Perceived ejaculatory latency and pleasure in different outlets

Ejaculatory latencies have been studied in coitus and with masturbation, but not with oral or manual stimulation by a partner.

The present study extended research on ejaculatory latency to these outlets, and investigated the effect of perceived pleasure on self-reported ejaculatory latency.

A convenience sample of male college students, not selected for sexual dysfunction, completed questionnaires assessing the outcome measures.

Self-report measures of latency to ejaculation in, and perceived pleasure associated with, four different outlets (vaginal intercourse, oral intercourse, manual stimulation by a partner, and masturbation).

Ejaculatory latencies in partnered activities were predictive of each other. Masturbatory latencies were predictive of coital latencies but not oral or manual stimulation latencies; all the partnered activities were predictive of each other. There was no difference in time to ejaculation among any of the partnered outlets, although ejaculation occurred more quickly with masturbation than with coitus or manual stimulation. In terms of pleasure associated with the outlets, vaginal and oral intercourse were perceived as equally pleasurable, and both were rated as more pleasurable than manual stimulation or masturbation, which did not differ from each other.

These results suggest that rapidity of ejaculation is consistent across outlets for the partnered sexual activities, and that there is little unique-in terms of ejaculatory latency--about vaginal intercourse compared with oral or manual stimulation by a partner. Masturbation, however, does differ from the partnered activities. Although the average correlation, for individuals, between latency and pleasure for the different outlets is near zero, there are subgroups of men who have (i) a negative relation, (ii) a positive relation, or (iii) no relation. Results show that men, for whom greater pleasure is associated with shorter latency, are more likely to be dissatisfied with their intravaginal ejaculatory latencies, regardless of actual latency.