Map out the best route with this behind-the-scenes exposé of authentic lady-pleasing moves and methods.

The question Men's Health is asked more than any other is: "What do women really want?"

We're going to take a minor leap of faith and assume you can find the clitoris without switching on the sat-nav, but if you want to push on from the realm of swordsman to samurai, then take note of the following 10 key secrets of female sexuality. Get them right and she'll be back for more as often as you can handle it.

Neck and neck
She wants you to . . . smell right
She might not tell you this after you arrive home unshowered from the gym, but she really wants to get a good sniff of you.

"You can affect the intensity of an orgasm by smell alone - sniffing male pheromones will definitely heighten her orgasm," says Dr Ian Kerner, sex therapist and author of She Comes First. "The place where the neck meets the shoulderblade is a natural pheromone trap, so make sure you are having sex in a position where she can nuzzle into your neck."

Pungent sweat will turn her off, though, so go for a fragrance with cinnamon (try John Varvatos Vintage). Research by the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago discovered cinnamon had the most powerful ability to evoke feelings of lust. After Jägermeister, obviously.

Weird science
She wants you to . . . alter her mind
We're talking about natural highs, and the ones that she really wants you to produce in her brain. "Oxytocin is a powerful chemical that stimulates arousal. A woman can make up to 500 times more than usual if her whole body is touched during sex," says Kerner.

"Get her to lie on her side with her top knee up towards her chest and the lower leg straight so all of her is touching all of you," says Midori, erotic teacher at London sex boutique Coco De Mer. That way, you stimulate the largest possible area of the vagus nerve, which according to Barry Komisaruk, author of The Science of Orgasm, carries sexual stimulation signals to her brain.

The more of this you touch, the greater the release of oxytocin, and the more she'll think you're the best thing since the Rampant Rabbit.



Spot of bother
She wants you to . . . go from G to A
Clitoris, G-spot . . . yawn. If you stop at these then you'll only be two-thirds of the way to giving her what she's after. You need to go to the start of the sex alphabet, the A-spot, which heightens orgasm and increases lubrication.

According to Desmond Morris, author of The Naked Woman: A Study of the Female Body, this is "a patch of sensitive tissue at the inner end of the vaginal tube, between the cervix and the bladder," aka "the female degenerated prostate".

The best way to stimulate it is with her on top and her body high up on yours, jockey-style. If she wants to add a riding crop . . . well, whatever gets you both off.

Do nothing
She wants you to . . . keep still
Biologically speaking, at the critical moment of orgasm, she'd rather it was you lying back and thinking of England. According to Komisaruk there is a "general orgasmic principle of building up excitation" in which rhythmic stimulation is absolutely critical. Break that at any point and it's game over.

"Most women have been there: ‘It's coming! It's coming!' And suddenly it's not, because spurred on by her excitement, you get over-enthusiastic and switch position," says Dr Yvonne Fulbright, author of Touch Me There!: A Hands-On Guide to Your Orgasmic Hot Spots.

"You should stop when she is on the brink and let her use you as a ‘point of resistance' to take herself over the edge," says Kerner. Think of yourself as both a rock and a hard place: just don't move.



Positional play
She wants you to . . . move things on
When she wants you to take control in bed, she's expecting maximum pleasure. Sending a rush of blood to her head will get you everywhere.

"Research shows that the sex glands ‘wake up' if more blood goes to the pituitary gland," says Candida Royalle, author of How To Tell A Naked Man What To Do. In short, that means getting her upside down.

"To heighten her mood, get her on her back and tip her legs over her head as you enter her from in front," says Royalle. If this is tricky, just ask her to lay on the bed with her top half hanging over the edge.

Unspoken rules
She wants you to . . . give her the eye
Confusing this, but not telling a woman she's sexy turns her on more than doing so.
That's not an excuse to tell her that her arse does look a bit fat in that dress, but rather that women are aroused if they are looked at lustily. A report in the Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality suggested that women use more non-verbal cues during sex than men. So match her.

"Telling your girlfriend she looks sexy will turn her on, but the way you look at her is what will really get her going," explains Dr Pam Spurr, author of Fabulous Foreplay. "Think about how sexy she looks when she's giving you head, and the way you look at her," says Royalle. "Then make sure you look at her the same way during sex."

Lobe addiction
She wants you to . . . touch her ears
Here's a thing: she wants you to turn her off before you turn her on. "Brain studies show that women can experience orgasm much more easily if their brain's stress centres are deactivated," explains Kerner. And what she has (perhaps deliberately) been holding back from telling you is that she has a biological "off" switch: her ear lobes.

"Lobes release endorphins which totally relax the body," he says. Rub hers gently as you're kissing her, until you feel her release tension from stress points like her shoulders. Be careful not to catch dangly earrings in your watchstrap.



Happy slapping
She wants you to . . . bottom out
Is it really so misogynistic to think that women love a good tap on the backside? Apparently not.

"Inside the body the clitoris splits into two wings of spongy tissue and nerve endings that extend toward the back of her thighs," says Charlotte Webb, author of Masterclass: Anal Sex. "It's definitely possible to excite the clitoris via the backside. Light stroking is a real turn-on. To give her an explosive orgasm, lightly massage her bottom as you reach round and work her clitoris at the same time." If she likes that, then she may (and for God's sake ask her first) be keen for something more.

Gentle smacking can combine clitoral stimulation with a psychological feelgood factor: research from the Novosibirsk Institute of Medicine in Russia has revealed that spanking can release endorphins into the brain.

Get it right and she'll come to associate sex with you as the best time of her life. Forget to ask nicely first and you'll be known to her and everyone she knows as "The Hitting Man". Not good.

There's the rub
She wants you to . . . go to the back
When she asks you for a massage, she's not asking for a 30-second neck rub before resuming normal servicing. She's actually asking you to warm her up slowly. So know which spot to pick.

"The bottom of the spine is a highly neglected erogenous zone," says Royalle, "and the small of the back is rich in nerve endings, as well as being home to various pressure points that increase blood flow to the pelvic region."

Webb reveals the move that will encompass the lot: "Dribble massage oil down her spine and between the cheeks of her bottom. Use your thumbs to gently rub from her neck to the small of the back and all the way down to her vagina. Then enter her from behind so her back is still stimulated by your belly." Rather too much "stimulant" hanging over your jeans? Turn to page 110 and take heed. She'll thank you twice over.