We’ve been programmed to believe the female body is a mystery, but it’s not. And pleasure shouldn’t be a luxury—it’s your right. No matter where you are in life, no matter who or what turns you on.
Plus, pleasure doesn’t just feel good; it’s a part of lifelong health. After all, our bodies were designed to feel pleasure. Women have a body part (the clitoris!) whose only function is to give us pleasure.
However, many women aren’t informed about what exactly happens to their body during arousal and pleasure. Those who struggle with desire, arousal, or pleasure may not understand how much these experiences can shift throughout life as hormones, stress levels, health, and other factors change.
Our mission at Vella is to close the research gap and pleasure gap. During heterosexual sex, men orgasm (on average) 70–85% of the time, whereas women only orgasm 46–58% of the time. Not to mention, there’s significantly less research dedicated to women’s health compared to men’s health, let alone research on female pleasure…and that’s just not okay with us.
With research and resources, we aim to empower women with knowledge so that pleasure and vitality are within reach, just as they have been for men. The Vella Pleasure Continuum™ is our evidence-informed framework for understanding female arousal. Keep reading to learn about the five phases of the VPC—because understanding how your body works changes everything.
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Baseline
Every experience of arousal begins with a baseline state: your body's natural starting point—and every woman’s baseline is different.
Your baseline can change depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle, stage of life, or even what you’re experiencing that day.
The following factors play a role in how receptive your body feels to stimulation.
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Hormones: Your hormones fluctuate throughout your menstrual cycle and throughout life in general. Sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone play a role in libido, arousal, and lubrication. Estrogen supports vaginal tissue health and blood flow, while testosterone impacts sexual desire. Fluctuations in these hormones can impact how easily your body responds to stimulation.
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Perimenopause/menopause: For many women in midlife, desire changes. You may notice a lower sex drive and reduced signs of arousal, like lubrication. This is mostly due to dropping estrogen levels, which can lead to decreased blood flow, vaginal dryness, and changes in tissue elasticity. These changes can make arousal feel less automatic.
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Stress levels: When stress is running high, your body has high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can suppress sexual desire. Higher stress levels are linked to lower sexual desire in women.
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Circulation: Good blood flow is key for sexual arousal. When you’re aroused, blood flows to your clitoris, vulva, and vagina. This blood flow increases sensitivity, swelling, and lubrication. If your circulation isn’t great, then arousal may feel muted or take longer to build.
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Pelvic floor: Pelvic floor tension and dysfunction can contribute to reduced arousal, genital sensations, and lubrication. On the flip side, a strong pelvic floor is linked to greater arousal.
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Mental health conditions: Mental health struggles, such as depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, can lead to reduced arousal and vaginal lubrication.
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Your overall mental state: The brain is the biggest sex organ. Feeling safe and relaxed can influence how receptive your body feels to pleasure. Your thoughts, emotions, and environment all send signals that can either support or interrupt arousal.
This phase sets the physiological conditions that allow arousal to take hold—and all these factors contribute. So, if it feels more difficult to get in the mood or aroused on some days compared to others, you can see why. And no, you’re definitely not “broken.”
To raise your baseline lubrication, try Vella Meltwater. This vaginal emollient contains hyaluronic acid and aloe vera to combat dryness and discomfort, helping you feel more comfortable in your day-to-day or before intimacy. Perfect for those going through perimenopause/menopause…or anyone else who could just use a bit more moisture.
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Arousal activation
One of the biggest misconceptions about women's sexuality is that desire always precedes intimacy. For many women—particularly during midlife—the opposite is true. The body responds to a sexual stimulus (a kiss, touch, or another intimate moment) with arousal, and then psychological desire follows as sensation builds. This is known as responsive sexual desire.
Other women experience spontaneous sexual desire. This is when you have a psychological desire to have sex or even physically feel turned on spontaneously, without needing touch, external stimulation, or sexual cues before.
Both experiences are totally normal. The type of desire you have can even vary day to day or situation to situation.
Regardless of responsive or spontaneous desire, your body goes through key changes when you start feeling aroused. Blood flow increases to your erogenous zones, physical sensations become more noticeable (and more enjoyable), and the brain begins to register pleasure and reward. Desire grows and attention shifts toward sensations.
