What is an orgasm?
An orgasm is the sensation that leaves you feeling really good at the end of sexual excitement. You may feel it mostly in your genitals, but it's caused by events that happen both in your mind and in your body. back to top

What happens during an orgasm?
Any time you get sexually excited and aroused, during sex play with a partner, masturbation, or even just thinking sexually exciting thoughts, tension builds up in your body. You may notice that your breathing gets faster and your muscles tighten, particularly the muscles around your genitals. When the sexual excitement in your body reaches a peak, orgasm happens. Girls describe orgasm as a sensation that feels very good and gives them a release of the sexual tension. Orgasm in boys usually feels just as good. When boys have an orgasm, they also ejaculate. back to top

How old do you have to be to have an orgasm?
You can have an orgasm when you're sexually mature. In girls, that generally means somewhere between the ages of 10 and 16. back to top

Is there something wrong with me if I've never had an orgasm?
It's possible to have an orgasm as soon as you're sexually mature, but many girls don't have their first orgasms for years. There's nothing wrong with you if you've never had an orgasm or if you don't always have one during intercourse.

Having an orgasm depends on a combination of things:

• stimulation of your genitals (many girls and women find that the clitoris is more sensitive than the vagina)
• the right mood
• the right partner during sex play or sexual intercourse

For example, if intercourse is painful, as it sometimes is for many girls, it's pretty unlikely that you'd have an orgasm. back to top

Can you have more than one orgasm at a time?
Unlike boys, who can only have one orgasm at a time, girls can have many orgasms in a row. These are sometimes called multiple orgasms. back to top

Can a boy tell if a girl has had an orgasm?
A boy can't always tell if a girl has had an orgasm. Sometimes a boy can feel when the muscles of a girl's body contract during orgasm, but that might not always happen. back to top