Missionary Sex May Be The Holy Grail of Minimal-Effort Orgasms

People have been trying for years to come up with a sexier name than “Missionary Position,” and for some reason it never takes. Maybe because the mish itself has gotten the reputation for dullsville beginner’s sex. Until now?

Although the headline “Easier Orgasms for Women in the Missionary Position” may seem, well, less than hot, the info included in the Psychology Today piece aims to single-handedly restore the rep of the maligned pose. The answer, it seems, is a little something called “The CAT,” which was apparently very en vogue in the 80s before everyone forgot about it.

It was first introduced back in 1988, by sex researcher Edward Eichel, who claimed that it helped women have orgasms during missionary-position sex. The CAT is deceptively simple: Instead of the man lying on top of the woman chest-to-chest with his penis moving more or less horizontally, the man shifts himself forward so that his chest is closer to one of her shoulders. As a result, his penis moves more up and down. In other words, the man rides higher on the woman’s pelvis, and the bony base of his penis makes more contact with the woman’s clitoris. This increases direct clitoral stimulation and may provide enough to allow her to orgasm.

We don’t know about “introduced in 1988” — we’re guessing people had stumbled upon it long before then and have continued to do so for ages thereafter — but in terms of sexpert circles, it’s now back in fashion. Which is to say, it’ll presumably make it into the manuals as more than just a way for people to look into each other’s eyes. Or, as the article puts it, “for women who have difficulty having orgasms in man-on-top intercourse, the CAT may provide a technique for doing so.” Never a bad thing! But the question remains…is that what missionaries want in their name?