Comprendre l’orgasme féminin afin de mieux appréhender le trouble de l’orgasme chez la femme

Objectives. -The initial section of this article gives an historical perspective to the concept of orgasm. Various models of the female sexual response are then presented, with the objective of seeking a definition of the female orgasm. Finally, the concept of female orgasmic dysfunction is explored through the differing versions of DSM whilst providing a critical overview.Sources and methodology. -Analysis of the literature from 1950 to 2013 using the Scopus database with the keywords: anorgasmia; female and sexual dysfunction.Outcome. -The data suggests there is no universally accepted definition of the female orgasm to date (Mah and Binik, 2001). Numerous studies focus on the physiological aspect of the orgasm whilst the psychological factors are researched to a lesser degree. The lack of a satisfactory definition of the orgasm may be attributed to the limited understanding of its underlying mechanisms, and to the fact that the researchers are dependent on the women's subjective self-evaluation of the experience. Thus, the subject is complex, with some women incapable of giving expression to their orgasmic experience or even recognising such climax. In some cases, this is because they have indeed never experienced one; in other cases, because they have not thought of it as an orgasm. Orgasmic dysfunction or anorgasmia is the second sexual problem most frequently encountered by women with a prevalence ranging from 25 (Lewis et al., 2010) to 31% (Hayes et al., 2006).Conclusion. - It would be interesting for future studies to research the ways in which women experience at the cognitive and emotional level their sexual relations with their partner. This should enable us to better understand and define the female orgasm but also to improve support for orgasmic dysfunction. (C) 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.