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Sunday, April 29, 2012

Sexual arousal in men

Researchers have identified four stages of sexual response in men and women: arousal, plateau, orgasm and resolution.





Stage 1: excitement or arousal


A man gets an erection with physical or psychological stimulation, or both. This causes more blood to flow into three spongy areas (called corpora) that run along the length of his penis. The skin is loose and mobile, allowing his penis to grow. His scrotum (the bag of skin holding the testicles) becomes tighter, so his testicles are drawn up towards the body.

Stage 2: plateau


The glans (head) of his penis gets wider and the blood vessels in and around the penis fill with blood. This causes the colour to deepen and his testicles to grow up to 50% larger.

His testicles continue to rise, and a warm feeling around the perineum (area between the testicles and anus) develops. His heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, breathing becomes quicker, and his thighs and buttocks tighten. He's getting close to orgasm.

Stage 3: orgasm and ejaculation


A series of contractions force semen into the urethra (the tube along which urine and semen come out of the penis). These contractions occur in the pelvic floor muscles, in the vas deferens (tube that carries sperm from the testicles to the penis), and also in the seminal vesicles and the prostate gland, which both add fluid to the sperm. This mix of sperm (5%) and fluid (95%) is called semen.  

These contractions are part of orgasm, and the man reaches a point where he can’t stop ejaculation from happening. Contractions of the prostate gland and the pelvic floor muscles then lead to ejaculation, when semen is forced out of the penis.

Stage 4: resolution

The man now has a recovery phase, when the penis and testicles shrink back to their normal size. He is breathing heavily and fast, his heart is beating rapidly, and he might be sweating.
There's a period of time after ejaculation when another orgasm isn’t possible. This varies between men, from a few minutes to a few hours or even days. The time generally gets longer as men get older.

If a man gets aroused but doesn’t ejaculate, this resolution stage can take longer, and his testicles and pelvis might ache.

If you are worried about your health have a look at the Man MOT, 

Sexual arousal in women

There are various stages of physical response during arousal and sex. Researchers have identified four stages of sexual response in women and men: arousal, plateau, orgasm and resolution. This is what happens in a woman's body when sexually aroused.



Stage 1: excitement or arousal


When a woman becomes aroused, the blood vessels in her genitals dilate. There is increased blood flow in the vaginal walls, resulting in fluid passing through them. This is the main source of lubrication, which makes the vagina wet.

Her external genitalia or vulva (including the clitoris, vaginal opening, and inner and outer lips or labia) become engorged (swollen) due to the increased blood supply. Inside her body, the top of the vagina expands.

Her pulse and breathing quicken, and her blood pressure rises. She may become flushed, especially on her chest and neck, due to her blood vessels dilating.

Stage 2: plateau


Blood flow to the lower third of the vagina reaches its limit, and causes the lower area of the vagina to become swollen and firm. This is called the introitus, sometimes known as the orgasmic platform, and it undergoes rhythmic contractions during orgasm. 

The woman’s breasts may increase in size by up to 25%, and blood flow to the area around the nipple (the areola) increases, making the nipples look less erect.

As she gets closer to orgasm, her clitoris pulls back against the pubic bone and seems to disappear. A woman needs continuous stimulation in this phase to build up enough sexual excitement for orgasm. 


Stage 3: orgasm


Orgasm is the intense and pleasurable release of sexual tension that has built up in the earlier stages, characterised by contractions (0.8 seconds apart) of the genital muscles, including the introitus.

Most women don’t experience the recovery period that men do after an orgasm. A woman may have another orgasm if she's stimulated again.

Not all women have an orgasm every time they have sex. Foreplay is an important role in orgasm occurring in most women. It can include stroking erogenous zones and stimulating the clitoris.

Stage 4: resolution


This is when the woman's body slowly returns to its normal state. Swelling reduces, and breathing and heart rate slow down. 

Benefits of love and sex

Besides a heart full of love and a big smile, romance can bring some positive health benefits.



Some scientific studies suggest that a loving relationship, physical touch and sex can bring health benefits such as lower blood pressure. Of course, no relationship can guarantee health and happiness, but cupid's arrow can send you some health boosts.

Sex is good for your heart


Want to get healthy and have fun at the same time? Anything that exercises your heart is good for you, including sex. Sexual arousal sends the heart rate higher, and the number of beats per minute reaches its peak during orgasm.  

But as with most exercise, it depends how vigorously you do it. Some studies show that the average peak heart rate at orgasm is the same as during light exercise, such as walking upstairs. That's not enough to keep most people fit and healthy.

Adults should do at least 150 minutes (two and a half hours) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as cycling or fast walking, every week.

Unless you’re lucky enough to have 150 minutes of orgasms a week, try cycling, brisk walking or dancing.

Having heart disease doesn’t have to hold you back in the bedroom. Experts advise that you can usually have sex as long as you can do the everyday activities that have the same impact on your heart without causing chest pain, such as walking up two flights of stairs.
Source: Rerkpattanapipat P, Stanek MS, MN Kotler. Sex and the heart: what is the role of the cardiologist? European Heart Journal 2001;22: 201-208.

