The big O: On the process of female pleasure, from ancient medicine to modern sexology

The Greco-Roman ancient medical authors who discuss women’s pleasure in sex are often misinterpreted as talking about the female orgasm. In fact, their interest is ultimately in a woman’s desire for and pleasure during sex (ὄρεξις, ἐπιθυμία, ἡδονή), not in orgasm as a climactic end to the sexual act for women. Accordingly, I argue here that the ancient medical discussion of a woman’s gratification in sex (with men) focuses on a “process” of pleasure, and not on a culmination in the orgasm. A comparison with literary depictions of women’s pleasure illuminates the emphasis on a process-oriented understanding of female sexual enjoyment. This contribution considers these ancient texts, medical and literary, in light of the work of biologist Elisabeth A. Lloyd, who contradicts long-standing assumptions that orgasm in women evolved as a reproductive necessity. Shifting our thinking about the ancient discourse in response to modern scientific research can provide a helpful basis for reframing current studies in sexology and the history of medicine. Many of these rely on translations of Greek and Latin texts that use the vocabulary of orgasm, when this is not the concept presented in the ancient works.