Orgasms, especially for women, seem to have a mind of their own, and usually that mind says: "We're going to make it as difficult for you to climax as possible."
But a new machine that has just been patented in the US, promises to deliver an orgasm with the click of a button. For women who suffer from orgasmic dysfunction - those who cannot achieve an orgasm - this is a godsend.
The machine, reports the Mail Online, is designed to be a medical implant which uses electrodes to trigger an orgasm. It requires surgery, so it is likely to be considered only by those who find it extremely difficult or who have never achieved climax.
The idea for the contraption, reports the New Scientist, came when Stuart Meloy, a surgeon at Piedmont Anesthesia and Pain Consultants in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, accidentally put electrodes on the wrong place on his patient.
"I was placing the electrodes and suddenly the woman started exclaiming emphatically," he says. "I asked her what was up and she said, 'You're going to have to teach my husband to do that'."
The implant will be connected to a generator the size of a cigarette packet that will sit under the skin.
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"If you've got a couple who've been together for a while and it's just not happening any more, maybe they'll get through it a bit easier with this," he says.
The question is, will women sign up for something so invasive? Pfaus says that if women sign up for breast enlargements, then this is in the same league.
Orgasmic dysfunction or disorder can be triggered by many things. The National Library of Medicine says it can include:
- A history of sexual abuse or rape
- Boredom and monotony in sexual activity
- Certain prescription drugs, including fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft)
- Hormonal disorders, hormonal changes due to menopause, and chronic illnesses that affect general health and sexual interest
- Medical conditions that affect the nerve supply to the pelvis (such as multiple sclerosis, diabetic neuropathy, and spinal cord injury)
- Fatigue and stress
- Negative attitudes toward sex (usually learned in childhood or adolescence)
- Shyness or embarrassment about asking for whatever type of stimulation works best
- Strife or lack of emotional closeness within the relationship
Jim Pfaus, quoted by New Scientist, who studies the neurobiology of sexual behaviour at Concordia University in Montreal said: ‘Some women confuse what's called sympathetic arousal, like increased heart rate, clammy hands, nerves and so on, with fear. That makes them want to get out of the situation."
In this case, the implant could act as a manual override.