Measuring the perceived duration of post-ejaculatory penile detumescence: a pilot study in a real-life setting

Penile detumescence is crucial for erectile physiology and may play a role in erectile dysfunction and priapism. However, few studies focus on the process of penile detumescence. This pilot study explores the feasibility of measuring the perceived duration of post-ejaculatory penile detumescence in real-life conditions in a convenience sample. Voluntary participants could access a survey between November 2020 and February 2021, with measurement instructions shared by the researchers across several online social networks. Participants measured penile detumescence, starting a stopwatch at ejaculation and recording two time points: onset of flaccidity and complete flaccidity. The survey collected basic demographics for description purposes. At survey closure, full responses of 83 (mean age 26.9 ± 8.9 years) participants were analyzed. The mean duration to onset of flaccidity was 57.9 ± 35.5 s, and to complete flaccidity was 180.7 ± 83.5 s, both following an approximately normal distribution. These durations were significantly correlated with each other (r = 0.47, p < 0.001), but not with any other variables. The results suggest that quantifying penile detumescence in real-life conditions is feasible. Future studies with a more robust design should verify these measurements and explore factors influencing detumescence duration in both real-life conditions and research settings.