Ejaculation

From ArticleWorld

Ejaculation is the forceful expulsion of semen from the male penis as a part of the male sexual experience. Ejaculation may or may not involve an orgasm and may occur in males during sleep or during stimulation of the prostate gland.

Phases

Ejaculation is generally the end result of sexual stimulation of the male penis and cannot be stopped voluntarily without considerable pain. The emission phase occurs when the vas deferens (which carries sperm from the epididymis) contracts to propel the sperm to the end of the vas deferens. The sperm cells then mix with various fluids from the prostate, the bulbourethral glands and the seminal vesicles to form what is known as semen or the “ejaculate” fluid.

The second phase is the “ejaculation proper” where the semen is expulsed from the urethra in the penis due to rhythmic smooth muscular contractions. The total amount of ejaculate varies from less than a teaspoon to up to a tablespoon. The sperm volume is related to the amount of time between ejaculations with larger volumes seen with longer periods of abstinence.

Physiology

The sperm count is the number of sperm found in the ejaculate specimen. It is related to the overall fertility of the male subject, the time between ejaculations and the length of time between the onset of male excitement and actual ejaculation. The more testosterone a man has, the higher the sperm count. The semen volume is not related at all to the sperm count as the ejaculate can carry a normal volume and be absent of sperm (azoospermia).

The reflex responsible for ejaculation is the result of the sympathetic nervous system while the maintenance of the erection itself is under the control of the parasympathetic nervous system. There is often a refractory period of at least 30 minutes when a man cannot ejaculate nor can he attain an adequate erection.

Premature ejaculation is the inability to control or hold back an ejaculation. In fact, the majority of men can hold back an ejaculation for a maximum of five minutes after active thrusting. A few men can hold back and have the ability to ejaculate at will. These men can wait up to an hour before ejaculating.

Delayed ejaculation is the inability to ejaculate after adequate thrusting in the presence of the male’s desire to do so. Another condition impairing ejaculation is called a “dry orgasm”, where a man experiences orgasm in the absence of any ejaculate.