Women’s techniques for making vaginal penetration more pleasurable: Results from a nationally representative study of adult women in the United States

Abstract

The study purpose was to assess, in a U.S. probability sample of women, the specific ways women have discovered to make vaginal penetration more pleasurable. Through qualitative pilot research with women that informed the development of the survey instrument used in this study, we identified four previously unnamed, but distinct, techniques women use to make vaginal penetration more pleasurable: Angling, Rocking, Shallowing and Pairing. This study defines each technique and describes its prevalence among U.S. adult women. Weighted frequencies were drawn from the Second OMGYES Pleasure Report—a cross-sectional, online, national probability survey of 3017 American women’s (age 18–93) sexual experiences and discoveries. Participants were recruited via the Ipsos KnowledgePanel®. Data suggest that 87.5% of women make vaginal penetration more pleasurable using ‘Angling’: rotating, raising, or lowering the pelvis/hips during penetration to adjust where inside the vagina the toy or penis rubs and what it feels like. Approximately 76% of women make vaginal penetration more pleasurable using ‘Rocking’: the base of a penis or sex toy rubbing against the clitoris constantly during penetration, by staying all the way inside the vagina rather than thrusting in and out. About 84% of women make vaginal penetration more pleasurable using ‘Shallowing’: penetrative touch just inside of the entrance of the vagina—not on the outside, but also not deep inside—with a fingertip, sex toy, penis tip, tongue, or lips. Finally, 69.7% of women orgasm more often or make vaginal penetration more pleasurable using ‘Pairing’: when a woman herself (Solo Pairing) or her partner (Partner Pairing) reaches down to stimulate her clitoris with a finger or sex toy at the same time as her vagina is being penetrated. These data provide techniques that are at women’s disposal to make penetration more pleasurable—which can enable women to better identify their own preferences, communicate about them and advocate for their sexual pleasure.

Adjusting penis length and the potential impact on female sexual satisfaction

“…[1] that a minority of women found a reduction in the depth of penetration was more pleasurable is in keeping with the findings reported by Hensel et al. [3].…”

“…Turning from the body part or object (such as a sex toy) that stimulates or penetrates the vagina, a recent publication has documented the specific vaginal stimulation and penetration techniques that women themselves report employing for sexual pleasure. Using nationally representative probability data from the second OMGYES pleasure report allowed the identification of four previously unnamed but distinct techniques that women use to make vaginal penetration more pleasurable: angling (87.5%), rocking (76.4%), shallowing (83.8%) and pairing (69.7%) [3]. The first of these, angling, is important because the angle or position of the hips of the woman can make a big difference to where the toy or penis rubs and what it feels like.…”

Der Gender Orgasm Gap. Ein kritischer Forschungsüberblick zu Geschlechterdifferenzen in der Orgasmus-Häufigkeit beim Heterosex

“…Konkret werden eine vertrauensvolle Beziehung mit offener Kommunikation über sexuelle Wünsche und Bedürfnisse von Frauen und damit verbundenes gemeinsames Lernen als wichtige Faktoren zum Schließen der Orgasmus-Lücke empfohlen (Beckmeyer et al 2021;Mahar et al 2020;Matsick et al 2016). Teilweise werden hierfür auch neue Begrifflichkeiten vorgeschlagen, um bevorzugte Stimulationstechniken in der Intimkommunikation präzise benennen zu können (Hensel et al 2021(Hensel et al , 2022. Die Fachliteratur sieht die offene Kommunikation über sexuelle Bedürfnisse in der festen Paarbeziehung als besonders erfolgversprechend an, empfiehlt Frauen aber ebenso, bei flüchtigen sexuellen Kontakten klar zu formulieren und umzusetzen, was sie für ihren Höhepunkt benötigen (Armstrong et al 2010) Für die Arbeit in sexualmedizinischen, sexualtherapeutischen und sexualpädagogischen Kontexten können die genannten Ansätze zur Förderung von sexuellem Vergnügen und Orgasmen bei Frauen im Kontext von Heterosex Impulse geben.…”

“…Weiterhin wird empfohlen, die Penetration zu variieren, um diese lustvoller und orgasmusträchtiger für Frauen zu gestalten. Ein Ansatz dafür ist die direkte Stimulation der äußeren Klitoris während der Penetration mit Hand oder Sexspielzeug durch die Frau und/oder den Mann ( Armstrong et al 2010 ; Blair et al 2018 ; Hensel et al 2021 ; Kohut und Fisher 2013 ). Ein weiterer Ansatz sind bewusste Körperbewegungen der Frau während der Penetration, um dadurch die klitorale und vaginale Stimulation gezielter zu steuern ( Hensel et al 2021 ).…”

Behavioral Therapies for Treating Female Sexual Dysfunctions: A State-of-the-Art Review

“…Concurrent clitoral stimulation and body movement are associated with higher likelihood of orgasm during vaginal penetration [ 10 ]. A cross-sectional national probability survey of 3017 U.S. women surveyed types of movement techniques in which women engage to make penile or sex toy vaginal penetration more pleasurable that include “angling” for 87.5% of women, “rocking” for 76% of women, “shallowing” for 84% of women, and “pairing” manual clitoral stimulation with penetration for 67% of women [ 11 ].…”