Women who can't orgasm should get free sex toys on the NHS, says leading therapist
Women who struggle to reach orgasm or who are experiencing a loss of libido should be entitled to a free vibrator on the NHS says a leading therapist.
“Only 18% of women can orgasm through penetration alone, according to studies,” explains Marisa Peer, who has over 30 years’ experience in psychology.
“The number is very low because women’s anatomy has a design fault in that the clitoris is too far away from the vaginal entrance. I think women who can’t reach orgasm should be referred [via their GP] for a free sex aid.”
She believes if vibrators were available on the NHS to women who are have never experienced an orgasm, it would lessen the stigma of using sex toys.
“A lot of women wouldn’t want to buy a sex aid online,” Peer says. “Imagine if you live in an apartment with a shared mailbox – in that case, many women wouldn’t feel comfortable about having a sex aid delivered through the post from a website.
“Many women – especially if they’re older – wouldn’t dream of walking into a sex shop either. Others can’t afford to buy a sex aid because they’re not exactly cheap.”
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Peer's comments come in the wake of International Female Orgasm Day (8 August) in a bid to boost women’s sexual pleasure worldwide. Peer's passionate about the many benefits of women exploring their own bodies in a guilt-free way through masturbation and using a sex toy to help them discover what turns them on and allows them to climax.
“It enables a woman to find out what her body does and doesn’t like,” explains Peer. “The vagina is another muscle and the more you use it, the more effective it becomes. Through [masturbation] you’re learning more about what your body responds to.”
She points out that the benefits of experiencing orgasm go way beyond basic sexual pleasure and extend to your mental health too.
“Being able to orgasm is such a gift from nature,” she says. “The act of reaching climax helps you fight depression and it makes your body release [the happy hormone] oxytocin. It can help to lift a low mood and the afterglow stays with you for up to 48 hours. It helps you in so many ways.”
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Like many therapists, Peer is also keen to point out that no woman should ever feel ashamed or embarrassed if they can’t reach orgasm. Her aim is simply to raise awareness that becoming orgasmic is a skill that can be “learnt” with the help of the right sex aids, as well as through practising regular pelvic floor exercises and using deep breathing techniques.
Interestingly, she notes that in France, after childbirth, women are automatically given physio treatment by either a therapist or a midwife to help them to restore their all-important pelvic floor muscles. Often this includes the use of a free pelvic floor aid – similar to a form of dildo that is inserted into the vagina.
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Peer’s vision for the UK is that her recommended NHS scheme for sex aids would work on a similar principle – helping to normalise a woman’s right to experience sexual pleasure as part of her daily life.
“When you look at all the money the NHS spends on treating depression and anxiety in women, think about how much we could save if we launched this scheme,” says Peer.
“Climaxing releases the hormone prolactin which makes you feel more relaxed and helps you benefit from deeper, more consistent, sleep patterns. In fact, reaching orgasm is one of the best sleeping pills there is.”
