From Woman to Woman
A woman’s orgasm: 

There is still a prevailing myth about the correct and socially
accepted way to an orgasm. Many sexual counsellors, for
example, only concentrate on the penis-in-vagina sexual act
and thereby insinuate that it’s the only way to real sexual
satisfaction. Petting or masturbation is only partly mentioned
and sex between lesbians and gays is regarded as unfulfilling.

Physiologically an orgasm is an orgasm, whether achieved by
masturbation, coitus, oral stimulation or any other form of
stimulation. The subjective experience may differ but the
physiological cycle, which a woman goes through, is the same:
when sexual tension is accumulated, the woman has an
orgasm and returns to the original state of calmness.

To reach an orgasm psychological and / or physical
stimulation is required. There are some women (according to
Kinsey it is about 2 percent of the population) who can reach
an orgasm by only using their fantasy, without any genital
stimulation; another small percentage can reach an orgasm
with breast or other non-genital stimulation. Some women
have spontaneous orgasms and many women can have an
orgasm whilst dreaming. Despite these exceptions most
women need an extensive amount of stimulation of the genital
area.

The sexual reaction cycle can be divided into four general
phases: the arousal phase, the plateau phase, the orgasm
phase and the relaxation phase. These phases are not
completely separable. One phase isn’t entirely finished before
the next one begins. This separation of the phases rather tries
to describe the order of the reactions, which characteristically
happen in a real continuous process.

1. The arousal phase:
The clitoris becomes hard when the underlying tissue fills with
blood. At the same time the vagina produces lubrication
through sweating. The veins of the vagina widen and fill with
blood, the colour of the vaginal walls darken. Now the pulse
and the blood pressure increase considerably and the woman
starts to move rhythmically.

2. The plateau phase:
The wall tissue on the outer vaginal third and the PC muscle
swell with blood, which results in a narrowing of the vaginal
entrance. This area is called orgasmic plateau. The clitoris
seems to have disappeared somewhere under the hood at
this point in time, but it further reacts to direct stimulation of the
surrounding area. The uterus, the Fallopian tube and the
ovaries swell up. Breathing, pulse and the woman’s
movements become faster.

3. The orgasm phase:
The muscles start to contract rhythmically. Breathing, pulse and
blood pressure become faster until a body reflex turns around
the process of the growing muscle tension and blood supply to
the sexual tissue. Neither an orgasm nor a knee reflex can be
forced - both reflexes come naturally. The increasing muscle
tension and the overfilling of the veins reach a climax and
results in an orgasm.

4. The relaxation phase:
The contraction of the clitoris keeps the blood from flowing
further into the tissue. The pulse slows down and the tissue
goes down. The sexual organs return to their normal state. The
woman relaxes and is covered by a fine layer of sweat.