Although most of us would like to have more orgasms, there are certain social norms (and laws) that make it prudent to only orgasm in certain places and times. Unexpected, or as specialists call them – atypical orgasms, are orgasms occurring in an unexpected place and at an unexpected time, without the presence of sexual stimulation. The term refers to the following phenomena: 1. Spontaneous orgasms In the clinical literature, it describes a rare side effect of a widely used group of antidepressants – the so-called. selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Their use can lead to spontaneous orgasms without sexual stimulation or after intercourse has ended. Cases have been reported during the use of fluoxetine, paroxetine, citalopram and bupropion (which does not belong to the same group as the other three). Men who took antidepressants described spontaneous orgasms at work or in public as highly undesirable and uncomfortable, as they were also associated with ejaculation. From the clinical experience available to date, it can be concluded that they are a rare side effect that begins up to several weeks after the start of therapy and subsides quickly after its discontinuation. 2. Orgasms during breastfeeding In a study conducted in 2000, 40, 5% of the participants stated that they experienced sexual arousal while breastfeeding, and 16.7% stated that they often experienced arousal while breastfeeding. Many women feel embarrassed by this, but this is, of course, due to ignorance of the physiology of the process. Arousal is due to the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin stimulates the release of milk from the breast, while its own release is stimulated by nipple irritation. Oxytocin has also been found to induce uterine contractions during labor and orgasm and to induce feelings of relaxation and satisfaction after orgasm. 3. Orgasms in spinal cord injuries Until recently, clinicians were adamant that such a thing was impossible for people with severe spinal cord injuries. Anecdotal reports were ignored or classified as “phantom” orgasms, ie. something due to damaged nerve pathways, as in phantom pain – the pain of a missing (amputated) limb. Only in the mid-nineties, laboratory tests confirmed the “unbelievable” – people with spinal cord injuries can really experience sexual pleasure. According to one study, 52% of women with such injuries experienced an orgasm. The researchers explain this by the presence of an alternative nerve path from the cervix to the cerebral cortex, completely bypassing the spinal canal. NEWS_MORE_BOX 4. Nerve Stimulation Orgasm In 1998, Dr. Stuart Malloy discovered that inserting electrodes near the spine to stimulate the nerves in it (a technique used to treat severe chronic pain) had an unexpected side effect—inducing orgasm in female patients. He is currently developing a device thatspecially designed to stimulate orgasms in people with various sexual dysfunctions. In his first post on the subject, he claimed that 10 out of 11 participants who had been unable to orgasm in the past were able to reach them with the device. To definitively confirm or reject the applicability of his discovery, however, much larger clinical trials than those described so far are needed. In itself, however, this suggests the existence of additional, as yet unexplored, ways of reaching orgasm and once again demonstrates the complexity of human physiology and the incompleteness of our knowledge of it.