How to Have a Cervical Orgasm

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, and while many factors contribute to cervical health, some claim cervical orgasms can help promote overall wellness.

READ: 25 Hot and Healthy Benefits of Masturbation.

I’d been hearing about the joys of cervical orgasms -- orgasms stemming from stimulation of the cervix (the tip of the uterus) -- for years by the time I attempted one, but I doubted my ability to experience it. After all, I’d never actually had any kind of orgasm except the most common type, the clitoral orgasm.

However, I’d heard enticing claims about cervical orgasms -- like that they felt deeper and stronger than clitoral ones. So, I gave it my best shot. Using a Chakrubs rose quartz dildo, I began stimulating my cervix very gently and worked my way up to full-on fucking myself with it deeply enough so that it hit my cervix.

I still haven’t been able to orgasm through this kind of stimulation alone, but if I rub my clitoris with my hand simultaneously, I do experience a more powerful, full-body orgasm than I do through clitoral stimulation alone. In addition to my external genitalia, I can feel strong contractions in my cervix itself and throughout my pelvis.

While it’s unclear how many people can orgasm solely through cervical stimulation, experiences like mine -- where the orgasm is at least part cervical -- aren’t rare. In one study, 46% of cis women said cervical stimulation contributed to their orgasms.

If you’re interested in experiencing a cervical orgasm yourself, here’s how to awaken this part of your body and increase its pleasure capacity:

1. Warm Yourself Up Beforehand.

Before engaging in any cervical stimulation, it’s important to stimulate your clitoris or whatever normally gets you turned on. If you’re not highly aroused, deep penetration can be uncomfortable.

“Over the course of a period of time, the uterus actually moves up and further back in the body, clearing the way for the vaginal canal to lengthen and for deeper penetration to feel even better,” says Caitlin V. Neal, M.P.H., resident sexologist for sexual hygiene company Royal. “This usually happens after arousal and pleasurable stimulation have been ongoing for 20 to 40 minutes. This movement of the uterus exposes the anterior and posterior fornix, which are the key areas to stimulate for a cervical orgasm.”

Sex and relationship coach Sophie Bekkering goes as far as to recommend spending 45 minutes or more turning yourself on before stimulating the cervix. “Don’t rush yourself,” she says. “Allow your body to gently open and relax.”

2. Start Very Gently.

When first beginning to stimulate the cervix, some physical discomfort might come up. “It’s very common for people to feel sensitivity or pain when the cervix is being touched,” Bekkering explains. “One of the reasons why this happens is because the cervix can hold on to trauma, negative experiences from the past, fear, and even negative belief systems. Simply growing up in this world where we receive negative messages around our sexuality causes our cervix to hold on to tension.”

Before you go for full-on fucking, try penetrating yourself with a dildo, holding it at the entrance of your cervix, and just noticing what you feel. Maybe you’ll notice pleasure, or maybe there will be physical or emotional discomfort. Either way, try to feel whatever comes up and breathe through it. You can repeat this process several times before going for stronger stimulation.

3. Experiment With Deep Thrusting.

Once you are comfortable with cervical pleasure, you can try penetrating yourself with a dildo more rapidly and vigorously or even having a partner deeply penetrate you to stimulate your cervix. Neal recommends trying positions that allow for deep penetration, like doggy style or missionary with pillows underneath you, and swirling your hips or rocking back and forth to create different sensations. “Make sure you're using a nice water-based lubricant, because deep, prolonged thrusting can irritate the sensitive skin of the vagina,” she adds.

Fun fact: the cervix moves down in the body during ovulation (halfway between periods), so cervical orgasms might be more accessible during this time, according to Mike Anderson, Ph.D., residential sex expert for OhMy.ca. Another plus is that many people also report higher sex drives during ovulation.

4. Don’t Give Up.

Why try this in the first place? “Cervical orgasms can give us a whole new level of pleasure that many might not have thought possible before,” says Bekkering. “Cervical orgasms are very different from clitoral orgasms. They are in waves instead of a short peak of pleasure that ends quickly. Once the cervix is activated and becomes orgasmic, you can even be in a state with different orgasmic waves for hours.”

If you struggle to master the cervical orgasm, don’t worry -- most people with vulvas have difficulty orgasming without direct clitoral stimulation. If you keep at it, though, you just might discover a well of powerful orgasms. If not, you can always add clitoral stimulation manually or with a toy to make the experience more orgasmic. At the very least, you’ll discover a new form of pleasure -- or learn about what you don’t like -- and that’s just as valuable.

READ: How to Use a Clitoral Vibrator