This is partly because books, films and – most of all – internet porn paint a picture in which today's females are hot and raring to go, and in an almost constant state of sexual ecstasy.
This inaccurate portrayal can lead to today's teens and 20-somethings believing that there's something wrong with them if they can't climax to order. The truth, however, is that most of them are absolutely normal.
Interestingly, only a generation ago many doctors believed that a high proportion of the female population simply couldn't climax at all.
Why did they think this way? Simply because most of them had had little or no training in sexual medicine.
Also, the majority of them were so embarrassed about sex themselves that they tried to avoid discussing it with their patients.
Furthermore, since women don't need to climax in order to conceive, most doctors didn't rate the importance of the female orgasm very highly.
New attitude
Fortunately in 2011, most medics have a very different attitude. This is largely because they're now familiar with the results of sexual studies conducted by American researchers Kinsey, Masters and Johnson, Shere Hite and others.In addition, the last 20 years have seen a number of sexual surveys conducted with large samples of people through newspapers and magazines. Indeed, our own company – the Medical Information Service – has designed many of these.
The results of these surveys have taken the lid off the sex life of the great British public.
Now we know that virtually any woman can climax – and indeed have multiple climaxes – if the circumstances of her life are right. And these circumstances usually include having a caring, understanding partner who's knowledgeable about sex and who uses that knowledge to help her relax and to reach orgasm.
As we've already said, orgasm is a much more automatic response for men than it is for women. And it would be true to say that in very many males an ability to climax doesn't necessarily have to be linked to feelings of love and romance.
But women more commonly find that their sexual confidence and competence blossoms when they feel loved and appreciated.
Of course nowadays there are young females who set out to have as much uncommitted and uncomplicated sex as young men. But they're still in the minority. And we have discovered that many of these youngsters are secretly quite unhappy.
But to understand more about the female orgasm, let's go back to the start of a woman's sexual life.
The beginnings
A lot of young women are worried about their lack of ability to climax. But the fact is, unlike males, most females have to learn to reach orgasm.Our research shows that most younger women do not manage to climax until some considerable time after they have started sexual activity. Moreover, when they do 'come' for the very first time, they do so in a variety of ways.
In a survey we conducted for our book The Big 'O', we found that:
- 47 per cent climaxed for the first time through masturbation
- 32 per cent through sexual intercourse
- 20 per cent through petting
- 1 per cent while sleeping.
The 20s and 30s
Even in their 20s and 30s, a lot of women have difficulty reaching that elusive orgasm.These days, most sex therapists believe that if you can't climax (or don't climax easily), it's a good idea to start by practising on your own.
This may seem obvious, but many women, even today, feel inhibited about self-love and can't help feeling that it isn't something they should be doing.
But masturbating helps you to learn exactly which pressures and rhythms you need in order to bring you to orgasm. So, it can be really useful.
You may also find it helpful to watch some sort of sex-education DVD, such as Betty Dodson's Selfloving.
Once you have learned to climax easily on your own, you can then show your partner exactly what you need in order to make you come.
Of course, this may feel embarrassing at first. But the first step in fulfilment with a partner is to communicate your feelings to him or her and also to communicate how you like your body to be touched.
When you can't find the words, use caresses. But also try to build up a vocabulary with your partner that's easy to use. A lot of couples find their sex lives fail simply because they don't have the right language. And saying: 'Could you rub my ...er ...er?' isn't specific enough to be helpful.
Some women, incidentally, find achieving orgasm much easier with the help of a vibrator. And nowadays there are several excellent online mail order businesses, run by women for women, which sell good quality sex aids that really work.
They also sell lingerie, erotic literature and lubrication. They are equally helpful to gay and heterosexual women.
30 plus
By the time you're in your 30s, 40s or 50s: you should be able to reach orgasm quite easily – provided that you have a loving, understanding partner.But do remember that most women find that their ability to climax varies according to what part of their menstrual cycle they're in.
It's quite common for a woman to feel especially orgasmic half-way through her cycle. But some women feel particularly turned-on just before a period. Others notice that they don’t really feel like sex at all during some times of the month. All of this is normal.
But if you're still not having any orgasms at all, or if you're still having enormous difficulty 'getting there' – you may want to seek some help from an experienced sex therapist.
Our article 'Who to contact for sex therapy' will help you to find the right person.
Various types of orgasm
Thanks to Freud, the father of psycho-analysis, people used to believe that vaginal orgasms were what mature women had, while clitoral orgasms were what immature women had.Experts no longer believe this. And many of today's sex experts, as well as ordinary women, say that they really don't know the difference between a vaginal orgasm and a clitoral one.
The majority of women need clitoral stimulation in order to climax. This applies whether they're enjoying loveplay or intercourse.
Some women, on the other hand, believe they can 'come' through intercourse with no manual stimulation of the clitoris and claim that it's the vagina itself that sparks off the orgasm.
But many sex experts think that what's happening during intercourse is the clitoris is being stimulated by being pulled down or being rubbed by part of the man's torso.
There's also the G-spot to consider.
Some women experience a particularly intense orgasm when that part of their anatomy is stimulated (you can find the G-spot inside you, on the front vaginal wall).
Indeed, many women who enjoy having their G-spots touched claim that they ejaculate during these intense orgasms.
So, there may be a case for saying that there's a G-spot orgasm – as well as possibly a vaginal one and one that originates in the clitoris.
Our feeling about all of this is that it really doesn't matter whether or not there are different types of orgasms.
The important thing is that you should be having good, reliable orgasms whenever you want them – and you should be enjoying them.
Simultaneous orgasm
A lot of women write to us complaining that they can't reach simultaneous orgasm with their partners.But in fact, simultaneous orgasm is quite uncommon. Surveys done by the Medical Information Service and others have found that most women rarely climax at exactly the same time as their partners.
However, it's certainly nice when this happens.
And it can be achieved – if the man has good control of his own orgasm and if he's skilled at using his fingers during intercourse – to bring the woman to a climax just at the same moment as he comes.
Or indeed, if she chooses to use her own fingers to stimulate herself, so that they climax together.
