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vincentML -> RE: Was sex education really that bad in the seventies? (2/10/2013 6:18:02 AM)
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~FR~
What the Research Says on Female Orgasm and Getting Pregnant
There are two main hypothesis on how female orgasm may help with getting pregnant. One is known as the "poleaxe" hypothesis. This says that the purpose of orgasm in women is to make them feel relaxed and sleepy, so they will lie down after sex. By lying down, this may help the sperm reach their destination more easily.
It isn't clear whether or not lying down after sex can help you get pregnant. In one study that specifically studied orgasm and sperm retention, researchers found that just lying down did not seem to improve sperm retention.
On the other hand, a study of IUI treatment found that women who remained horizontal after insemination were more likely to conceive. (Read more about lying down after sex to improve chances of pregnancy.)
The other theory of how female orgasm may help with pregnancy achievement is called the "upsuck" theory. This hypothesis is that the contractions of the uterus help "suck up" the semen that gets deposited in the vagina, near the cervix. The orgasm then helps to move the sperm through the uterus and fallopian tubes.
One study actually measured the amount of semen "flowback" (how much semen leaked out after sex), and found that when female orgasm occurred a minute or less before male ejaculation, sperm retention was greater. They also found that this retention was higher when the woman had an orgasm up to 45 minutes after male ejaculation.
This study also found that a lack of orgasm or female orgasm that took place more than a minute before male ejaculation led to lower sperm retention.
This study did not, however, look at pregnancy rates. If pregnancy rates are higher with female orgasm, it's unclear by how much. SOURCE
Of course, that research does not say orgasm is required for pregnancy.
I have read elsewhere that during the late Middle Ages the necessity of orgasm for pregnancy was widely held in English rape law. If a woman claimed she was raped and became pregnant she must have orgasmed, enjoyed the encounter, and was therefore not raped. If she didn't get preggers it was her word against his. I don't understand why the general population of women, having immediate knowledge of the fallacy, did not denounce such law. But, it was medieval England. The concept was attributed to the second century physician Galen, who otherwise did a lot of remarkable research on anatomy and physiology, and is still honored today.
I incorporated a unit of reproduction and sexuality into my biology class teaching in the mid 1970s. How could i not? I recall inviting a speaker from Planned Parenthood and she demonstrated the use of a condom. My Principal, a devout, conservative Catholic went bonkers, but there was little he could do. My Union was strong on academic freedom. By the end of the decade the Miami-Dade Schools were educating teachers to teach units of sex education. Commendable for the fourth largest school district in the nation, imo, and in a conservative state. Although, at that time South Florida was undergoing historical changes with massive immigration coming from the Northeast and from Cuba/Latin America. The times they were a changing. It was great fun! [:)]
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