Many people assume male orgasm is a fairly straightforward, one-size-fits-all experience — but experts say there are actually many different ways men can climax.
Discussion around orgasm variety often focuses on women, with sexologist Gigi Engle previously describing nine types.
Those range from sleepgasms and clitoral orgasms through to A-spot orgasms and nipplegasms.
Some of the categories can apply to men as well — nipplegasms being a commonly cited example.
Intimacy expert Susan Bratton has also outlined a wide range of orgasm styles men may be able to experience, explaining just how intense some of them can feel.
One important distinction she highlights is that orgasm and ejaculation aren’t automatically the same thing. The idea is that learning to separate the two can open the door to repeated, more full-body sensations rather than a single ejaculation-focused finish.
The first example she points to is the nipplegasm — exactly what it sounds like: climax brought on through nipple and chest stimulation. Bratton notes that plenty of men report minimal sensation there, but for others it can be a genuine pathway to orgasm.
“You can activate anything I’m talking about on this list of orgasms,” she wrote on her website, BetterLover. “The more you activate and stimulate, the more orgasmic pleasure you have. If you don’t have nipplegasms, now you can have them by exploring the breast and nipple area.”
Another widely discussed one is the prostate orgasm, which involves stimulating the so-called “P-spot” — the prostate gland located internally between the bladder and the penis.
Once someone understands what prostate stimulation feels like for them, Bratton says it can also be combined with penile stimulation to produce what’s often called a blended orgasm.
“Here’s when you’re stimulating the prostate through your finger, a toy, or through your partner’s finger or toy, and you’re stroking your penis at the same time,” Bratton says of this.
She also points to perineal orgasms — the perineum (often nicknamed the “gooch”) is the area between the genitals and the anus, and it’s frequently described as highly responsive for some people.
“Massaging the perineum can enhance other forms of sexual stimulation, and it can even lead to orgasm on its own,” according to Men’s Health.
For those looking for a more whole-body sensation, Bratton describes the possibility of a full-body orgasm — where the pleasure can feel like it spreads beyond the genitals, and may be experienced as waves or shaking sensations rather than a single ejaculatory peak.
And those aren’t the only categories she mentions. Depending on a person’s body, arousal patterns, and preferences, she suggests there are plenty more possible orgasm experiences.
Among the additional examples often listed are erotic hypnosis, fantasy orgasms, sex tech orgasms, heart-gasms, expanded orgasm, urethral orgasms, the ejaculatory orgasm, throatgasms, and the more familiar “typical” orgasm.
Bratton argues that knowing about these distinctions can be useful — not only for adding variety, but also for reassuring people who worry something is “wrong” if they don’t climax easily in certain situations.
Speaking on The Diary Of a CEO podcast in 2024, she said: “Nobody even knows that there’s 20 types of orgasms you can have. […] To achieve that, it’s not what you see on porn.”
She has also spoken about her own relationship experience, saying that intercourse alone wasn’t what brought her to orgasm with her husband — but that learning specific techniques and communication “skills” helped them rebuild confidence and excitement, because the issue wasn’t her body, it was simply that they hadn’t learned what worked for her yet.