Associations Between Women's Orgasm Experiences, Perceived Partner Responsiveness, and Sexual Well-Being Among...

Orgasm difficulty-reduced frequency, intensity, delay of, and/or absence of orgasm-is the second most common sexual difficulty among women, though little is known about its links to other facets of women's and their partners' sexual outcomes. Sexual difficulties are associated with poorer sexual, relationship, and psychological well-being among both members of affected couples, and there has been growing interest in interpersonal factors that might buffer against these consequences. In a pre-registered study (N = 102 couples), we examined associations between women's orgasm difficulty and sexual satisfaction, sexual desire, and sexual distress, and whether perceived partner responsiveness moderated these associations. Community couples containing a cisgender woman (M age, 31.11 years) partnered with a cisgender man (M age, 32.69 years) completed measures of orgasm difficulty, perceived partner responsiveness, sexual satisfaction, sexual desire, and sexual distress, at baseline, for 28 days of daily diary, and 4 months later. At the daily level, women's greater orgasm difficulty was associated with their own lower sexual satisfaction and greater sexual distress that day, but not their partners' sexual satisfaction or distress. There were no significant prospective associations or moderation by perceived partner responsiveness between women's orgasm difficulty and sexual outcomes. It may be reassuring that partners' sexual well-being was not associated with women's orgasm difficulty, though future research should confirm whether partners are aware of any orgasm problems.