman’s body returns to its pre-sex state, where the breathing and pulse rates slow back down and return to normal.
