Looking for another reason to get out of bed and schlep to the gym? How about a surprise orgasm? No, we're not talking about a locker room hook-up, but a spontaneous orgasm that happens literally during your workout.
Maybe you already know what we're talking about because you’ve been hitting your ab workout hard only to start feeling a strangely familiar tingling down you know where. Or maybe you've seen people online chatting about this phenomenon.
What we’re referring to is the “coregasm”. To learn more about what it is, what causes them, and how to make them happen, PRIDE spoke with sex experts Bel Di Lorenzo, entrepreneur, women’s sexual health advocate, and the author of the bestselling book The Gohddess Method; Dr. Sue Milstein, sex educator with a PhD in human sexuality education, Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES), and a Certified Sexologist; and Sofie Roos, licensed sexologist and relationship therapist and author at Passionerad, to get their insights — and what we learned was, ahem, very stimulating and educational.
What is a coregasm, and what causes one?
So what exactly is a coregasm? Well, as it sounds, it starts with your core muscles, i.e., the muscles in your abdomen, back, and pelvis, and it occurs while exercising.
But how does that work? “It’s usually triggered by intense engagement of the lower abs and pelvic floor. It’s caused by a combination of sustained muscular tension, increased blood flow to the pelvic region, and stimulation of the nerves that connect the core and pelvic muscles to the brain’s arousal centers,” Di Lorenzo tells PRIDE. “When breath, effort, and pressure align, it can create enough internal stimulation to lead to orgasm, without direct genital contact.”
“This often happens in combination with relatively heavy exercising that increases the blood flow to the vagina, something that increases sensitivity,” Roos adds to PRIDE.
Who can have a coregasm?
Roos mentions that the vagina becomes more sensitive during core exercise, but this experience is not limited to women and people with vulvas, however. “Both people with penises and vaginas can experience coregasm, even though they are most common in people with vaginas,” he explains.
Di Lorenzo concurs, adding that it tends to happen more commonly for women and people with vulvas. “This is likely due to the structure of the pelvic floor and how closely it’s tied to arousal and orgasmic response.” However, she concedes it's not that simple. “People who have a strong mind-body connection and good muscle awareness in their core and pelvis are often more likely to access them,” she explains.
“While coregasms happen randomly for some, others can get them on purpose by learning how to activate the right muscles,” encourages Roos. “However, not everyone can achieve them — there’s many people trying all their lives without succeeding, while others get coregasms without barely trying, so your genetics plays a huge role.”
Are coregasms common?
While the experts agree that coregasms are real, how commonly they happen is still very much up for debate.
According to Di Lorenzo, they are not as rare as many may assume. “They’re definitely underreported,” she says. “Some research suggests that up to 10 to 15% of women have experienced orgasm or orgasm-like sensations during exercise. In my experience, once someone begins training pelvic floor coordination with intention, coregasms can become more frequent and easier to identify.”
Roos cites a slightly lower number, based on research published in the National Library of Medicine in 2021, which says as many as 9% of all respondents had experienced an orgasm while exercising.
Dr. Milstein says it’s hard to know for sure because the data is soft. “It’s important to keep in mind that we have to rely on self-reported data to know how often this happens. If someone had one and had no idea what it was, they may not report having had one,” she explains. “With all that being said, some studies estimate that 1 in 10 women have had a coregasm, and 1 in 13 men have had one.”
What exercises and techniques can you do to achieve one?
If you're curious about experiencing one, some techniques can help make the magic happen. The key, says Di Lorenzo, is “sustained engagement of the lower abdominals and pelvic floor, especially when paired with breathwork.”
So what specific exercises should you try? “All exercises that activate the core and pelvic floor muscles give the best chances,” says Roos. “Such as squats, deadlifts, or hip thrusts. You can also try hanging leg raises, exercises with a weighted ball such as a ‘teaser’ where you sit on your butt and lift the ball with your feet up to your hands, lean back with straight arms, and then give back the balls to the feet, or the plank.” She adds that weight training, whether it's with weights or your own body weight, is essential.
But say you’re already doing all of this and have yet to experience a coregasm, Di Lorenzo suggests some more specific forms of trunk exercises paired with breathwork.
