The Orgasm Button: A Real Medical Device That Existed

In the early 2000s, a North Carolina surgeon named Dr. Stuart Meloy was performing a routine spinal cord stimulation procedure on a woman suffering from chronic back pain. When he activated the electrode, something unexpected happened. The patient's eyes went wide, and she turned to him with a look of surprise.

"You're going to have to teach my husband to do that," she said.

He had accidentally discovered the orgasm button.

From Happy Accident to Serious Research

Dr. Meloy, a pain management specialist, had inadvertently placed an electrode near a bundle of nerves that triggered sexual arousal and climax. Being a scientist, he did what any curious researcher would do—he began studying it systematically.

The device worked by delivering electrical signals to the sacral nerves at the base of the spine. Patients would carry a small handheld remote, and with one click, they could experience an orgasm lasting anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. The intensity was adjustable.

Meloy called his invention the Orgasmatron, a name borrowed from the Woody Allen film Sleeper. Despite the cheeky name, the medical applications were serious.

Who Was It Actually For?

The device was developed primarily for women with orgasmic dysfunction—an inability to achieve orgasm despite adequate stimulation. This condition affects an estimated 10-15% of women and can result from:

• Spinal cord injuries
• Nerve damage from surgery
• Side effects of antidepressant medications
• Multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions

For these patients, the Orgasmatron represented something genuinely life-changing. The device wasn't about recreation; it was about restoring a fundamental human experience that had been lost to illness or injury.

The Human Trials

Dr. Meloy conducted FDA-approved trials with a small group of patients. The results were promising. Women who hadn't experienced an orgasm in years—some in decades—reported success. One participant in her 50s, who had lost all sensation after a spinal injury, called it "a miracle."

The procedure itself was relatively straightforward: a surgeon would implant the electrodes near the sacral nerves, with a small generator placed under the skin of the buttock. Recovery took a few weeks, and then patients could use their remote control as desired.

What Happened to It?

Despite successful trials, the Orgasmatron never made it to market. Meloy's company, Advanced Interventional Pain Management, struggled to secure the significant funding needed for larger clinical trials—estimated at $6 million or more.

Part of the problem was the device's perception. Investors were squeamish about being associated with an "orgasm machine," even one with legitimate medical applications. The sexual nature of the technology made it harder to get taken seriously, despite real patients with real needs.

Meloy continued advocating for the technology until his company quietly dissolved around 2015. The patents exist, the proof of concept was demonstrated, but no company has picked up where he left off.

Somewhere in medical archives, there's a remote control that could change someone's day. For now, it remains one of medicine's strangest almost-was stories.