The orgasms experienced by individuals with vaginas have historically been given less importance than those of people with penises who are capable and willing to penetrate during intercourse. Even when the former are, in today’s time, spoken about, the discussions usually focus on the more well-known pleasure areas such as the vagina, clitoris, g-spot and sometimes the anus and rectum. Perhaps, that is because phallocentrism compels us to associate sexual pleasure to one’s genital area which, we must understand, isn’t solely responsible for orgasms. Just as foreplay is essential for arousal, the stimulation of various erogenous zones is often necessary to make one climax. Nipples might, at times, be integral to that.
Among the initial few studies that explored nipplegams—even though the term had not been in popular use back then—was one that was conducted by a few members of the department of psychology of Rutgers University in 2011. The aim of the study was to analyse the brain’s cortical responses to clitoral, vaginal, cervical and nipple self-stimulation. As mentioned in their results:
“…nipple/breast self-stimulation activated…the region of the paracentral lobule that overlaps with the region activated by clitoral, vaginal, or cervical self-stimulation. This finding is consistent with many women’s reports that nipple/breast stimulation is erotogenic and can elicit orgasms.”
In other words, when the responses of all the participants were studied, it became clear that the stimulation of nipples activated the parts of their brain that clitoral, vaginal and cervical stimulation did, thus, causing them to experience orgasms.
The nipple orgasms mentioned above were caused due to the awakening of the various nerve endings that exist in the nipple area and areola. As Dr. Nan Wise also wrote in one of her recent articles, “…nipples are wired to the same place in the brain that inputs sensation from clitoris and vagina…” She further explained how the “Stimulation of the nipples causes the hypothalamus to release oxytocin—a potent neurohormone that can enhance feelings of bonding and helps trigger the pleasurable contractions…” Thus, nipplegasms are, in every way, as legitimate as other forms of orgasm.
In a set of interviews conducted by Cosmopolitan Magazine, individuals who had experienced multiple nipplegams expressed how something as simple as delicate stroking and fondling of the nipples could, at times, lead them to orgasm. Most of the interviewees stated that it was essential for one’s touch to remain gentle due to the sensitive nature of the breasts and nipple area. Other equally or more effective ways to achieve nipplegasms, as explained by healthline.com, involve oral stimulation by licking, sucking or nibbling of the nipples.
It is, however, important to note that not everyone experiences orgasms when their nipples are stimulated. Even out of the ones who do, the intensity of the same varies from one person to another. Some claim that nipplegasms are more pleasurable for them as compared to clitoral orgasms, while others express that the intensity of the latter is much more. Additionally, the time taken to achieve this kind of orgasm is different for different people; sometimes even inconsistent for the same person depending on a variety of factors ranging from foreplay to their ovulation and period cycles. Nonetheless, in spite of its frequency and intensity, most people who have experienced it multiple times in their lifetimes would agree on the fact that nipplegasms are immensely gratifying.
The nipples of femme-presenting individuals, instead of being constantly policed under phallocentric assumptions of sexual pleasure, must be widely embraced and understood for the role they are capable of playing in making one orgasm. While the degree of nipplegasms might be unalike for the ones achieving them, there are still many whose orgasms are almost entirely dependent on the stimulation of their nipples.