the climax of sexual excitement characterized by intense pleasure
from Greek 'orgasmos' meaning excitement or swelling
It's the body's way of saying 'that was awesome!' - think 'organism' having the ultimate experience
Medicine historically denied women's sexual pleasure; terminology was asymmetrical (male orgasm = clinical, female = pathologized or ignored). Second-wave feminism reclaimed sexual agency language.
Use 'orgasm' neutrally for all genders; avoid gendered euphemisms. Recognize sexual pleasure as human experience across gender spectrum.
Feminist sexologists (Masters & Johnson, Shere Hite) documented women's orgasmic capacity against medical orthodoxy that denied female sexual agency.
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