Sexual reaction cycle

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Different types of the sexual response cycle according to Masters and Johnson: course in men (top) and women (bottom)

The sexual response cycle is a four-phase division of human sexual response that was made by Masters and Johnson in the 1960s . Clinical psychologists Kaplan and Lief pointed out in 1977 that the Masters and Johnson linear model lacked a longer preceding phase of desire. Many of their patients have been able to become sexually aroused without having a desire to have sex . In turn, it was noted in this extended model that arousal can also cause desire. According to an experiment by Geer and Fuhr in 1976 that showed that men’s sexual arousal decreased when they performed difficult cognitive tasks at the same time , information processing models have become increasingly important in sex science . (Neuro) cognitive models of memory , consciousness , motivation and emotion were processed. Thus it can be argued that every sexual response is a product of a more complex underlying sexual system that can be studied with general psychological models.

Phases of the reaction cycle

Excitation phase

In the sexual arousal phase , there is an increased rush of blood to the genitals . This leads to swelling of the penis (above) or the clitoris and the labia (below).

During the excitement phase, which can last a few minutes to an hour or more, there are vascular changes (affecting the blood vessels) in the pelvic region. The pulse and blood pressure rise . A vasocongestion , also English sex flush mentioned may employ. In women, the clitoris , labia, and nipples swell and the genitals become moist . Men get an erection of the penis .

Plateau phase

During the following plateau phase, an individually different level of arousal is achieved. The muscle tension is increased. Heart rate and blood pressure continue to rise. Women experience a widening of the outer labia, a swelling of the outer third of the vagina and the discharge of so-called vaginal transudate (unless there is a lack of lubrication ). In contrast, the Bartholin's glands do not secrete their clear secretion until late in this phase, while men , homologous to this, release a secretion from the Cowper's glands ( pre-ejaculate ).

Orgasm phase

The orgasm phase marks the greatest intensity of the sensation of pleasure; orgasm lasts a few seconds on average for men and women.

The sex flush , the blood flow to the top layers of the skin, increases to a maximum.

Involuntary, rhythmic muscle contractions in the genital and anal region occur with an interval of approximately 0.8 seconds.

A woman's orgasm is accompanied by rhythmic muscle contractions (muscles in the lower third of the vagina, the uterus and the anal region), especially the pelvic floor muscles along the "orgasmic cuff". Because with increasing sexual arousal, the outer third of the vagina, i. H. In the area of ​​the vaginal entrance ( introitus vaginae ) a venous congestion (congestion of the erectile tissue, i.e. perivaginal corpus cavernosum ), which is commonly referred to as an "orgasmic cuff". An average orgasm consists of about 5, an intense orgasm of 10 to 15 contractions.

Schematic representation of the excitation phases before, during and after the female orgasm and the corresponding organs; Sagittal plane

During orgasm, the man usually expels the semen . This ejaculation is always accompanied by an orgasm, which is not perceived as such under pathological conditions. However, men can have an orgasm without discharging sperm. Women can also secrete clear fluid from the paraurethral glands during orgasm .

All of this goes hand in hand with a further increase in the frequency of the heartbeat up to twice that, an increase in blood pressure and an acceleration of breathing . It culminates in a climax of the cardiovascular and respiratory activity , sometimes also in a brief loss of consciousness .

Regression phase

In the final recovery phase, the body returns to normal cardiovascular function; Blood pressure and breathing are regulated back to normal; it comes to feelings of tiredness (so-called postcoital tiredness ). The penis in men and the labia, clitoris and nipples in women swell. In the male sex, a phase of sexual insensitivity to stimuli ( refractory phase ) begins immediately after orgasm , the duration of which is proportional to the duration of the arousal phase . During this refractory period, no response to sexual stimuli is possible, and therefore no new erection or orgasm can occur.

The refractory phase can be very short, especially at a young age. However, it usually increases significantly with age.

Multiple orgasms

A distinction is made between:

  • Discrete multi-orgasms , with the pulse falling back to the starting level between two orgasms, even in women whose clitoris is so hypersensitive after the orgasm that immediate renewed stimulation is uncomfortable (and therefore a "cooling phase" is appropriate).
  • Continuous multi-orgasms , the pulse stays high in between.

"Women seem [...] not to have a 'refractory period'". Continued sexual stimulation after orgasm can therefore lead to further orgasms. The regression phase only begins after the last orgasm.

Men can orgasm through Injakulationstechniken postpone, ie delay (for example, by stopping the urinary stream during urination the PC muscle to recognize and continue to train this muscle independent of urination and then to hook before ejaculation). A method called “ Karezza ” or coitus reservatus , in which the man tries to move his erect penis in the vagina as little as possible and remains in the plateau phase for longer, should also lead to this goal. These methods are characterized by separating ejaculation and orgasm, i.e. experiencing orgasms without ejaculation. See also Daoist sexual practices .

Permanent sexual arousal can also be pathological, see Persistent sexual arousal syndrome .

Gender differences

According to Masters and Johnson, it was assumed that women have a slower and flatter arousal curve than men and therefore need significantly more time to reach sexual climax. They are primarily aroused through physical contact, while men receive the arousal primarily through visual stimulation . Recent studies have cast doubts on this assumption.

A woman's orgasm can be longer and more violent than that of a man, it is possible multiple times, but is not regularly achieved during sexual intercourse. In contrast, the duration of the male orgasm can be shorter, but it can usually be reached faster than with women if there is sufficient sexual stimulation during each sexual intercourse.

