The ‘pleasure gap’ is real: New research reveals Aussie men are almost four times more likely to orgasm than women

The Cliovana Pleasure Index has uncovered some eye-opening truths about Aussies’ sexual satisfaction.

The newly released Cliovana Pleasure Index also revealed half of Australian women have faked an orgasm (50%), with those aged 25 to 30 years old the most likely, compared to just 17% of men. Additionally, more than one in 10 women (13.5%) admitted to never orgasming when they have sex.

“The pleasure gap is very concerning to us, as is the taboo nature surrounding the topic of female pleasure in general”, said CEO of Samson Medical Technologies (for Cliovana), Andrew Nutman. 

“Cliovana’s mission is to narrow the gap for women one orgasm at time, because both sexes should have the right to enjoy and feel comfortable having sex,” he said.

Established in North America and now expanding into Australia, Cliovana is dedicated to normalising the discussion of women's sexual satisfaction and empowering women to pursue their own sexual pleasure.

The Cliovana treatment was developed by world leading Toronto-based orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Robert Gordon, after his own wife suffered a spinal tumour affecting sensation, Dr. Gordon hypothesised that sound waves could cause neovascularisation around the clitoral area to enhance nerve stimulation, thereby increasing sensation.

Fast forward to today, Cliovana is now the first 100% non-invasive treatment using sound wave technology, through a TGA registered device, to boost the process of regenerating cells in the female genitalia. This results in improved blood flow to the clitoris - which studies show is the key component of achieving orgasm for most women. 

Cliovana practitioner, Gynaecologist and Obstetrician, Dr Lionel Steinberg, said the treatment was available for any woman aged 18 years and older, but was most suitable to those who either perceived they took too long to reach orgasm or who felt their orgasm wasn’t intense enough - with the treatment proving especially popular among post-menopausal women at his Melbourne-based clinic.

“Just four 15-minute sessions in two weeks is enough for patients to see positive results, with full benefits able to be enjoyed in approximately three months' time. Many patients experience enhanced sensitivity after just one session. The best part is there is no downtime so women can get back to doing whatever they want straight away,” he said.

Dr Steinberg conducted a small pilot study in his Melbourne practice in 2021. To date, 80% of the women treated in the pilot have seen incredibly positive results from the treatment and have been enquiring as to when Cliovana is going to become available to the wider Australian market. 

One of these pilot patients and now Cliovana convert is 43-year-old Melbourne-based beauty salon owner and mum, Anastasia. 

“So many women in Australia are still so afraid and shy to even say the word vagina let alone be comfortable seeking help for issues they may have in the region. For me trying Cliovana symbolised so much more than trying a treatment. It unlocked my ability to further explore and feel what my body needed. I was able to connect with pleasure in such a heightened form – my orgasms were more intense and lasted longer than ever before – double the time at least”, said Anastasia.

According to the Index, less than a quarter (22.4%) of Australian women said they felt comfortable talking freely about their sex life or their ability to climax with their close friends or even with their partner, with the research indicating the topic became increasingly uncomfortable as women aged.

But despite a majority of survey respondents claiming they were open to exploring new ideas, almost all (more than 96%) had never sought help, mainly because they were unsure where to begin.

Dr Steinburg believes these results reinforce just how important Cliovana is to encouraging a wider, healthy dialogue about women’s sexual satisfaction.

• - Over half of young women (61%) aged 25-30 have faked orgasms (more than 3x more likely than their male counterparts).

• - Of those that had had a baby, a combined result of 92% indicated their sex life got worse or remained unchanged, and just 8% said their sex life improved.

• - If women don’t have an orgasm early in life, they don’t tend to learn how.

• - The most common sexual intercourse complications listed by women were pain, lack of arousal, issues with lubrication, lack of desire, and difficulty in achieving orgasm at a higher rate than men across all categories.

• - More than half of the respondents (both male and female) indicated they weren't aware there were ways to enhance orgasms or would like to explore more and try to reach new heights in the bedroom.

• - Overwhelmingly, respondents had never sought professional help for their sex life. Just 9.1% of men compared to 3.9% of women. For those who did seek help, prescription medication was the most common outcome (69% and 48% respectively).

• - According to new research from Cliovana’s pleasure index, the older we get the less comfortable we are talking about our sex lives. 

About Cliovana: Cliovana aims to close the pleasure gap by normalising female sexual wellness and increasing overall sexual responsiveness and satisfaction for women. Cliovana’s innovative, non-invasive sound wave treatment is performed in clinic by a Cliovana-certified medical professional.  

Established in North America and now expanding into Australia, Cliovana is playing a significant role in normalising the discussion of women's sex lives and their right to enjoy sexual intimacy.