'Dry orgasms' could be linked to common health conditions
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Health, Advice
Rhianna Benson
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Health, Advice
Not every climax is going to send sparks flying across your vision, knock your eyes into the back of your head and leave you screaming so loudly your neighbours call the police.
Despite what we see in the movies (When Harry Met Sally springs to mind), some orgasms can be proven much subtler - so much so that you mightn't even know they've fully happened.
These more understated moments of pleasure don't just befall women, however.
In fact, there's an enigma known as a 'dry orgasm' that doctors say affects millions of men on a regular basis.
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What many mightn't realise, though, is that just because the sensation is common doesn't mean it doesn't come with its risks to health.
A 'dry orgasm' describes the process of a male climaxing during sex without actually ejaculating.
For reference, men usually release between 1.25 and 5 millilitres of semen when they orgasm - roughly the equivalent of a quarter to a full teaspoon.
They might feel all the other physical sensations that come with climaxing, like the release of oxytocin and dopamine, several seconds of intense pleasure, breathlessness, muscle contractions and an increased heart rate.
In some cases of dry orgasm, a minuscule amount of semen is released from the penis, and in others, no ejaculate escapes whatsoever.
If the rate that a man experiences is few and far between, doctors say this shouldn't raise any major red flags.
If it becomes a more frequent occurrence, however, it could be an indicator that an altogether more sinister health condition is flying under the radar.
It's understood that this sensation either occurs in cases where the body hasn't been able to produce enough ejaculate, or when semen has accidentally travelled backwards into the bladder, although this is usually known as retrograde ejaculation.
This could be the result of surgery or radiation therapy to the bladder or the prostate, or it could be caused by the use of certain medications. These might include blood pressure reduction pills and anti-depressants.
According to experts at Healthy Male, frequent dry orgasms could also indicate that a person has endured nerve damage as a result of diabetes, or that they're unknowingly battling serious health conditions like multiple sclerosis, a stroke or spinal cord injury.
They could also be a sign of a blockage in the sperm duct, or that a man is suffering from considerably low levels of testosterone.
No matter what you or your partner believes the underlying cause of a dry orgasm to be, if the sensation persists, it's worth checking in with your GP.