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The female orgasm has long been something of a bedroom enigma.
But in news that will come as music to the ears of women around the world, scientists have uncovered the 'Golden Quartet' of moves that boost the chance of reaching the 'Big O'.
According to the researchers, manual genital stimulation, sex toys, receiving oral sex and deep kissing are the strongest predictors of climax.
However, the team found a striking disconnect between what women reported and what men thought was responsible for their partner's climax.
While men were more likely to credit intercourse, this was not found to be a statistically significant factor for women having an orgasm.
The findings could offer another clue to the enduring 'orgasm gap' between men and women, as well as differences between women of different sexual orientations, the team said.
And it could act as a vital wake–up call for bewildered boyfriends and husbands across the country.
'These findings highlight the importance of specific behaviours for women's orgasm,' the study's abstract, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, reads.
The female orgasm has long been something of a bedroom enigma. But in news that will come as music to the ears of women around the world, scientists have uncovered the 'Golden Quartet' of moves that boost the chance of reaching the 'Big O'. Pictured: the famous orgasm scene in the 1989 classic, When Harry Met Sally
According to the researchers, there are multiple orgasm gaps, with men reaching climax more routinely than women during sexual activity, while lesbian women tend to orgasm more frequently than other women.
For the study they quizzed 637 gay, bisexual and lesbian participants along with 931 straight participants through online surveys.
'Past research has identified a "golden trio" of behaviours linked to higher overall orgasm frequency for women – genital stimulation, deep kissing and oral sex,' the team, from UCLA and Chapman University, wrote.
However, the findings revealed a fourth behaviour which was statistically significant – the use of sex toys.
'The strongest statistically significant predictors of women's orgasms were manual stimulation of genitals, using a sex toy, receiving oral sex and deep kissing,' they wrote.
Men, however, believed that most of their partner's orgasms came from sexual intercourse.
'Most men reported that their partner orgasmed, with most men attributing their partner's orgasms to sexual intercourse followed by oral sex, manual stimulation and sex toys,' the researchers said.
'These findings replicated the golden trio, and the addition of sex toys for the Golden Quartet when looking at women's reported likelihood of orgasm,' the researchers added.
Previous research has found that men are more likely to orgasm than women, while lesbian also tend to orgasm more frequently than straight or bisexual women
A separate study, published earlier this year, revealed emotional connection is a crucial component of women achieving orgasm.
Scientists found that feeling a psychological closeness with a partner – also known as affect – was the strongest predictor of climax.
Surprisingly, the purely physical sensations were simply not as important.
'Affective dimension captures the emotional meaning attributed to orgasm experience, which may be more closely aligned with general sexual satisfaction and function than purely physical sensations,' the researchers, from Loyola Andalucía and Granada universities, explained.
They also found that having a stable partner was strongly linked to a more emotionally intense orgasm experience.
'Women involved in steady relationships reported higher intensity of orgasm and sexual function, as well as higher perceptions of affectivity, intimacy and reward aspects of orgasm,' they added.