“Human Sexual Response” Summary Female Non-Genital Response
Welcome to the second installment of Human Sexual Response summaries. I read this book years ago and have gone back to it many times since. However, I have never written in detail about it for the blog, which is a shame because this is a fundamental work of physiological orgasm research. Plus, I think summarizing these helps me understand and retain research information better.
When I go beyond a basic summary and express my personal opinions or information outside the text, I will note that specifically, often in brackets like these [ME: …].
Masters, William and Virginia Johnson. Human Sexual Response. Little, Brown, and Company, 1966.
SECTION 2 - FEMALE SEXUAL REPSONSE
CHAPTER 3 -FEMALE EXTRAGENITAL RESPONSE
“This chapter will be devoted to evidence of physiologic response to effective sexual stimulation in other than the target organs of female reproduction. The four phases of the cycle of sexual response will be employed as a descriptive aid.” (p27)
[ME: I want to note that some of the descriptions of visible physiological changes that M&J deem common are likely only commonly visible in the way described because the majority of the participants were white and lighter skin shows color changes related to increased blood flow differently than darker shades. I always just try to keep in mind that it’s all related to the basic situation of blood vessels and tissue engorgement (think about the look of exercise or heat in the skin) and however that shows itself in the body you are interested in probably has some relevance to M&Js discussion of things like the ‘sex flush’ and ‘venous patterns in the breasts’]
THE BREASTS
Excitement
Nipple erection is first evidence of sexual tension. It’s caused by involuntary contraction of muscle fibers within the nipple structure.
Sometimes one nipple’s erection lags behind the other
Some nipple erections, particularly with inverted nipples is less obvious
“Large, protruding nipples usually have relatively less capacity for size increase than do the normal-sized nipples.” (p28)
“Excessively small nipples have little physiological capacity to respond to sexual stimulation with a measurable increase in size” (p28)
Increased visible definition and extension of the venous pattern of the breasts
larger breasts are likely to show this more
“If a breast is of sufficient size” the venous pattern can become obvious on the underside
“Engorgement of the vascular tree of the breast rarely extends centrally as far as the areola, since there is fairly rapid venous drainage to the axillary and internal mammary veins [54,299].” (p29)
“As sexual tension increases, there is an obvious increase in the actual size of the breast.” (p29) When the woman is standing, it’s easier seen in the bottom of the breast, and when lying it’s easier seen as an all-over increase. Breast size increase was first described 30 years ago in R.L Dickenson’s Atlas of Human Sex Antomy (2nd ed.)
Plateau
The areola (coloring around the nipple) starts swelling in late excitement phase and can become so much so that it starts making the nipples look smaller.
By the end of the plateau phase, just before orgasm:
the breasts of someone that has not breastfed, “will have increased in size by one-fifth to one-fourth over unstimulated, baseline measurements” (p29)
if 1 baby has been breast fed, there is usually not as definitive of an increase. If more than one baby has been breastfed, there is rarely significant size increase
This difference is likely due to changes in the fiberous tissue and vein drainage during milk production
Orgasm
“There is no specific breast reaction to the experience of orgasm” (p30)
Resolution
There is a reversal of all the changes described above.
As a general rule, breast that have not produced milk change back to baseline more slowly. It often takes 5 to 10 minutes to lose the increased breast volume.
Human Sexual Response (Masters and Johnson 1966) Figure 3-1
THE SEX FLUSH
This change had not previously been noticed before, but because of all the hot, bright lights used to support film recording in the lab, it was made more clear.
Intensity and distribution varies, but “as a rule the severity of the flush reaction may be considered a direct indication of the intensity of the sexual tensions experienced by the responding women.” (p31)
Described as measle-like, this rash first appears in either late excitement or early plateau phase on the area under the breasts between the ribcages. It can move up to the breasts, first on the top then sometimes, when orgasm is closer, to the underside.
In some instance it can move to the lower abdomen, back, thighs, butt, shoulders, and even the inside of the elbows.
It terminates abruptly upon orgasm and disappears in the reverse order it appeared
“Approximately 75% of all women evaluated demonstrated the sex flush on occasion” (p32). However that is likely a high estimate for the general population
MYOTONIA (muscular tension)
Myocardia (prolonged contractions of the skeletal muscles) becomes obvious in the late excitement phase
Contractions may be voluntary or spasm involuntarily
A common example is carpopedal spasms (muscle spasms in hands and feet), often involuntary in fingers and toes frequently during the late plateau and orgasm phases
URETHRA AND URINARY BLADDER
Often and repeated observation of the urethra (the ‘peehole’ which sits in the vulva above the vaginal opening and below the clitoris) have show occasional swelling of the external meatus (aka the ‘peehole’ opening).
the swelling is minimal and only occurs irregularly
the swelling goes back down to normal before the orgasmic contractions are completed
[Me: this is all they say about these structures in relation to the sexual response cycle. the other parts are just about participants with painful urination related to sex]
The “urge to void during or immediately after intercourse has previously been reported previously” (p33). There are 4 references cited for this. 3 are text book or books informing about sex in general, and one is the Grafenberg paper from 1950 that the G-spot got it’s name from. I reviewed it HERE.