“Long contractions: It involves lifting the pelvic floor up (as if you were trying to hold pee). Hold the pull at the top for as long as you can. It's crucial that you never hold your breath as you hold the contraction; simply breathe in and out gently through your nose.
Expelling: Conscious release of the pelvic floor to build pressure and create a push/pull dynamic. The best way to think about it is as if you had been holding on to your pee for a long time and you finally are able to find a toilet and release it.”
“When these exercises are combined with deep breathing, muscle control, and mental focus, they can build enough tension and internal pressure to trigger orgasm,” she says. “For some, practicing these movements while aroused or during certain phases of the cycle can make a coregasm more likely.”
Do they feel different from other kinds of orgasms?
Not all orgasms are created equal. For instance, clitorial and vaginal orgasms often feel much different — and they differ from prostate orgasms. So, where does a coregasm land on this spectrum of sensation?
Dr. Milstein explains that, “for women [and people with vulvas] it can be similar to a vaginal orgasm, but not quite the same. Some women who’ve had one say they’re a bit less intense than a vaginal orgasm,” she describes. “For men, it may feel like a prostate orgasm.”
“It’s important to keep in mind that coregasms aren’t linked to sexual thoughts, so the overall feeling may be different from an orgasm from sex because our mind is in a different place,” she adds.
This is all the more reason to know what to expect so that you can identify what is happening should you have one. “Instead of a sharp or surface-level climax, coregasms often feel like a warm, spreading wave that begins in the lower abdomen or pelvis and radiates outward,” says Di Lorenzo. “They can be shorter or more subtle than clitoral orgasms, but still deeply pleasurable and satisfying, especially for those who are attuned to their internal sensations.”
The sensations may spread down through your legs, adds Roos. “The fact that they are more unusual often leads to the coregasm feeling more exciting, which also adds pleasure,” she says. “As always, when it comes to sex, it’s highly individual, so some people will find it very similar to a regular climax, while others find it a whole different thing!”
The only way to know for sure is to give it a try, so it sounds like the perfect excuse to re-up that gym membership!
Experts cited:
Bel Di Lorenzo, entrepreneur, women’s sexual health advocate, and the author of the bestselling book, The Gohddess Method.
Dr. Sue Milstein, sex educator with a PhD in human sexuality education, Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES), and a Certified Sexologist.
Sofie Roos, licensed sexologist and relationship therapist & author at Passionerad.
Heather Peace shared that she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.
Keith Mayhew/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Lesbian Lip Service star and singer Heather Peace has gone public with her cancer diagnosis for the first time.
Known for starring in the lesbian series and the BBC soap opera EastEnders, Peace feels “very lucky” for all of the support she has received.
In a new video posted to Instagram on the day she finished chemo, Peace shared her journey through wig fittings and cancer treatments.
In the caption of the video that shows Peace trying on wigs with the EastEnders makeup department, she shared that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in October of 2024, and that posting the video “is an important part of my recent journey, which I wanted to share with you.”
Peace said that she has since undergone surgery and chemotherapy, and finishing the treatment felt like an amazing accomplishment. “I woke up this morning and it was like the end of the London Marathon,” she wrote, explaining that she felt like she “just picked up my medal.”
The 49-year-old actress admitted to feeling "forever changed” by the experience and said she’s taken a step back from fame and has been focusing on “trying to appreciate every moment” with her wife Ellie and their three daughters, Annie, Jessie, and Lola.
“I’ve stayed still. I’ve found joy in the simplest of things,” Peace wrote. “Interactions with others have felt honest and real because I’ve had no capacity for small talk. It has felt like such a personal shift. There have been so many positives.”
She also thanked the EastEnders’ makeup team for going “above and beyond” in helping her find a wig for her to wear. “I’ve felt totally supported by you all,” she wrote.
Peace also thanked the people in England’s universal healthcare system, the National Health Service, for doing such a good job taking care of her. “You gave me dignity and showed me kindness. It’s so appreciated,” she added.
The comment section of the video is flooded with people wishing her well and congratulating her on beating cancer, including many of her fellow EastEnders stars.
Her caption closed by saying, “Life feels very different now and it’s wonderful. I will continue to cherish and be grateful for all I am blessed with. I feel very lucky.”
