Masturbation/Orgasm Confusion?

[thecabbagepatch]

So this is my first time posting on the message boards so I’m somewhat nervous/embarrassed; I have been on this absolutely amazing website before however.
Basically my question is, are my masturbations ending in orgasms?
So I’m sixteen years old and have been pleasuring myself, knowingly I’d say for a year and a half or so. I’ve looked up ways how and my consistent method is while lying down, (Apologies if this is rather graphic?) stroking the general area with two fingers through my underwear. I’ve read about stimulating the clitoris especially or penetrating with your fingers and I’ve experimented a little I suppose, but it just feels weird.
Essentially, I do a constant motion and it’s like a building up sensation until it reaches its height hence the part that I’m confused about. I’ve been told an orgasm is like mind blowing pleasure, and what I feel certainly doesn’t live up to that? Like, it’s nice, it feels good but not insanely good, I suppose.
Once I finish, it’s usually more sensitive so most of the times I don’t continue. I’m usually wet by then so I don’t know if that would be classified as coming, or an orgasm or what. Overall, I’m pretty clueless about it all, but haven’t been able to find out what I need.

[Alice O]

Hey thecabbagepatch,

Welcome to the boards Glad you have found the site helpful!

Not sure if you have already read this piece, but if not you should check out: Sexual Response & Orgasm: A Users Guide.

One of the things it says is: "It's really tough to describe what an orgasm feels like. Not only does it differ from person to person, one person can experience any number of different sorts of orgasms that vary with every sexual experience, from day to day. Orgasm can feel like a tickle or a hiccup, but can also feel like a very heavy head rush or wave of dizziness through the whole body. Joani Blank once described it in a sex book for kids as feeling similar to when you really, really have to pee and then finally urinating. Overall, having an orgasm is a bit like being a balloon: your body fills up with pressure, then releases that pressure when it gets to its fullest point, much like a balloon does when it pops."

From your description of sensation building up, reaching a height, and then coming down and feeling too sensitive to continue--it sounds a lot like you are orgasming. Often orgasm is depicted in pornography and popular culture in a way that is different from how lots of people experience it--for example, people don't always scream, or moan, or make any noise at all. So if you are basing your idea of what an orgasm is off those type of depictions, your expectation's gonna be a bit off-base.

Does that make sense? Do you have any other questions about this? Or about another subject?