https://doi.org/10.4081/aiua.2024.13119

Pelvic floor contraction as an initial response to psycho-sensory sexual stimulation in men and a trigger for male sexual behaviour

Vol. 96 No. 4 (2024)
Submitted: September 19, 2024
Accepted: October 10, 2024
Published: November 21, 2024
Psycho-sensory pelvic reflex, male sexual response, male genital response, pelvic floor, neurological reflex, male sexual behaviour, genital perception, ejaculatory urgency
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Authors

Giuseppe La Pera
dr.giuseppelapera@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1999-8897
Consultant Urologist, Rome, Italy.
Sabrina Anticoli
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4401-1695
Stroke Unit - Head Neck and Neuroscience Department, San Camillo Hospital, Rome, Italy.
Marilena Mangiardi
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4473-2807
Stroke Unit - Head Neck and Neuroscience Department, San Camillo Hospital, Rome, Italy.
Stefano Livi
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5656-0267
Social and Developmental Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.

Introduction: This study is based on the hypothesis that, in men, the initial sexual response to erotic stimuli is triggered by a psycho-sensory pelvic reflex, mediated by the contraction of the pelvic floor muscles (PFM), rather than by an erection.

Objective: The objective is to determine, using a questionnaire that evokes an erotic image, whether there is a correlation between an erotic psycho-sensory stimulus and PFM contraction in men and females and whether this contraction encourages the subject to seek sexual activity.

Materials and methods: An online questionnaire was administered to 270 respondents (134 males, 136 females; mean age = 36.53, SD = 10.7; range 19-63). The questionnaire assessed the relationship between the perception of anterior PFM contraction and an evocative erotic image.

Results: The results show that following an evoked erotic stimulus, there is a significantly higher prevalence of perceived genital sexual responses in males compared to females through PFM contraction. A statistically significant difference was also observed in the desire to engage in sexual activity when perceiving PFM contraction (mean: Males 2.04 ± 0.95 vs. Females 1.02 ± 0.88; p < 0.001).

Conclusions: In this sample, an evocative erotic image triggers the perception of the genital sexual response via PFM contraction in more males than females. Additionally, PFM contraction, when perceived, prompts more males to seek sexual activity. These findings support the hypothesis that Pelvic Floor Muscles contraction is the initial response to psycho-sensory stimulation in men and a trigger for male sexual behaviour.

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How to Cite

La Pera, G., Anticoli, S., Mangiardi, M., & Livi, S. (2024). Pelvic floor contraction as an initial response to psycho-sensory sexual stimulation in men and a trigger for male sexual behaviour. Archivio Italiano Di Urologia E Andrologia, 96(4). https://doi.org/10.4081/aiua.2024.13119
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