Lacey Turner who wrote, “My superhero !! Love you always mate,” while Navin Chowdhry commented, “All the love in the world Heather. You are Glowing!! And what a magical team to have by your side,” and Kellie Bright said, “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…. WARRIOR WOMAN!!!! Love the bones of you.”
Janice and Sue from the new PBS documentary Mind Over Matter: My Alzheimer’s
Janice Goldberg still remembers the first moment she laid eyes on her partner Sue.
It was over 45 years ago in the small beach town of Ocean City, Maryland. Janice had gotten a job waiting tables at an upscale restaurant after spending the first part of her summer in Europe. She wasn’t quite sure what the future had in store for her – then “there she was.”
Sue, who lived in Florida at the time, had travelled up the coast to spend the summer in Ocean City with her then-boyfriend. The two decided one day to treat themselves to a meal at a fancier restaurant, and happened to walk into the one where Janice worked. “The rest is, as they say, history.”
Janice started as Sue’s waiter, but it wasn’t long before she became her lover. Today, she’s her caregiver.
Sue began showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease about ten years ago. Since then, Janice has had to balance her work as both a theater director and a tour guide with caring for the love of her life. She recently agreed to take part in the upcoming PBS documentary Mind Over Matter: My Alzheimer’s to shed a light on her experience – and hopefully help end the “stigma” surrounding it.
“I want people to recognize that it's a journey. I want people to recognize the difficulty of it, and I want to take away some of the fear that's involved,” Janice tells The Advocate. “I also think that it's important for people to see how caregivers and their loved ones can deal with it and what they do to make things manageable for themselves.”
The documentary is the third in a series from award-winning co-directors Anna Moot-Levin and Laura Green that focuses on neurodegenerative diseases. The film follows Janice and Sue’s journey alongside two other pairs of parent and child as they all navigate life with the conditions.
One of the film’s central themes is “how people living with Alzheimer's and dementia continue to lead meaningful lives where they're connected to others and connected to activities and things that they enjoy and love,” Moot-Levin says. This doesn’t just mean patients, as “there's an impact on the immediate family, there's an impact on the person's community, and there's a real loss in the experience of the people who are surrounding the person with that illness.”
“Each of them have such a deeply loving relationship and they find a way to maintain that relationship even as one person changes with dementia,” Green adds. “I think that people are very dismissive of the sort of personhood of people with Alzheimer's and dementia, and they don’t always see and interact with them. There’s a lot more recognizing the humanity of people living with Alzheimer's that we need to do.”
Including Janice and Sue’s relationship also showcases “what an LGBTQ relationship is like in aging,” Green says, which there unfortunately aren’t many examples of in media. The filmmakers wanted to examine the “differences” that arise in later stages of life for queer people, to which Janice asserts, “We’re older. That’s the difference.”
The directors initially connected with Janice and Sue over two years ago through SAGE, an advocacy organization for LGBTQ+ elders that offers support groups for people with neurodegenerative diseases. While Janice greatly appreciates having a group of queer people she can relate to, she says that she never pictured herself ending up in such a group.
“I thought I'd get through my whole life without ‘therapy,’” Janice says. “Turns out you don't.”
While Janice notes that “the battle is the same for everybody, and it's vastly different for everybody all at the same time,” all the caregivers she knows have experienced a similar feeling of loss. This isn’t just from the changes in their loved ones, but the changes in themselves that Moot-Levin has dubbed a “transformation of identity.”
“For this particular disease, it's hard as hell on the caregiver because the person who has the disease oftentimes does not know they have the disease. They think they're fine, so they can live a peaceful, happy life,” Janice says. “I don't know any caregiver who lives a peaceful, happy life.”
While Janice knew that the film was an “important project,” she says she mainly wanted to participate because it seemed “fun” – and it was “something good to do with Sue since she needs some engagement.”
Sue was a gracious host even when she didn’t remember that a documentary team was in her home, as Green says that she would frequently offer the crew snacks and refreshments. “She would sometimes forget that we were there and then be surprised that we were there, but still be a consummate hostess with the revelation that there was a camera crew in her apartment,” Green recalls.
