Quote Originally Posted by Dododecapod
Either a woman or a man must have a pre-existing heart condition to die from erotically induced heart failure, and it must be significantly more advanced in a woman than in a man.

In both cases, the physiological aspects of arousal result in increased blood pressure and oxygenation, coupled with (usually) some fairly extreme physical exertion. Nothing that can't be handled by a healthy human body, but enough to induce a cardiac episode if one is on the cards anyway.

With men, you have the additional problem of inflation of the erectile membranes in the penis. The body does this by siphoning blood away from the extremities and keeping the general blood prerssure very high - this is why some men experience tingling sensations in their fingers and toes during arousal. (Incidentally, if you do have that effect, you should check with your doctor - it could be perfectly fine, but it could be a symptom of poor circulation, a pointer towards heart disease.)

So, sorry, but death by orgasm (however tempting) is quite unlikely. The person strapped to the machine would probably die of dehydration long before.

Oh well I guess the "Barbarela" Orgasm Death machine is just a myth. Back to the drawing board.