Dear Matt_009,

Actually, ejaculation and orgasm are two different things.

Orgasm, for women and men, is the release of built-up muscle tension resulting from sexual activity. It produces rapid muscle contractions usually in the genital and anal area, but these contractions can also be felt throughout the body. Most people find these muscular contractions very pleasant.

Ejaculation is much more common in men than in women. In men, ejaculation is when semen spurts out of the erect penis. Most of the time, a man will have an orgasm at the same time he ejaculates, but he may occasionally have an orgasm without ejaculating, or ejaculate without having an orgasm.

About 10 percent of women ejaculate — they sometimes spurt a clear fluid from the urethra during intense sexual excitement or during orgasm. Unlike a man's ejaculate, a woman's ejaculate does not contain sperm.

Hope this information helps!

Take care,

teenwire.com^® Editors

This column is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have a medical problem, please call toll-free 1-800-230-PLAN for an appointment with the Planned Parenthood health center nearest you.