Intravaginal ejaculation latency time

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Intravaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT) is the time it takes to ejaculate during vaginal penetration. [1] Average IELT varies between people and tends to decrease with age.

Contents

Some medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) affect IELT. IELT is one factor used to diagnose and treat conditions such as premature ejaculation. [1] IELT may be relevant in perceptions of sexual performance and actual satisfaction, which may also be dependent on many other factors.

Studies

Researchers have made conflicting discoveries about IELT. In a multinational study, [1] the authors studied 491 men in the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, UK, and US. The men were in stable heterosexual relationships. Over a four-week period, couples recorded IELT data using a stopwatch and noted condom use. Median IELT was independent of condom use. Median IELT decreased with age (18–30: 6.5 minutes, 31–50: 5.4 minutes, above 51: 4.3 minutes). Median IELT for all participants was 5.4 minutes. Median IELT varied significantly by individual with 14% of men under 3:20 and 26% of men over 10:00. Potential problems include total sample size, small sample size per country, too few observations for each participant, and psychological effects of using a stopwatch.

In 1991, scholars from the Kinsey Institute stated, "The truth is that the time between penetration and ejaculation varies not only from man to man, but from one time to the next for the same man." They added that the appropriate length for sexual intercourse is the length of time it takes for both partners to be mutually satisfied, emphasizing that Kinsey "found that 75 percent of men ejaculated within two minutes of penetration at least half of the time." [2] In their book Human Sexual Response, Masters and Johnson published a variety of findings on sexual response and satisfaction based on direct observation and medical exams. Sexual satisfaction is independent of how long intercourse lasts. [3] A man's response time varies with a woman's menstrual cycle; shorter IELTs occur nearest to ovulation. [4] Both partners' sexual experience also affects latency time. [5]

A 2008 survey of Canadian and American sex therapists stated that the average time for heterosexual intercourse (coitus) was 7 minutes and that 1 to 2 minutes was too short, 3 to 7 minutes was adequate and 7 to 13 minutes desirable, while 13 to 30 minutes was too long. [6] [7]

Effect of substances

Numerous chemical substances influence the IELT. Substances such as alcohol and opioids (e.g. heroin, morphine, oxycodone) depress the central nervous system, prolonging the IELT, while selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (e.g. dapoxetine) delay ejaculation by blocking a physiological process connected to ejaculatory inevitability, "the male point of no return". For that reason, SSRIs can be prescribed to treat premature ejaculation.

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orgasm</span> Intense physical sensation of sexual release

Orgasm, or sexual climax, is the sudden discharge of accumulated sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, resulting in rhythmic, involuntary muscular contractions in the pelvic region characterized by sexual pleasure. Experienced by males and females, orgasms are controlled by the involuntary or autonomic nervous system. They are usually associated with involuntary actions, including muscular spasms in multiple areas of the body, a general euphoric sensation, and, frequently, body movements and vocalizations. The period after orgasm is typically a relaxing experience, attributed to the release of the neurohormones oxytocin and prolactin as well as endorphins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual intercourse</span> Copulation or penetrative sexual activity for reproduction or sexual pleasure

Sexual intercourse is sexual activity involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis inside the vagina for sexual pleasure, reproduction, or both. This is also known as vaginal intercourse or vaginal sex. Other forms of penetrative sexual intercourse include anal sex, oral sex, fingering and penetration by use of a dildo. These activities involve physical intimacy between two or more individuals and are usually used among humans solely for physical or emotional pleasure and can contribute to human bonding.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missionary position</span> Sex position

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Anorgasmia is a type of sexual dysfunction in which a person cannot achieve orgasm despite adequate stimulation. Anorgasmia is far more common in females than in males and is especially rare in younger men. The problem is greater in women who are post-menopausal. In males, it is most closely associated with delayed ejaculation. Anorgasmia can often cause sexual frustration.

Premature ejaculation (PE) occurs when a man expels semen soon after beginning sexual activity, and with minimal penile stimulation. It has also been called early ejaculation, rapid ejaculation, rapid climax, premature climax and (historically) ejaculatio praecox. There is no uniform cut-off defining "premature", but a consensus of experts at the International Society for Sexual Medicine endorsed a definition of around one minute after penetration. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) applies a cut-off of 15 seconds from the beginning of sexual intercourse.

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Sexual medicine or Psychosexual medicine as defined by Masters and Johnsons in their classic Textbook of Sexual Medicine, is "that branch of medicine that focuses on the evaluation and treatment of sexual disorders, which have a high prevalence rate." Examples of disorders treated with sexual medicine are erectile dysfunction, hypogonadism, and prostate cancer. Sexual medicine often uses a multidisciplinary approach involving physicians, mental health professionals, social workers, and sex therapists. Sexual medicine physicians often approach treatment with medicine and surgery, while sex therapists often focus on behavioral treatments.

