Where’s the strangest place you’ve had an orgasm? How about masturbating in an MRI scanner, with scientists watching? It may not  be the most romantic or common setting for a spot of self-pleasuring but this week I’ve learned of two women who did just that.

The first was Nan Wise, a 54 year old sex therapist and PhD student who works alongside orgasm researcher and psychologist, Professor Barry Komisaruck. An MRI scan of Nan during orgasm showed that over 80 regions of her brain were active: the bits related to the sensory stimulation of her genitals but also parts of the brain to do with emotions and memory.

So far so interesting.

Now enter Kayt Sukel. Following Nan’s good example, Kayt volunteered to have a play in the scanner too – the orgasm researcher obviously needed more data and Kayt was writing a book about brains and sex. Kayt was afraid that she might not be able to come in the machine, but she was also unsure if she could complete the requirements of any MRI scan: you have to be very, very still or the images can’t be gathered properly.

What could she do?

ring-a-ding

The advice from Nan was to practice. Kayt took it one step further and attached the bell from her cat’s collar to her forehead and practiced until she could climax without ringing the bell!  Now that shows real dedication to the cause: no squirming, wriggling, hip gyrating, thrusting, shuddering… We don’t actually know how she stimulated herself. There is no mention of tip-of-the- finger tickles or a vibrator clamped between her thighs. But then a lady’s entitled to retain a little mystery.

Kayt Sukel and her amazingly still orgasm make her The Ladygarden Project’s Woman of the Week!

In celebrating Kayt’s great achievement I would like to set you all a new challenge. Not many of us will have access to an MRI scanner, but most of us would be able to get our hands on a bell of some description. Rather than see how still and quiet you can be, how about finding out how much bell-ringing you can do next time you orgasm? I won’t stipulate that this has to be during masturbation, you may want to acquire two bells and see who is the loudest during partner sex. Whatever the outcome, I hope you fun.