The aim of the present study was to investigate how
women’stendencytopretendorgasmduringintercourseisasso-
ciated with orgasm function and intercourse-related pain, using
alongitudinaldesignwheretemporalstabilityandpossiblecausal
relationships could be modeled. The study sample consisted of
1421 Finnish women who had participated in large-scale popu-
lation-based data collections conducted at two time points 7
yearsapart.Pretendingorgasmwasassessedforthepast4 weeks,
and orgasm function and pain were assessed using the Female
Sexual Function Index for the past 4 weeks. Associations were
alsocomputedseparatelyinthreegroupsofwomenbasedonrela-
tionshipstatus.Pretendingorgasmwasconsiderablyvariableover
time, with 34% of the women having pretended orgasm a few
times or more at least at one time point, and 11% having done so
at both time points. Initial bivariate correlations revealed associ-
ations between pretending orgasm and orgasm problems within
and across time, whereas associations with pain were more
ambiguous. However, we found no support in the path model for
the leading hypotheses that pretending orgasms would predict
pain or orgasm problems over a long period of time, or that pain
or orgasm problems would predict pretending orgasm. The
strongest predictor of future pretending in our model was previ-

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• A Longitudinal Assessment of Associations Between Women’s Tendency to Pretend Orgasm, Orgasm Function, and Intercourse- Related Pain in Different Partner Relationship Constellations