The Sexual Response Flashcards
The 2 physiologic process responsible for most of the human sexual response in men and women are ______ and ____
Vasocongestion and Myotonia
What are the 4 phases of human sexual response as described by Masters and Johnson?
Excitation, Plateau, Orgasm, and Resolution
Excitation focuses on ______ in both men and women
Vasocongestion
Describe vasocongestion
Increased flow of blood (often w/ decreased blood return)
What does sexual excitation in males entail? (x2)
Penile erection
Scrotal sac thickens, elevates (cremaster muscles)
What does sexual excitation in females entail? (x8)
Vaginal lubrication
Glans clitoris enlarges (similar to penile erection)
Nipples erect (myotonia: muscle contraction)
Breasts enlarge (vasocongestion)
Labia minora swell and open, change in colour (darker)
Upper 2/3rds of vagina balloons
Cervix and uterus stand up: “tenting effect” - creates a more direct line for sperm
Angle of cervical opening more receptive to sperm
What is “sex flush” due to?
vasocongestion in the skin
During what phase of sexual response are HR and RR first affected?
Excitation
What happens to HR, RR, and BP during the plateau phase of sexual excitation?
elevate
The ____ ____ is formed during the plateau phase of sexual excitation in females
orgasmic platform
Describe the orgasmic platform (location, its significance)
outer ⅓ of vagina thickens, swells; w/o it, no orgasm will occur
During the plateau phase in males, the ____ glands secrete fluid through the tip of the penis.
Can this fluid contain sperm?
Bulbourethral (Cowper’s)
Yes!
Does the scrotum hang lower or sit higher during the plateau phase?
Higher
In (males/females), orgasm happens in two stages
Males
What are the two stages of orgasm in males?
Contraction of seminal vesicles, vas deferens and prostate
Contraction of urethra and penis –> ejaculation
In females, orgasm happens all at one time. Describe what is contracting.
Contractions of orgasmic platform
Contractions of uterus
____ is a major player in female orgasm
Oxytocin is a major player in female orgasm
Having several orgasms w/o a refractory period is possible in men or women?
women
During orgasm in both men and women, there is intense ____
Myotonia
As a man ages, does his refractory period shorten or lengthen?
Lengthens
Describe what happens during the resolution stage?
Muscles relax, breathing etc. back to normal, blood returns to central circulation from the genitals
What are some possible health benefits related to orgasm?
General Health (x1-2 orgasms/wk = better immune system)
Pain Relief (menstrual cramps and raise pain tolerance)
Lower CA Rate (Men who have >5 ejaculations/wk while in 20s have a significantly lower rate of prostate CA later in life)
Mood Enhancement (improve mood and ward off depression in women)
Greater Feelings of Intimacy (Oxytocin increases fivefold at orgasm)
Better Sleep (Dopamine, released during orgasm, triggers a stress-reducing, sleep-inducing response that may last up to 2 hrs)
Where is the general emotional response coded for in the brain?
Coded in limbic system
Where is pleasure coded for?
basal forebrain, especially ventral tegmental area and its dopaminergic stimulation of the reward centers of the septal nuclei and the nucleus accumbens
Pleasure centers are _____-mediated and in the more (developed/primitive) part of the (hindbrain/forebrain)
dopamine; primitive; forebrain
How is euphoria achieved in the brain?
Probably by cortex activation
Excitation phase is slower in (men/women)
women
What might the ability to have multiple orgasms be due to in women?
Probably because vasocongestion persists longer in women and clears faster in men