Yale University study explains female orgasm originated from need for stimulation to release egg for fertilisation

If male orgasm helps prevent prostate cancer, the purpose of the female orgasm is quite different. A new study by a Yale University researcher says the female orgasm is needed to make women ovulate.

A female climax results in the sudden flood of two hormones, prolactin and oxytocin, says the study authored by Gunter Wagner, biologist from Yale University and Mihaela Pavlicev, biologist from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio. They explain the origin of the female orgasm to mammalian history.

The two’s theory is prior to the split of primates from rodents, about tens of millions of years ago, females released eggs only when they had intercourse with males. It evolved to hormonal surge induced by sex which is the crude precursor to the orgasm, reports The Australian.

The chemical surge triggers ovulation in mammals that still need to engage in sex to free up their eggs for reproduction. It is still the case for different species of mammals such as rabbits, ferrets, camels and cats, adds Daily Mail.

However, the female human body evolved to ovulate by itself, once a month, resulting in the orgasm now having no reproductive function. Current theories include encouraging women to have more sex and reproduce because it has become enjoyable. Another one is it creates a stronger bond between man and woman so they would stay together and have more children.

The study was published in the Journal of Experimental Zoology.

VIDEO: How the female orgasm works