A hug keeps tension away


Embracing someone special can lower blood pressure, according to researchers. In one experiment, couples who held each other’s hands for 10 minutes followed by a 20-second hug had healthier reactions to subsequent stress, such as public speaking. Compared to couples who rested quietly without touching, the huggers had: 
  • lower heart rate 
  • lower blood pressure
  • smaller heart rate increases
So give your partner a hug - it may help to keep your blood pressure healthy.
Similar effects have been found for non-sexual stroking, although this appears only to reduce blood pressure in women who are stroked, not men.
Source: Grewen KM, Anderson BJ, Girdler SS, Light KC. Warm partner contact is related to lower cardiovascular reactivity. Behavioural Medicine,2003;29:123-30.

Sex can be a stress buster


Workload too high? Hot and bothered after the morning journey to work? Sex could help you beat the stresses of 21st century living, according to a small study of 46 men and women.
Participants kept a diary of sexual activity, recording penetrative sex, non-penetrative sex and masturbation. In stress tests, including public speaking and doing mental arithmetic out loud, the people who had no sex at all had the highest stress levels. People who only had penetrative sex had the smallest rise in blood pressure. This shows that they coped better with stress. 
Plenty of people find that intimacy or orgasm without penetration helps them feel relaxed, as do exercise or meditation. It doesn't have to be penetrative sex; it's whatever works for you.
Source: Brody S. Blood pressure reactivity to stress is better for people who recently had penile-vaginal intercourse than for people who had other or no sexual activity. Biological Psychology, 2006;71:214-22.

Weekly sex might help fend off illness


There’s a link between how often you have sex and how strong your immune system is, researchers say. A study in Pennsylvania found that students who had sex once or twice a week had higher levels of an important illness-fighting substance in their bodies. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) was 30% higher in those who had sex once or twice a week than in those who had no sex at all. However, the lowest levels were in people who had sex more than twice a week.
But don’t devise a sex calendar just yet. More research is needed before it can be proved that weekly sex helps your immune system. Another study found that stroking a dog resulted in raised IgA levels in students (resting quietly or stroking a stuffed dog didn’t).
Sources: Charnetski CJ, Brennan FX. Sexual frequency and salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA). Psychology Report, 2004;94:839-44.
Charnetski CJ, Riggers S, Brennan FX. Effect of petting a dog on immune system function. Psychology Report, 2004;95:1087-91.

People who have sex feel healthier

It could be that people who feel healthier have more sex, but there seems to be a link between sexual activity and your sense of wellbeing. A study of 3,000 Americans aged 57-85 showed that those who were having sex rated their general health higher than those who weren’t.

And it’s not just sex, it's love too. People who were in a close relationship or married were more likely to say they felt in ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ health than just ‘good’ or ‘poor’. It seems that emotional and social support can boost our sense of wellbeing.

Source: Lindau ST, Schumm LP, Laumann EO, et al. A Study of Sexuality and Health among Older Adults in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine. 2007;357:762-74.

Loving support reduces risk of angina and ulcer


A happy marriage can help to fend off angina and stomach ulcer - at least it can if you’re a man.

One study of 10,000 men found that those who felt ‘loved and supported’ by their spouse had a reduced risk of angina. This was the case even if they had other risk factors, such as being older or having raised blood pressure.

Similarly, a study of 8,000 men found there was more chance of them getting a duodenal ulcer if they:
  • had family problems 
  • didn’t feel loved and supported by their wife
  • didn’t retaliate when hurt by colleagues. (In other words, they repressed their anger. Researchers called this their ‘coping style’)
Researchers suggest that stress, lack of social support and coping style can affect a man’s likelihood of developing an ulcer.

Sources: Medalie JH, Goldbourt U. Angina pectoris among 10,000 men. II. Psychosocial and other risk factors as evidenced by a multivariate analysis of a five-year incidence study. American Journal of Medicine, 1976;60:910-21.

Medalie JH, Stange KC, Zyzanski SJ, Goldbourt U. The importance of biopsychosocial factors in the development of duodenal ulcer in a cohort of middle-aged men. American Journal of Epidemiology, 1992;136:1280-7.

And if you’re single…


Spending an evening with friends is good for your health too.

One 10-year study of 1,500 people over 70 years old found that those with stronger friendship networks lived longer than those with fewer friends. Researchers thought this could be due to friends having a positive influence on lifestyle choices, such as smoking or exercise, and offering emotional support.

Source: Giles LC, Glonek GF, Luszcz MA, Andrews GR. Effect of social networks on 10-year survival in very old Australians: the Australian longitudinal study of aging. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2005;59:574-9.

Or celibate…


A life without sex is no bar to excellent health. A long-term study into the health and ageing of a group of nearly 700 older nuns found that many are keeping active and well into their 90s and past 100.

Since 1986, participants in The Nun Study have had yearly checks on their physical and mental abilities. Researchers have used convent records to obtain their social, family and educational background. While they’ve found some links between lifestyle and dementia (for example, higher education or positive emotions in early life might cut the risk of dementia), this isn't linked to sexual activity.