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

International Journal of Impotence Research (2025)Cite this article

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Abstract

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.

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Fig. 1: Histograms of duration of ejaculation until perceived onset of flaccidity (seconds) and duration of ejaculation until perceived complete flaccidity (seconds).

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Data is available upon reasonable request by contacting the corresponding author.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Urology, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Chris A. Suijker

  2. University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells & Systems, Section Anatomy & Medical Physiology, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Janniko R. Georgiadis

  3. Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Oldenburg, Germany

    Janniko R. Georgiadis

  4. Department of Urology, ACIBADEM International Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Boaz Meijer

Authors
  1. Chris A. Suijker
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  2. Janniko R. Georgiadis
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  3. Boaz Meijer
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Contributions

CAS (Conceptualization; Methodology; Formal Analysis; Writing– Original Draft; Writing– Review & Editing). JRG (Conceptualization; Methodology; Writing– Review & Editing; Supervision). BM (Conceptualization; Methodology; Writing– Review & Editing; Supervision).

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Correspondence to Chris A. Suijker.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical approval

Notion of this study was given to the Medical Ethical Committee of the University Medical Center Groningen (study no. 202000606), which approved all study procedures.

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Suijker, C.A., Georgiadis, J.R. & Meijer, B. Measuring the perceived duration of post-ejaculatory penile detumescence: a pilot study in a real-life setting. Int J Impot Res (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-025-01122-6

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