Instead of climaxing, Eva* used to cry.
From the first time she had intercourse, at 17, the buildup of emotion and sensation would often trigger a bout of tears. Other times, she felt as though orgasm was an almost-sneeze – “this very fast semi-climax, and then it was over. When I would hear about women who had multiple orgasms, amazing orgasms, I just couldn’t imagine.”
Eva, now 70 and retired from a long career in the film industry, kept her inability to reach orgasm a secret cloaked in shame: “Sometimes I’d almost whisper it at the end of a medical appointment.” For…
