Of all the world’s many mysteries, none seem to elude us quite as much the female orgasm—namely, how to get us there. But also, why we’re going deaf and blind after an orgasm happens (certified human woman here to back this up).
So long has the lady “O” been a matter of subjective debate that the Daily Beast ordained 2014 as the year that “science discovered the female orgasm.” To boot, we kicked off 2015 with a heavily disputed scientific investigation of what female ejaculation—long thought to be something of myth—even is. Female orgasms have taken center stage in the scientific/pop culture psyche, apparently.
But what of the correlation between literally losing your senses and a premium, Grade A boning: specifically, tinnitus, or the sensation of a ringing in your ears?
For the answer Broadly reached out to Dr. Eric Levi, an ear, nose, and throat surgeon. While Dr. Levi clarifies that he is neither an expert on tinnitus nor the female orgasm (who is, amirite?), he’s got a couple of theories about what’s making some women partially deaf post-climax.
The first, he says, could be a factor of “the sudden reduction in heart rate” that contributes to “sudden pressure changes in the middle ear and reduction of blood flow to the inner ear.” But there’s another, too. He tells Broadly that the second involves the specific parts of the brain directly affected when women (and men, for that matter) reach peak sexy time:
“My second hypothesis therefore is that the change in the activity of the temporal lobe after orgasm results in a change in auditory perception. This may result in some people having a change in their threshold for experiencing tinnitus. In addition, the release of chemical endorphins may also change the activities of the neurotransmitters in the brain, causing a change in sensory perception.”
So there may be a couple of reasons some people lose their sight or hearing after an orgasm, according to Dr. Levi, and you can get the full scoop here. Also, this should probably go without saying: just because she’s not losing all control of her senses when you’re getting sexy definitely does not mean there’s anything wrong with her (or with you, for that matter). Everybody’s bodies respond to pleasure differently. However, if your girl’s never coming at all, it’s probably time to do some soul-searching.
