Male Orgasm: Understanding The Male Climax | Everyday Health

The male orgasm includes four phases: desire, arousal (plateau), orgasm, and resolution.

[14]

Desire

Everything starts with desire, which includes physical sensations, thoughts, fantasies, and visual stimuli. This stimulus, whatever it may be, causes the brain to send signals via the pelvic nerves to release neurotransmitters like nitric oxide in the penile tissue. “This is the go signal for erection,” says Martina Ambardjieva, MD, a urologist at Dr Telx, a telehealth platform.

[14]

Nitric oxide acts as a vasodilator (which relaxes blood vessels), causing increased blood flow to the penis. As the penis fills with blood, the veins that normally allow blood to drain out are squeezed shut, trapping the blood inside to create a firm erection. You might also notice the scrotum pulling closer to the body as muscles throughout your body begin to tense up.

[5]

[14]

Arousal (Plateau)

During this stage, which can last from a few seconds to a couple of minutes, your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing become even more rapid.

[14]

Muscle tension throughout your body continues to build, and you may notice involuntary movements beginning, particularly in the pelvic area. The tip of the penis can become highly sensitive, and a clear, preejaculatory fluid may be released. This fluid helps change the pH balance of the urethra, creating a better environment for sperm to survive.

[14]

[15]

Orgasm

The orgasm is the climax of the sexual response cycle. While it feels like a single intense event, the physical process actually happens in two stages.

The first stage, emission, is the point of no return. During this stage, the vas deferens (the tube that stores and transports sperm) contracts to move semen into the urethra at the base of the penis. At this point, ejaculation is inevitable.

[16]

The second stage is expulsion, or the ejaculation itself. This is when you feel a series of powerful, rhythmic muscle contractions that force the semen out of the penis.

[16]

 Dr. Ambardjieva explains that these are “rhythmic contractions in the pelvic floor muscles, vas deferens, seminal vesicles, and prostate.”

She adds that this process is what leads to the climax. “This propulsion moves semen into the urethra and out through ejaculation, typically coinciding with peak sexual pleasure,” she says. “That’s the climax, and it’s more of a spinal reflex than many people realize.”

Resolution and the Refractory Period

Once the orgasm has passed, your body begins to return to its prearoused state. The muscles relax, blood pressure drops, and heart rate and breathing slow down. You may also feel drowsy.

[7]

Most men enter a refractory, or recovery, period at this stage. During this time, it’s physiologically impossible to achieve another erection or orgasm. The refractory time frame varies from person to person but can range from a few minutes to 24 hours; the time needed usually grows longer with age.

[10]