Orgasmic Birth Tell Me More

Wait, did you say orgasm during birth? According to Ina May Gaskin, up to 20% of people experience orgasm during birth, particularly in intimate settings like midwife-led birth centres.

Organisms during birth make physiological sense. The same hormones, especially oxytocin, drive both sexual pleasure and uterine contractions.

Research shows pleasurable genital stimulation increased pain tolerance by nearly 75%, while orgasm itself increased it by 106%. The nerves transmitting pain signals are the same ones that transmit pleasure.

How to take advantage of your physiology:

• Give yourself time. Trust that your body is designed to give birth
• Get your partner on board. Speak openly about wanting to use self-stimulation for pain management
• Cultivate intimacy. Deep kissing is one of the best ways to move through labour
• Demand privacy. Request private time with your partner when needed