Sex, an important part of a spousal relationship. Though love is enough to keep two people together, physical intimacy makes the bond even stronger with every passing day. In this article, let’s look at the stages through which a man’s body goes through during and after sex. This can help some women understand why their man is behaving the way he is.
Stages of a man’s body before, during and after sex
A man’s body goes through the following stages before, during and after sex.
- Excitement
- Plateau
- Climax / Orgasm
- Refractory period.
During excitement period
Testosterone is the primary hormone that is released when a man is aroused or excited. This is a very important hormone in a man’s body that is responsible for libido, growth of reproductive organs, growth or maintenance of muscle. Along with this, a neurotransmitter dopamine is released in response to sexual stimulation. Dopamine is a feel good hormone which is also released at times when people do something they like and enjoy. That’s with the hormones part.
As a man gets excited, more blood flows into the pelvis region, expanding the muscles, scrotum, making the penis erect. The erectile tissues inside the shaft of the penis are filled with blood as a result of which the penis becomes erect and gets ready for penetration. During arousal, vasocongestion occurs and the testicles grow larger in size.
Plateau
This is the period when a man is in the act. All the levels of hormones are maintained and the volume of blood in the pelvis region is maintained.
Climax/Orgasm
As the act continues, the neurotransmitters signal the testicles to ejaculate the sperms from the testicles and the seminal fluids produced by the prostate gland. Before this happens, most often the testicles move up, closer to the body due to contraction of muscles in the pelvic region. In some men, the right testicle may move up first followed by the left one. In others, both the testicles move closer to the body at the same time. This should be considered as a signal saying that ejaculation is about to happen and can be noticed.
During climax/orgasm, which happens typically with ejaculation (in most men), a range of chemicals are released including norepinephrine, serotonin, oxytocin, vasopressin, nitric oxide and prolactin.
After sex / during refractory period
After the act, the blood from the pelvic region is released. Contraction of tensed muscles takes place. The testicles in the scrotum slowly recede and fall back into the sack. Morphine-like chemicals such as endorphins are released which can relax the body of the man. This is the reason why men tend to fall asleep more quickly (than women) after sex.
Refractory period is the time during which the body tries to produce more seminal fluids and gets ready for another round of sex. The refractory period can be very short during puberty and teenage and it increases as the man grows older. As men grow older, the refractory time can be between 12 to 24 hours. It can be more in men who are older than 50 years. The refractory is usually shorter when a man masturbates compared to actual sex. This is mostly due to the physical exhaustion during the act. After all the energy is released, the body tries to return to pre-sex stage wherein the heart rate slows down along with slower breathing.
After having sex, a chemical Oxytocin is released in the body. Oxytocin is called the “love hormone” which builds trust and closeness between partners. This is very helpful to cement your relationship.
Is ejaculation different from orgasm?
Ejaculation is different from orgasm in men though they tend to happen simultaneously. Orgasm is the feeling of extreme pleasure irrespective of ejaculation. Some men can orgasm multiple times without ejaculating. Ejaculation is just the process of ejecting the sperms along with necessary seminal fluids.
