The persons in the sample studied by Masters and Johnson were polled with regard to the subjective experience associated with orgasm. Three distinct stages of the woman's orgasmic experience were found. Orgasm begins as a sensation of "stoppage" or "suspension." This instantaneous sensation is followed by an intense sensual awareness oriented to the clitoris. A loss of sensory acuity has been described during this period. Some women described a sense of bearing down occurring simultaneously with the clitoralpelvic sensation. A feeling of receptive opening has also been expressed by parous women. This sensation has also been compared to those during the second stage of labor.