This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Canada, which closed in 2021.

There Is No One Universal Sex Move That Works For All Women

So start talking to your partner.
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It should be basic knowledge, but if you're trying to satisfy a woman in bed, you better have more than one move to get her to climax.

New research confirms what all women know: when it comes to sex, every woman is different and has their own individual preferences.

A recent study, published in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, found that as a group, women like a range of different stimulations, but as individuals, they have specific needs, proving there's no single way to please a woman.

Researchers studied more than 1,000 women between the ages of 18 and 94, who reported a range of preferences for genital touching, location of touching, pressure, shape, and pattern.

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When it came to their favourite way to be stimulated, nearly 64 per cent of the participants said they preferred an up-and-down touching motion, while 50 per cent preferred circular motions, and other women said they like multiple methods.

"The study results challenge the mistaken, but common, notion that there are universal 'sex moves that work' for everyone," said Brian Dodge, the IU public health researcher who conducted the study.

The study results challenge the mistaken, but common, notion that there are universal 'sex moves that work' for everyone.

What this all means is that when you're engaged in sex, there should be clear communication between both partners as to what they like — and if that means the woman has to instruct their partner what to do, then that partner should be more than willing to learn and practice.

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Other useful, but again, not surprising, findings showed that nearly 75 per cent of women said that clitoral stimulation was necessary for orgasm through intercourse, and also made their orgasms better.

Only 18 per cent reported that vaginal penetration alone was sufficient to achieve an orgasm.

And of course, there is so much more you can do with a partner sexually than just intercourse. Many women get off by oral sex, too.

There is so much more you can do with a partner sexually than just intercourse.

"Oral sex is deeply intimate and despite being extremely common, it maintains a degree of edginess that makes it intensely hot," sexologist and author Jessica O'Reilly of The New Sex Bible told HuffPost Canada. "When you crawl between your lover's legs, they leave their most intimate parts exposed; simultaneously, however, they hold a position to look down upon you as you offer the service of pleasure."

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If you don't have much experience giving oral sex, don't stress about it.

"Don't worry about technique or orgasm. Simply kiss, suck, caress and touch according to your own pleasure," O'Reilly said. "Move slowly, be gentle and simply spend a few minutes down there exploring."

Don't worry about technique or orgasm. Simply kiss, suck, caress and touch according to your own pleasure.

The key to quality sex is listening to your partner's needs and asking them what they like. Have fun, explore, and be safe!

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