See also

literature

  • Volkmar Sigusch : Excitation and orgasm in women (= physiology of the sexual reaction. Contributions to sexual research. Vol. 48). Enke, Stuttgart 1970.
  • Volkmar Sigusch: Sex Physiology: The multiplication table of lust. In: WH Masters, VE Johnson: The Sexual Response. (= Rowohlts sexologie. Vol. 8032/8033). Reinbek 1970; Revised reprint: rororo sachbuch, No. 7814, Reinbek 1984.
  • Erwin J. Haeberle: The sexuality of humans. Manual and atlas. Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology. 2nd ext. Edition, de Gruyter, Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-11-010694-9 ( index online ).
  • Clellan Stearns Ford, Frank Ambrose Beach: Forms of Sexuality. Sexual behavior in humans and animals (= rororo sexology. Rororo). Rowohlt, Reinbek 1971, ISBN 978-3-499-68006-9 ; Original title: Clellan S. Ford; Frank A. Beach: Patterns of sexual behavior. Harper & Row et al. a., New York 1951.
  • Alfred Charles Kinsey et al.: The sexual behavior of men ( Fischer Bücherei. Bücher des Wissens. No. 6002). Unabridged edition, Fischer, Frankfurt a. M. 1970; Original edition: Alfred C Kinsey: Sexual behavior in the human female. Saunders, Philadelphia 1953.
  • William H. Masters, Virginia E. Johnson, Volkmar Sigusch: The sexual reaction (= rororo-sexology. Rororo). Rowohlt, Reinbek 1980, ISBN 978-3-499-68032-8 ; Original title: William H Masters, Virginia E Johnson: Human sexual response. Little, Brown and Company, Boston 1966.
  • Klaus M. Beier, Hartmut AG Bosinski, Kurt Loewit (Hrsg.): Sexualmedizin. Basics and practice Elsevier / Urban & Fischer, Munich / Jena 2005, ISBN 3-437-22850-1 .
  • J. Bancroft: The endocrinology of sexual arousal. In: Journal of Endocrinology. September 1, 2005, Volume 186, pp. 411-427, doi: 10.1677 / joe.1.06233 ( full text ).
  • Erwin-Josef Speckmann: Physiology. Elsevier / Urban & Fischer, Munich / Jena 2008, ISBN 3-437-41318-X .
  • Robert F. Schmidt: Physiology of the people. With pathophysiology. Springer, Heidelberg 2007, ISBN 3-540-32908-0 .
  • Jan Hartmann, Christian Hick, Friedrich Jockenhövel: Intensive Physiology Course. Elsevier / Urban & Fischer, Munich / Jena 2006, ISBN 3-437-41892-0 .

Web links

  • Ilka Lehnen-Beyel: Callous highlights . In: Wissenschaft.de. dated June 22, 2005; last accessed on April 22, 2016 → during sexual intercourse, the feeling centers and other areas in the brain are deactivated in women.
  • Ilka Lehnen-Beyel: About infrared cameras, men and women . ( Contrary to popular belief, women get sexually excited just as quickly as men. ) In: Wissenschaft.de. dated October 3, 2006; last accessed on April 22, 2016.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ WH Masters, VE Johnson: Human sexual response. Little / Brown, Boston 1966, ISBN 0-316-54987-8 .
  2. ^ E. Janssen (Editor): The Psychophysiology of Sex (= Kinsey Institute series. Volume 8). Indiana University press, Bloomington 2007, ISBN 978-0-253-11704-5 .
  3. ^ Joachim W. Dudenhausen: gynecology and obstetrics. de Gruyter, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-11-016562-7 , p. 612.
  4. ↑ Section 8.1.2: Deficiencies in today's terminology. In: Erwin J. Haeberle: The sexuality of man. Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology. ( Memento from September 27, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ Barry R. Komisaruka, Beverly Whippleb, Audrita Crawforda, Sherry Grimesa, Wen-Ching Liuc, Andrew Kalninc, Kristine Mosier: Brain activation during vaginocervical self-stimulation and orgasm in women with complete spinal cord injury: fMRI evidence of mediation by the vagus nervous. In: Brain Research. Vol. 1024, 2004, pp. 77-88, doi: 10.1016 / j.brainres.2004.07.029 ( full text as PDF file ).
  6. ↑ Section 2.2.1: The Four Phases of Sexual Response. → 4th recovery phase. In: Erwin J. Haeberle: The sexuality of man. Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology. ( Memento from May 15, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  7. ↑ a b Mike Kleist: Secret Knowledge of Male Multi-Orgasm . Satzweiss.com, 2012, ISBN 978-3-929-40350-3 ( limited preview in Google book search).
  8. ↑ a b Erwin J. Haeberle: The sexuality of man. Walter de Gruyter, 1985, ISBN 978-3-110-87365-8 , p. 63 ( limited preview in Google book search).
  9. ↑ Erwin J. Haeberle: The sexuality of man. Walter de Gruyter, 1985, ISBN 978-3-110-87365-8 , p. 39 ( limited preview in Google book search)
  10. ↑ a b Section 3.2.1: The four phases of the sexual response. → 3rd orgasm phase. In: Erwin J. Haeberle: The sexuality of man. Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology. ( Memento from May 17, 2013 in the Internet Archive )