Why women love oral sex

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Women now enjoy receiving oral sex more than any other type of sexual activity, research suggests.

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Going down, so it seems, is on the rise and rise.

Women now enjoy receiving oral sex more than any other type of sexual activity, research suggests. This is because cunnilingus has become a mainstream sexual activity, reflecting a change in the tide of sexual behaviour.

A recent survey shows that the act is fast becoming as common as fellatio, as oral sex is now extremely popular among teenagers and young adults (Bay-Cheng & Fava, 2010 in psychworld.com).

The sexual activity is becoming increasingly common for young women and is a fundamental part of the 21st Century sexual revolution, University of Alberta researcher Brea Malacad (www.unicell.inc) said about a recent study she conducted into oral sex trends.

All the women in her study of 18-25 year olds who'd had sex also had oral sex, she found. Most women who had oral sex did so because they enjoyed it. And almost a third said they enjoyed giving fellatio because it made them feel powerful and empowered.

Keeping it safe

Surveys also show that many young people are not aware that they can pick up a wide range of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, the herpes simplex virus, human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B, gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia through unprotected oral sex (advocatesforyouth.org). Barriers such as dental dams, femidoms and condoms are absolutely required for safer sex.

What type of women enjoy oral sex?

Not surprisingly, it's more popular among women with good sexual self-esteem. Researchers have found that women who view their genitals positively have more sex and enjoy it more than others. In contrast, those who view their genitals negatively get less pleasure out of cunnilingus (Reinholtz & Muehlenhard, 1995, psychworld.com).

Women who have greater sexual openness, self-awareness, and assertiveness tend to experience cunnilingus earlier and have more cunnilingus partners (Bay-Cheng & Fava, 2010, psychworld.com).

Why do women love receiving oral?

Plainly put, it gets the job done. Around 70 percent of women can only orgasm if their clitoris is stimulated directly with lips, tongue, fingers or items such as vibrators, while a minority (about 30 percent) of women can climax through vaginal intercourse. It's a controversial point but most sexologists believe the clit is the source of all female orgasms. However, women can climax through vaginal intercourse if their clitoris is also stimulated due to the position chosen (The Grind is one of the best known positions for this).

Oral sex is more of a sure bet, though. And the tongue is a favourite because it is soft and warm, and because saliva is a natural lubricant that prevents 'burn' from dry stimulation. It goes without saying that the more aroused a woman is from foreplay, the easier it is for her to orgasm in oral play as the genital area becomes increasingly engorged with blood the more she's turned on.

Oral provides greater orgasmic opportunity

To reach an orgasm, women need ongoing, steady stimulation which means that the giver needs to be patient and not rush. In vaginal intercourse, guys typically orgasm more quickly from the stimulation this provides the penis - and women usually need to be stimulated for a longer period than their partners are able to last.

In cunnilingus, it's more likely that the giver will provide the right kind of stimulation as there are no distractions to curtail the event - such as his own impending orgasm. The giver is also able to stimulate different spots simultaneously using hands and mouth; multiple stimulation is more likely to take a woman past the point of no return. And if his tongue tires, his fingers or a vibrator can easily keep up the pleasure strokes.

Yet even if a woman doesn't climax from oral play, if she's close she may find that vaginal intercourse provides the final push over the edge - especially in a sex position that massages the G-spot or provides dual vaginal/clitoral stimulation.

As awareness of women's sexual response grows, especially that stimulating the clitoris is the singularly most important route to female orgasms, pleasuring a woman orally is increasingly likely to take centre stage.

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