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Taoist sexual practices are the ways Taoists may practice sexual activity. These practices are also known as "joining energy" or "the joining of the essences". Practitioners believe that by performing these sexual arts, one can stay in good health, and attain longevity or spiritual advancement.

Delayed ejaculation (DE) describes a man's inability or persistent difficulty in achieving orgasm, despite typical sexual desire and sexual stimulation. Generally, a man can reach orgasm within a few minutes of active thrusting during sexual intercourse, whereas a man with delayed ejaculation either does not have orgasms at all or cannot have an orgasm until after prolonged intercourse which might last for 30–45 minutes or more. Delayed ejaculation is closely related to anorgasmia.

In human sexuality, the refractory period is usually the recovery phase after orgasm, during which it is physiologically impossible for a man to have additional orgasms. This phase begins immediately after ejaculation and lasts until the excitement phase of the human sexual response cycle begins anew with low-level response. Although it is generally reported that women do not experience a refractory period and can thus experience an additional orgasm soon after the first one, some sources state that both men and women experience a refractory period because women may also experience a moment after orgasm in which further sexual stimulation does not produce excitement.

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Ejaculation is the discharge of semen from the male reproductive tract as a result of an orgasm. It is the final stage and natural objective of male sexual stimulation, and an essential component of natural conception. Ejaculation can occur spontaneously during sleep, and is a normal part of human sexual development. In rare cases, ejaculation occurs because of prostatic disease. Anejaculation is the condition of being unable to ejaculate. Ejaculation is usually very pleasurable for men; dysejaculation is an ejaculation that is painful or uncomfortable. Retrograde ejaculation is the condition where semen travels backwards into the bladder rather than out of the urethra.

Postorgasmic illness syndrome (POIS) is a syndrome in which people have chronic physical and cognitive symptoms following ejaculation. The symptoms usually onset within seconds, minutes, or hours, and last for up to a week. The cause and prevalence are unknown; it is considered a rare disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dapoxetine</span> Medication used to treat premature ejaculation

Dapoxetine, marketed as Priligy, among others, is a medication used for the treatment of premature ejaculation (PE) in men 18–64 years old. Dapoxetine works by inhibiting the serotonin transporter, increasing serotonin's action at the postsynaptic cleft, and as a consequence promoting ejaculatory delay. As a member of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) family, dapoxetine was initially created as an antidepressant. However, unlike other SSRIs, dapoxetine is absorbed and eliminated rapidly in the body. Its fast-acting property makes it suitable for the treatment of PE, but not as an antidepressant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction</span> Medical condition

Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD), also known as post-SSRI syndrome, is a disorder in which people who have taken selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or other serotonin reuptake-inhibiting (SRI) drugs report persistent changes in sexual function for an extended period after ceasing to take the drug. Although the condition is most commonly associated with SRIs, similar or identical syndromes have also been reported after discontinuation of a variety of non-SRI drugs.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Waldinger MD, Quinn P, Dilleen M, Mundayat R, Schweitzer DH, Boolell M (2005). "A multinational population survey of intravaginal ejaculation latency time". Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2 (4): 492–7. doi:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2005.00070.x. PMID   16422843.
  2. Kinsey, Alfred (1948), Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co
  3. Masters, William H.; Johnson, Virginia E. (1966), Human Sexual Response, Toronto & New York: Bantam Books, ISBN   0-553-20429-7
  4. (Tullberg, 1999)[ full citation needed ]
  5. Ducharme, Stanley. "Early and Delayed Ejaculation: Psychological Considerations". Boston University School of Medicine. Retrieved 31 January 2022. With masturbation, the adolescent or young man learns various techniques that allow him to maintain a high level of arousal without ejaculating. As the young man becomes sexually active with a partner, these skills can then be transferred to his new sexual encounters. As the man becomes more sexually experienced, latency of ejaculation increases although not always to the satisfaction of the man and his partner.
  6. Janell L. Carroll (2012). Discovery Series: Human Sexuality, 1st ed. Cengage Learning. p. 286. ISBN   978-1111841898 . Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  7. Corty, E. W.; Guardiani, J. M. (2008). "Canadian and American Sex Therapists' Perceptions of Normal and Abnormal Ejaculatory Latencies: How Long Should Intercourse Last?". The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 5 (5): 1251–1256. doi:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2008.00797.x. PMID   18331255.