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Types of Male Orgasms, Health Benefits, and More

Kristin Hall, FNP

Medically reviewed by Kristin Hall, FNP

Written by Our Editorial Team

Last updated 3/16/2021

Believe it or not, orgasms aren’t a one-size-fits-all deal, fellas. There are several different types of orgasms, achieved in different ways, utilizing different techniques, even with the intent of delivering different results. 

We know — your mind is blown.

Before we dig in, we think it’s worth noting that, as you would imagine, there isn’t too much scientific research out there about these types of orgasms (who knew that researchers aren’t foaming at the mouth for the opportunity to explore the once-mythic “Prostate Orgasm”?) , and these aren’t all the different types of orgasms you can experience throughout your sexual escapades.

Types of Orgasms

These are just some of the more common and talked about ones. Either way, you get the point.

Ejaculatory

This is your standard orgasm. You stimulate the nerve endings in your penis to your liking orgasm while ejaculating in the way we all know and love, and then enjoy the blissful afterglow. There’s not much else to say here.

Pelvic

A pelvic orgasm is achieved through a technique called edging — a sexual technique we’ve actually talked about at length. 

Essentially, edging is a sex technique that can be done solo or wither a partner where you stimulate yourself right to the edge of climax, but don’t actually finish. Once you come close, you stop, allow yourself time to settle down and then repeat the process.

Proponents of the edging technique claim that orgasms are eventually much more intense and pleasurable.

Retrograde

While every other type of orgasm on this list is fun and/or safe, retrograde orgasms aren’t a good thing and may require medical attention.

With a retrograde orgasm, you stimulate yourself to climax, and when you come, instead of the semen exiting your penis, it somehow makes its way back into the bladder — resulting in a minimally, if not entirely, dry orgasm.

It’s technically considered a sexual dysfunction, and if you’re experiencing these, it’s worth contacting a healthcare professional immediately.

Prostate

Colloquially called the P-Spot, your prostate gland is a little walnut-sized object located just beneath your bladder, and it essentially surrounds the top part of your urethra. 

Basically, it produces a large portion of what comes out of us when we ejaculate. 

Accessible through the anus — yup, the butt — many men find that when pressure is applied to the prostate through either indirect or direct pressure, the pleasure is intense enough to achieve orgasm without penile stimulation. 

We know. Like, what? But also… Hmmmm…

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Blended

Now that you know what a prostate orgasm is — and how it differs from a regular orgasm — let’s blow your mind a little more.

Ready?

You can combine the two. That’s right. It’s called a blended orgasm. Stimulating your p-spot while stimulating yourself conventionally, if timed right, can yield two separate and intense orgasms at the same time

Energy

This is where things get somewhat mythical. We’ve all heard the idea of Tantric sex — the idea of concentrating enough energy in the mental area of the sexual experience to climax without classic physical stimulation.

Essentially, this is what an energy orgasm is. In the Tantric community, it’s an achievable, common thing that requires patience, practice, and training. 

But in the scientific community, the research is much less concrete. In fact, we couldn’t find anything outside of anecdotal evidence. Take that for what you will.

Multi-Ejaculatory

The Shangri-La of the male sexual experience, being able to pull off the mythical “multiple orgasms” is a big deal for guys.

Essentially it’s achieving the ability to climax multiple times in quick succession. Sounds impossible, right?

That’s because men have what’s called the refractory period. Essentially, it’s the time between when we climax and when we can achieve an erection again. Every man’s refractory period is different and depends on several factors.

That said, being multi-orgasmic involves finding a way to orgasm without ejaculating the first time, therefore sort of sidestepping our refractory period. Of course, it’s way, way easier said than done, and like most of the other entries on this list, the science on it is lacking at best.

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Health Benefits of Orgasms

  • Reduces your chance of heart disease, helping you live longer

  • May reduce  risk of prostate cancer (if orgasming 21+ times a month)

  • Boosts oxytocin levels to relieve stress

  • Boosts your immune system

Sex is great, especially when capped with a happy ending (an orgasm, not an X-rated massage). An orgasm is a phenomenal health-boosting event, according to many studies.

An orgasm can boost your immune system by increasing the number of antibodies in your bloodstream, relieve your stress and help you sleep by releasing large amounts of oxytocin and other positive hormones, improve your self-esteem, and even may reduce your risk of prostate cancer — if you ejaculate often enough.

Unfortunately, many people — most commonly (but not always) women — don’t get to enjoy these health benefits as often as they might want or deserve.

Ejaculation vs Orgasm

We know what you’re thinking: what’s the difference? When we orgasm, we ejaculate, right?

Well, that’s exactly it. Orgasming and ejaculating are two separate physiological processes in our bodies. Even though they usually happen succinctly, they’re still two separate things.

Orgasm is characterized as an intense culmination of peak pleasure as a response to physical stimulation of the penis. Ejaculation, however, is simply the process by which semen is expelled from the penis. 

And although they commonly occur together, their relationship isn’t mutually exclusive. You can have an orgasm without ejaculating, and likewise, you can ejaculate without orgasm.

How to Orgasm

And since we’re talking about all this, we figured we might as well give you the short-and-sweet on how to achieve your own orgasm. After all, you know what they say: “practice makes perfect.” 

An orgasm all starts with arousal. When your brain sees something sexually attractive to it, it’ll send signals down your spine into your sex organs, which leads to an erection

After your penis is erect and is stimulated in one way or another, you work up to what’s called the plateau — the moments leading up to climax, in which your muscles in your pelvic region tense, your heart rate increases, and pre-ejaculatory fluid may be present. 

Finally, we have the orgasm. Once you’ve reached peak stimulation, your body enters what’s popularly called the “point of no return,” whereby semen is deposited toward the top of your urethra, until it is expelled as your penis muscles contract rapidly.

Let’s Talk About Sex

What’s the best way to improve the likelihood of reaching orgasm for both you and your partner? A great orgasm, like a great relationship, is built on communication.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to the orgasm gap because everyone is different physically, psychologically, emotionally, and yes, sexually. 

But communicating openly and honestly with your partner can go a long way towards ensuring both of you have an enjoyable and orgasmic sexual experience.

In study after study after study, couples that communicate more effectively have been found to have more satisfying sex lives and a higher likelihood of reaching orgasm consistently.

This lines up with data from Durex’s worldwide study, which showed that feelings of respect, intimacy and excitement during sex are strongly correlated with sexual satisfaction. 

Sexual satisfaction, in Durex’s study, is also strongly correlated with how comfortable someone is about telling their partner their sexual preferences.

Communication might involve a conversation about each others’ sexual wants and needs, paying closer attention to your partner’s verbal and physical cues during sex or guiding your partner’s hands on your body — you know, like Patrick Swayze did with Demi Moore and a chunk of clay in that movie no one remembers anything else about.

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Having Trouble Orgasming?

If you can identify particular physical issues, such as erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation, hindering you and your partner’s sexual satisfaction, there are multiple ways to address those issues with effective ed pills like sildenafil and tadalafil from hims.

Without communication, you’re literally just taking a stab in the dark (pun intended) at pleasing your partner. Communication requires trust, and unfortunately, we may be more willing to hop into bed with most people than we are to trust them with the knowledge of what we really like in bed.

You or your partner may not share your desires with each other out of fear of being mocked or ignored. We wouldn’t recommend remaining in a relationship in which you’re afraid of being mocked (in a malicious sense and not in a teasing way) or ignored. 

However, if you and your partner have good intentions, which you should, you’re likely to find each other more receptive to your wishes than you’d first expect.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment. Learn more about our editorial standards here.