What was “remarkable” for Janice about the process was being able to watch the documentary once it was finished and see Sue’s progression. When filming began, Sue was still verbal. Now, Janice says "words are difficult for her," and that she mostly speaks in “gibberish.”
“To have to watch that, I found very moving and sad, but I was grateful that I saw it so there's a documentation of that,” Janice says.
Through the film, Janice hopes to draw attention to what people caring for loved ones with neurodegenerative diseases go through. The process is “draining on families,” she says, especially if “you're under a certain income” or if “ people have to quit jobs to care for people and then there's no income.”
The filmmakers also hope to erase some of the stigma surrounding such conditions, as Moot-Levin emphasizes “we need to support people through that sense of loss.”
“People often want to hide themselves as they begin to get dementia. People feel shame and embarrassment,” Green says. “Being more accepting so that we can have a society that people are more fully integrated in and less lonely and less isolated really would be wonderful.”
Matter of Mind: My Alzheimer's will debut as part of the Independent Lens series on PBS May 5.
For the past three years, Max Lorde has built a strong fanbase who love his wild viral clips and sexy adult films. However, things took a scary turn late last year when the model had a major health scare.
"It's been crazy. [I'm] blessed and alive. For those who don't know, I had a heart attack back in August. It was terrifying. It was just a lot. I'm just learning it's a lot of stress. I'm learning to let go, forgive, move on and be happy," Lorde tells PRIDE.
At just 26 years old, the star is making important life changes and putting down the bottle more than he used to.
"I'm not an alcoholic, but I go to my doctor and get alcohol every day. Don Julio, you may know him," he jokes. "Maybe alcohol's not actually worth it. Maybe it's not."
Although he may be giving up the booze, Lorde still has big plans for his career in the adult entertainment industry.
"I have some scenes coming up! This year, I'm going to try to go Europe. I haven't been yet! She's had her Hispanics. She's had her Australians. She's had her Canadians. She's had her Americans. She needs some French! I'm just being Max Lorde."
Fans can keep up with Max Lorde by following him on Instagram here. To see the full interview, check out the video at the top of the page.
“I got diagnosed with autism when I was filming season one of The Last of Us,” Ramsey revealed.
But Ramsey isn’t the only LGBTQ+ who is neurodiverse. There are plenty of other queer celebrities who are also autistic or have ADHD or OCD.
One thing these queer stars seem to agree on is that being neurodiverse has helped them in different ways despite living in a neurotypical world that can often be judgmental.
“The label of being autistic has been so helpful to me because that’s helped me to understand myself, but gender and sexuality-wise, labels do not feel comfy for me in any capacity, because I feel like I’m putting myself into a box. I feel trapped,” nonbinary The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey told British Vogue in their first interview talking about their diagnosis.
Ramsey went on to say that being autistic is actually a gift when it comes to acting, “I’ve always been watching and learning from people. Having to learn more manually how to socialize and interact with the people around me has helped me with acting.” Being on set, too, offers a routine: “I have a call time, and I’m told what to wear, how to stand, where to stand and what to eat.” They describe the diagnosis as “freeing… It enables me to walk through the world with more grace towards myself about not being able to do the easy everyday tasks that everyone else seems to be able to do.”
“Most people don’t understand what’s going on in my brain,” nonbinary singer Janelle Monáe told Ms. Magazine about their OCD diagnosis. “It’s beautiful that I have a title called The Age of Pleasure because it actually re-centers me. It’s not about an album anymore. I’ve changed my whole fucking lifestyle.”
"This isn't something I'd change … immediately being autistic is central to who I am. To everything I've achieved/articulated," actor Wentworth Miller wrote on Instagram, People reported back in 2021.
He continued, "This fall marks 1 year since I received my informal autism diagnosis. Preceded by a self-diagnosis. Followed by a formal diagnosis. It was a long, flawed process in need of updating. IMO. I'm a middle-aged man. Not a 5-year-old."
"Acting is an escapism for me. I feel free and understood when playing characters when, most of the time, I felt misunderstood as Bradley. I am so happy that I can show autistic people that they aren’t alone and that they aren’t invisible – they are beautiful and magical,” gay and autistic Heartstopper star Bradley Riches — who was diagnosed when he was 9 years old — told Metro after landing a role on the queer Netflix teen drama.
