By Janet Burns

A collaborative study published has revealed that, when it comes to sexual activity, straight women are having fewer orgasms at the hands of their partners (so to speak) than any other group surveyed. Unlike lesbian women, who reported always or almost always achieving orgasm during sex, women who stuck to male partners only reported having orgasms around 65% of the time--by some grading standards, a solid D.

The study surveyed 52,588 adults on their sexual habits, including 26,032 self-identified heterosexual men, 24,102 heterosexual women, 452 gay men, 340 lesbian women, 550 bisexual men, and 1112 bisexual women. Of those polled, straight men set the curve for orgasms from sexual activity, with 95% reporting that they "usually-always" achieved orgasms. Gay and bisexual men also fared pretty well, with orgasm success rates of 89% and 88%, respectively.

Women, on the other hand, produced a wider spread in data on their intimate experiences. Among lesbian women, 86% reported usually-always having orgasms with partners. Straight and bisexual women, meanwhile, only reported this standard for their sex lives 65% and 66% of the time, respectively, suggesting that the role of women's biology in any historic lack of orgasms has been grossly inflated.

The researchers note that while these statistics may be telling (and even intimidating), they also provide a buffet of insights on getting the delightful job done. "We consider sociocultural and evolutionary explanations for these orgasm gaps," the study reads. "The results suggest a variety of behaviors couples can try to increase orgasm frequency."

Compared to women whose sexual encounters included orgasms less frequently, the study found, women who orgasmed more frequently were more likely to "receive more oral sex, have longer duration of last sex, be more satisfied with their relationship, ask for what they want in bed, praise their partner for something they did in bed, call/email to tease about doing something sexual, wear sexy lingerie, try new sexual positions, anal stimulation, act out fantasies, incorporate sexy talk, and express love during sex."

According to researchers, women also reported being more likely to orgasm if their last sexual encounter had included "deep kissing, manual genital stimulation, and/or oral sex in addition to vaginal intercourse."

Given the potential outcome of these practices (if not their outright enjoyment), these seem like reasonable steps to take--if not for our partners, at least, then for science.