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Revision as of 17:45, 9 September 2007 by Notespace is Getting Blocked (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)In sexual intercourse, the refractory period is a recovery phase after orgasm during which it is physiologically impossible for a person to experience continued arousal or additional orgasms. The clitoris/penis glans may be hypersensitive and further sexual stimulation may even feel painful during this time frame.
The refractory period varies widely between individuals and across species, ranging from minutes to hours (depending when the last orgasm/s was achieved etc). An increased infusion of the hormone prolactin (which represses dopamine, that is responsible for sexual arousal) during orgasm is believed to be chiefly responsible for the refractory period and the amount by which prolactin is increased may affect the length of each refractory period.
Another chemical which is considered to be responsible for this effect is oxytocin, although oxytocin has a half-life of typically about three minutes in the blood it would not create a long-term refractory period.
Some individuals do not experience a refractory period immediately after orgasm and in many cases are capable of attaining additional, multiple orgasms through further stimulation (mainly oral-genital stimulation or through masturbation). The female sexual response is more alike that of men than previously thought... Most men and women experience hypersensitivity after orgasm, which effectively creates a refractory period. During a refractory period it is almost impossible to be aroused by physical stimulation alone, thus an element of mental stimulation is required to achieve further sexual pleasure .
In general it is the males of the species that have orgasm on a frequent basis (due to the design of the penis which makes it easier to achieve orgasm) which in turn increases the levels of prolactin which represses the arousal properties of dopamine. It is also true that due to the way men rush their way to orgasm, or worse suppress their orgasm/s they are not building adequate amounts of the hormone dopamine leading to a less than satisfying orgasm with an inevitable refractory period. If men are to be be more patient and give time for their arousal to grow (and using less physical stimulation) they will be capable of not only achieving multiple orgasms but extended and more fulfilling orgasms.
References
- Haake, P.; Exton, M.S.; Haverkamp, J.; Krämer, M.; Leygraf, N.; Hartmann, U.; Schedlowski, M.; Krueger, T.H.C. (2002), "Absence of orgasm-induced prolactin secretion in a healthy multi-orgasmic male subject", International Journal of Impotence Research, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 133–135, doi:10.1038/sj/ijir/3900823, retrieved 2007-07-30
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Rathus, Spencer A.; Nevid, Jeffrey S.; Fichner-Rathus, Lois; Herold, Edward S.; McKenzie, Sue Wicks (2005), Human sexuality in a world of diversity (Second ed.), New Jersey, USA: Pearson Education, ISBN 1-205-46013-5
- Sexual Response Cycle, University of California, Santa Barbara, retrieved 2007-07-30