When you’re aroused, the smooth muscle in/around your vulva relaxes, which also causes the vagina to lengthen in preparation for penetration (if that’s your thing). The clitoris becomes engorged and erect, and the vagina produces lubrication. All of these changes prepare your body for pleasurable sexual stimulation.
Having trouble feeling physically aroused? Get clinically proven, hormone-free arousal assistance from Vella’s Pleasurewave arousal lotion. When applied 15–25 minutes before sex (or solo sex), Meltwater amps up your natural lubrication production and sensation, so you can feel sexual touch with more intensity and orgasm more easily.
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Heightened sensitivity
As blood flow and nerve signaling continue to increase as arousal builds, the body becomes increasingly receptive to touch and stimulation. This increased sensitivity leads to increased perception of pleasure.
Genital tissues become more engorged, and sensory receptors become more responsive. When the clitoris is engorged, the increased blood flow enhances nerve sensitivity, making stimulation feel more intense and pleasurable. There are over 10,000 nerves in the clitoris…so that’s a lot of sensitivity. Even subtle forms of touch may feel more noticeable and pleasurable—maybe even electric.
At this stage, the brain and body are working in harmony. As responsiveness increases, arousal continues building toward peak pleasure.
If you want to feel less friction and more glide, try Vella’s personal lubricant, Everslide. This silicone-based lube allows for more pleasurable play, alone or with a partner. Plus, nourishing ingredients like plant squalene and sea buckthorn oil support nourishment for long-term intimate wellness.
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Pinnacle
The pinnacle is when arousal and pleasure peak. During this stage, nerve signaling, circulation, and sensory responsiveness reach their highest levels. Breathing deepens, heart rate accelerates, and muscle tension builds throughout the body as anticipation and sensation intensify. Pleasure becomes all-consuming.
For some women, this phase culminates in orgasm—one possible expression of pleasure. During an orgasm, your heart rate quickens, blood pressure rises, breathing rate increases, and you experience pleasurable rhythmic pelvic floor contractions as all built-up tension is released.
However, an orgasm isn’t required for a pleasurable or satisfying experience, and you can still have great sex without an orgasm. Up to 15% of women have primary anorgasmia, meaning they’ve never had an orgasm. Some other women have secondary anorgasmia, which means they used to be able to orgasm but now they can’t, or situational anorgasmia, where they can only have an orgasm in specific situations (like only masturbating but not with a partner).
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Reward cycle
Pleasure isn’t selfish…it’s healthy. Your right to pleasure is about so much more than just feeling good (although that’s definitely a bonus). Pleasure brings countless health benefits, promotes longevity, and supports whole-body vitality.
Pleasure and orgasms bring about key physiological changes that benefit health. Feel-good hormones (like endorphins, dopamine, and oxytocin) are released, resulting in a better mood, a sense of calm, and bonding with your partner.
Numerous studies have examined the link between pleasure, orgasms, and health rewards. Researchers have discovered that a healthy sex life and orgasms can potentially lead to:
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Pain relief: Sexual activity can relieve different types of pain, including headaches and even menstrual cramps, potentially due to muscle relaxation and release of endorphins.
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Improved cognitive function in older age: A healthy sex life (having high-quality sex frequently) is linked to improved cognitive functioning in seniors.
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Improved heart health: Sexual activity is connected to improved heart health, including higher heart rate variability, in menopausal women.
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Reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases: Those who have more frequent sex are less likely to have cardiovascular disease than those who have sex less.
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Reduced stress: Oxytocin (which is released during orgasm) can reduce levels of cortisol and overall stress.
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Falling asleep more easily: Sex or masturbation with orgasm can help you fall asleep quicker and have higher quality sleep.
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Reduced genitourinary menopause symptoms: Regular sexual activity during menopause can help improve vaginal health and reduce genitourinary symptoms like vaginal dryness and frequent UTIs.
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Greater longevity: More frequent sex is linked to reduced risk of “all-cause death,” including death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
As if you needed more reasons to feel good.
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When you understand how your body works and feels pleasure, you’re not just improving your sex life; you’re supporting your overall health and well-being. And that’s exactly what you deserve.