[Me: I want to make sure I note this because M&J don’t really discuss female ejaculation in this book, which is interesting because they watched a lot of people have sex. Did they not speak of it because it’s fairly rare and they simply never saw evidence of it? or did they see some evidence and simply drop it from their data? or did they not notice some things they maybe should have noticed simply because they weren’t looking for it? We probably won’t ever know for sure, but I do want to note that they were aware of that Grafenberg article that didn’t exactly identify female ejaculation, but did speak about sexual expulsion of fluids from the urethra that he did not believe was urine. He also describes the swelling of the urethra and surrounding erectile tissue that can be felt though the lower front wall of the vagina. He speaks of the sensitivity to touch and pressure related to that and how stimulation of that area can cause sexual expulsion of fluids from the urethra. That’s still the basic understanding of “The G-Spot,” and stimulating that is still understood to be one way of eliciting ejaculation or squirting. (I would note, though, that the term ‘G-Spot’ over the last 40 years has also taken on lots of other, non verified meanings including a magical button in the vagina that causes orgasms as well as ejaculations and squirting). Anyway, I want to keep a keen eye on how M&J approach things that may be evidence of ejaculation or the area felt through the vagina often described as the G-spot. My personal belief is that M&J were appropriately bound to the actual data they retrieved (as any competent scientist should be) but also sort of desperate to find ways to defend the idea that women could orgasm from just having intercourse, and I feel like if they saw stimulation of that ‘g-spot’ area as doing that - or even eliciting ejaculation, they would have hooked onto it. Maybe not, but that’s my feeling.]
In most cases, subjects that complained of painful urination after intercourse had never given birth and had a “high, firm perineum.” This situation caused the penis to be particularly pressed up against the wall of the bladder and urethra during thrusting and probably was irritated more. They noted this is commonly known as “honeymoon cystitis.”
3 subjects, 2 with clinically symptomatic urethroceles (prolapse of the female urethra into the vagina causing a bulge) and 1 with a symptomatic cystocele (a condition where the bladder drops into the vagina, causing a bulge or protrusion), also complained on occasion of painful urination after intercourse.
THE RECTUM
Voluntary contractions of the external rectal sphincter and the butt muscles sometimes happen during excitement and plateau phases. In fact many women seem to use this intentional contractions to increase their arousal and drive towards orgasm.
“Involuntary contractions of the rectal sphincter occur only during an orgasmic experience.” (p34)
The rectal contractions are not always observed during orgasm, but during more intense orgasms may contract 2-5 times. They contractions develop at 0.8-second intervals just like the orgasmic contractions observed in the outer 3rd of the vagina [ME: they often call this the ‘orgasmic platform’].
“In short, the contractions of orgasm described for the orgasmic platform frequently are paralleled by simultaneous contractions of the perineal body and the external rectal sphincter. External rectal, sphincter contractions occur most frequently during an orgasm elicited by automanipulation but occasionally have been observed during coitus.” (p34)
[ME: Just noting that the understanding today, based on later research recording the involuntary contractions of orgasm, is that recording contractions through an anal probe (as opposed to a vaginal probe) can always capture the orgasmic contractions (since it’s the muscles surrounding all that stuff that are contracting). M&J say they only observe anal contractions in really intense orgasms, but my assumption is that is because they are only observing the anal sphincter muscles by recording the butthole from the outside on film. For vaginal contractions, they also check it by filming the outside of the vaginal hole, but they also created a dildo camera that could film the internal vaginal muscle contractions. Thus, they were getting an in-depth look at the vaginal contractions, but a more outsider view of the anal contractions and thus didn’t get as much subtly around anal contractions]
HYPERVENTILATION (or breathing rapidly and deeply)
This type of breathing develops late in the plateau phase and lasts through the entire orgasmic experience, terminating in the resolution phase.
“Respiratory rates over 40 per minute have been recorded at the appex of severe orgasmic experience. With a minimal-intensity orgasm lasting 3 to 5 seconds, clinically obvious hyperventilation may not occur.” (p34)
TACHYCARDIA (or a fast heart rate - usually over 100 beats per minute)
Usually elevated during late plateau and orgasm - rates of 110 to 180 beats per minute have been recorded.
“The highest heart rates have been returned during female masturbatory sequences rather than coition.” (p35)
BLOOD PRESSURE
Elevation seen late in plateau or during orgasm; systolic increases between 30-80 mmHg and diastolic increases between 20-40 mmHg
“With minimal-intensity orgasmic experience, diastolic pressure readings essentially may be unaffected.” (p36)
M&J say they will publish a more detailed consideration of cardio-respiratory reactions to women’s elevated sexual tensions in the future.
[ME: noting here that I’ve seen some papers and discussions of orgasm that insinuate or assert that a measure of breathing, heart rate, or blood pressure could identify an orgasm, but from M&J’s data it seems like neither are a good marker and couldn’t help discern high arousal from an orgasm.]
PERSPIRATORY REACTIONS (AKA SWEATING)
“An involuntary perspiratory reaction may develop during resolution phase regardless of the degree of physical activity demanded of the responding women” (p36)
many women get a perspiration sheen in a variety of locations. “Approximately one-third of female study subjects display a tendancy toward the perspiratory reaction. It appears simultaneously over all body sites in the immediately postorgasmic time sequence and is the first indication of resolution of the…(sex flush)” (p36)
“The severity of the reaction when it occurs also parallels directly the intensity of the orgasmic expression.” (p37) [ME: I’m assuming when M&J say ‘severity of orgasmic expression’ they are referring to the amount and intensity of the orgasmic contractions, but they don’t explicitly say what they mean, so I’m only guessing.]
If a sex flush occurred during plateau, but an orgasm didn’t happen, the flush fades rapidly after sexual stimulation is stopped, and usually resolves without the perspiration response (other than on the palms and soles of the feet)
M&J note that besides the areas discussed here, there’s lots of other body areas and orgasm that respond to sexual stimulation, and future research can investigate this.
