Scientists Claim to Have Solved the Mystery of the Female Orgasm

Scientists are claiming they have solved the mystery of the female orgasm. They say it all comes down to ovulation.

The UK Telegraph reports that a study on mammal reproduction found that orgasms help apes ovulate. But because it plays no part in human's reproduction, they have dubbed it a "redundant evolutionary afterthought." I guess that depends on who's asking...

The study said that in many mammals, it is the male's sexual stimulation of the female that causes her to become fertile. But evolution has shift the clitoris from inside to outside the vaginal canal in humans, removing that link.
"Prior studies have tended to focus on evidence from human biology and the modification of a trait rather than its evolutionary origin," said Yale Biology Institute researcher Gunter Wagner.

With no apparent association between�orgasm�and number of offspring or successful reproduction in humans, scientists looked at the role of the hormones prolactin and oxytocin released post "climax."

Gunter, the Alison Richard Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary biology, and Mihaela Pavliev, of the Center for Prevention of Preterm Birth at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, propose that the trait that evolved into human female�orgasm�had an ancestral function in inducing ovulation.

"Homologous traits in different species are often difficult to identify, as they can change substantially in the course of evolution," said Pavliev. "We think the hormonal surge characterizes a trait that we know as female�orgasm�in humans. This insight enabled us to trace the evolution of the trait across species."

Next up: charting the mystery of the elusive traveling G spot...