Couple's orgasm as a dyadic experience: a scoping review of dyadic data

Orgasm experience is associated with greater sexual and relational well-being within couples' relationships. In the context of a partnered sexual relationship, this dimension of the sexual response has been mainly studied from an individualistic perspective, with few studies adopting a dyadic approach.

This scoping review aims to review and synthesize the literature that has examined orgasm as a predictor of sexual and relational well-being in dyadic contexts.

Following the Preferred Reported Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-Scoping Review guidelines, a database search was conducted on EBSCOhost, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and SciELO databases using key terms related to "orgasm" and "dyadic."

A total of 280 articles were identified, and 9 fulfilled eligibility criteria and were included in this review. All studies sampled couples using a dyadic design. All studies employed cross-sectional designs and predominantly reflected different-gender/sex heterosexual couples, and all participants were cisgender. Findings showed that orgasm is consistently linked to both sexual and relational well-being in dyadic contexts. Orgasm frequency and its subjective experiences were associated with individual and partner sexual satisfaction, with some effects mediated by sexual communication. Relational outcomes were also shaped by the importance attributed to orgasm and by the (mis)perception of the partner's orgasm. Notably, gendered patterns emerged, particularly within different-gender/sex couples, highlighting the centrality of women's orgasm in shaping both partners' wellbeing.

Future research might focus on orgasm as a dyadic experience, include individuals with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and adopt daily-diary designs to capture the unique orgasm experiences as they unfold in couples' daily lives.