“For a long time, I worried that I’d been misdiagnosed. It was difficult to believe that I wasn’t entirely to blame for my life being such a painful struggle, because I was so used to assuming I was a bad person. It took me a long time to get brave enough to simply share my diagnosis. My experience did not match the popular understanding of autism, and I knew I had to become an expert in neurobiology in order to untangle the myriad myths surrounding autism – just to beg permission to claim that piece of my identity,” genderqueer comedian Hannah Gadsby wrote in an essay for The Guardian about being autistic.
"I want to write and direct but it’s not easy with ADHD. I have a hard time focusing when I’m alone,” bisexual Girlfight star Michelle Rodriguez told Cosmopolitan back in 2013. But she also admitted to being nervous to try medication. "I’m a scatterbrain,” she added. "But I'm nervous of taking medication. I don't really want to depend on anything to control my brain."
"I’m not in hell now. The things that stick with all of us the most are the darker times, the more traumatic times,” queer model and actress Cara Delevingne said on This Morning discussing her challenges with ADHD . “Those are some of the points I remember the most. I didn’t know how to communicate my emotions. I was very ashamed of the way I felt. I had a very privileged upbringing, I was very lucky, I went to an amazing school.”
She continued, "And then the guilt of feeling that way and not being able to tell anyone because I shouldn’t feel that way and I shouldn’t feel bad. It’s the guilt."
Autistic comedian and actor Josh Thomas wasn’t diagnosed until he was adult, but he think it helped him when making his podcast How To Be Gay. “I was more aware of the fact that [I’m] bad at some stuff … getting people to feel comfortable and talk about themselves – I wouldn’t say I’m the frontrunner for that job. Which I think got us interesting interviews because I’m so direct, and nobody sounds like they’re bullshitting or being performative,” he told The Guardian.
“I didn’t know I had ADHD as a kid, I just thought I was really dramatic! I am, but that’s a separate thing,” queer singer and actress Reneé Rapp said in an interview with Official Charts to talk about her album Snow Angel. "I didn’t know or understand what it was, but now I do and I really love it. I think it helps me a lot. When I’m writing a song, ten songs are coming out of that concept. My brain is in ten different places. I actually really enjoy it. It’s exhausting, don’t get me wrong, but it’s really fun. If it’s somebody else’s story and a different creative process, I don’t do as well and I might panic. When it’s my thing, though, I’m like ‘wow, I have so many ideas!’”
“My ADD makes it really hard to sit down and focus on anything at all,” Ellen DeGeneres said in her Netflix stand-up special, Additude reported. “I mean, do you know how hard it was for me to put this together? Of course you don't. Why would I ask that question?”
DeGeneres continued, “So, I have ADD, I have OCD, I'm losing my memory. But I think I'm well-adjusted because I obsess on things, but I don't have the attention span to stick with it, and I quickly forget what I was obsessing about in the first place,” she added. “So, it takes me all the way around to being well adjusted, I think.”
“I briefly mentioned this after my elimination, but I want to officially share that I have been diagnosed with autism,” Drag Race star Hormona Lisa revealed on Reddit. “I received my diagnosis nearly 7 years ago, and it really helped explain a lot of my life experiences, like never quite fitting in, no matter how much I wanted to, or people not quite understanding me. It can be frustrating at times, especially when I feel like I’m expressing something one way, but others don’t see it the same way. Still, it’s a part of who I am, and I wouldn’t change it!”
“I really hope that by sharing my story, I can give others with autism the courage to embrace who they are, even when it feels like the world doesn’t quite get them,” Hormona previously told PRIDE. “Sharing my diagnosis has always been something I’ve been hesitant about, but I’ve come to realize that being open about it is important — not just for me, but for others who might feel alone in their own struggles."
"Embrace it. It may be a nuisance, it may be hard to deal with sometimes, but you can learn to manage it. Don't ever try to get rid of it entirely. Attention deficit makes you special,” nonbinary actor Bex Taylor-Klaus said of their ADHD diagnosis, Additude reported. Since then Taylor-Klaus has been open about being AuDHD, meaning that they are both autistic and have ADHD.
