[Maximus]

Men like women are not machine, this to say the factors causing a man to lose "it" can vary.
A loss or decrease of sexual tension in the moment will produce that.

As for men being able to "think and be aroused". Most men are visual, so the thought process is very limited, but rather a visual stimulation leading.
The use of own hands in order as a recurrent thing, is more of a case of habit or behavior rather than a dysfunction.

[oxy-moron]

om, how much transfer of testosterone and estrogen is there between partners? I believe testosterone is naturally much higher in males and that the two tend to push in opposite directions, but if a woman has low testosterone as per what is normal for a woman that can lead to a low libido. Does testosterone get transferred between a male and a female and if so would a male with higher testosterone levels get a stronger response back from a woman. Would the response be more male like, that is, more aggressive?

Not sure if this is valid or not but from psychologytoday

------------
Perhaps you're familiar with the McClintock effect, the observation that when groups of reproductive-age women live or work together (in college housing, the military, all-female workplaces, etc.), over time their menstrual periods tend to become synchronized. The accepted explanation is that the women detect each other's pheromones, subtle scents that each of us produce, and somehow these only-faintly aromatic but powerful compounds influence the women's hormones and make their menstrual periods arrive around the same time.

But at the State University of New York, two evolutionary psychologists were puzzled to discover that lesbians show no McClintock effect. Why not? Gordon Gallup and Rebecca Burch realized that the only real difference between lesbians and heterosexual women is that the latter are exposed to semen. They speculated that maybe semen chemistry has something to do with the McClintock effect. But if that were true, the vagina would have to absorb compounds in semen that affected the women's pheromones.

Semen is best known for what's not absorbed by the vagina, sperm, which swim through it on their way into the fallopian tubes where fertilization takes place. But sperm comprise only about 3 percent of semen. The rest is seminal fluid: mostly water, plus about 50 compounds: sugar (to nourish sperm), immunosuppressants (to keep women's immune systems from destroying sperm), and oddly, two female sex hormones, and many mood-elevating compounds: endorphins, estrone, prolactin, oxytocin, thyrotrpin-releasing hormone, and serotonin.

Vaginal tissue is very absorptive. It's richly endowed with blood and lymph vessels. Given vaginal absorptiveness and all the mood-elevating compounds in found in semen, Gallup, Burch, and SUNY colleague Steven Platek wondered if semen exposure might be associated with better mood and less depression. They surveyed 293 college women at SUNY Albany about intercourse with and without condoms, and then gave the women the Beck Depression Inventory, a standard test of mood. Compared with women who "always" or "usually" used condoms, those who "never" did, whose vaginas were exposed to semen, showed significantly better mood--fewer depressive symptoms, and less bouts of depression. In addition, compared to women who had no intercourse at all, the semen-exposed women showed more elevated mood and less depression.

Meanwhile, risky sex is usually associated with negative self-esteem and depressed mood. Among college women, risky sex includes intercourse without condoms, so we would expect sex sans condoms to be associated with more depressive symptoms, and more serious depression including suicide attempts. However, in the Gallup-Burch-Platek study, among women who "always" or "usually" used condoms, about 20 percent reported suicidal thoughts, but among those who used condoms only "sometimes," the figure was much lower, 7 percent, and among women who "never" used condoms, only 5 percent reported suicidal thoughts. (This study controlled for relationship duration, amount of sex, use of the Pill, and days since last sexual encounter.) So it appears quite possible that the antidepressants in semen might have a real mood-elevating effect.

Finally, recall that in addition to antidepressant compounds, semen also contains two female sex hormones, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). FSH spurs egg maturation in ovary. LH is involved in triggering ovulation. Why would semen contain compounds that encourage ovulation? From an evolutionary perspective, this makes perfect sense.



Now, I'm not advocating that reproductive-age people shun condoms to elevate women's mood at the risk of unplanned pregnancy. But this effect might come in handy for women over age 50, who are experiencing menopausal blues.

I'm fascinated by the chemical complexity of semen. Until recently, scientists believed that its sole purpose was to nourish and protect sperm on their way to fertilization. But now it appears that semen spurs ovulation and makes women feel happier. That might explain why many women report increased interest in sex around the time of ovulation.
--------------------------

Also they say that males in the presence of young females for prolonged periods have higher testerone levels.

I dont know if this last examples is accurate or just Web hype.

[ItsASecret]

Compared with women who "always" or "usually" used condoms, those who "never" did, whose vaginas were exposed to semen, showed significantly better mood--fewer depressive symptoms, and less bouts of depression. In addition, compared to women who had no intercourse at all, the semen-exposed women showed more elevated mood and less depression.

I have seen this report countless times (as both humor and lecture material in class) and the thing is, any researcher like myself can swoop in and say okay prove that it is not the actual act of sex that causes the elevated mood. Many would immediately come in and say that having more sex means you are in a better mood and less depression, has nothing to do with condom or not to them just the fact that they are having sex. I am sure anyone would agree that it is a major contributor to having sex, simply feeling good afterward. Saying that something increases is cool and all and you can see it in blood studies however tracing it back as a cause is never assumed because of the basis of science "correlation does not imply causation".

[WildChild]

I've read in several sources from sex therapists and doctors that when kissing a man, women get a little testosterone boost. Obviously there has to be some saliva exchange.

[jns]

Not sure if this is valid or not but from psychologytoday

------------
Perhaps you're familiar with the McClintock effect, the observation that when groups of reproductive-age women live or work together (in college housing, the military, all-female workplaces, etc.), over time their menstrual periods tend to become synchronized. The accepted explanation is that the women detect each other's pheromones, subtle scents that each of us produce, and somehow these only-faintly aromatic but powerful compounds influence the women's hormones and make their menstrual periods arrive around the same time.

But at the State University of New York, two evolutionary psychologists were puzzled to discover that lesbians show no McClintock effect. Why not? Gordon Gallup and Rebecca Burch realized that the only real difference between lesbians and heterosexual women is that the latter are exposed to semen. They speculated that maybe semen chemistry has something to do with the McClintock effect. But if that were true, the vagina would have to absorb compounds in semen that affected the women's pheromones.

Semen is best known for what's not absorbed by the vagina, sperm, which swim through it on their way into the fallopian tubes where fertilization takes place. But sperm comprise only about 3 percent of semen. The rest is seminal fluid: mostly water, plus about 50 compounds: sugar (to nourish sperm), immunosuppressants (to keep women's immune systems from destroying sperm), and oddly, two female sex hormones, and many mood-elevating compounds: endorphins, estrone, prolactin, oxytocin, thyrotrpin-releasing hormone, and serotonin.

Vaginal tissue is very absorptive. It's richly endowed with blood and lymph vessels. Given vaginal absorptiveness and all the mood-elevating compounds in found in semen, Gallup, Burch, and SUNY colleague Steven Platek wondered if semen exposure might be associated with better mood and less depression. They surveyed 293 college women at SUNY Albany about intercourse with and without condoms, and then gave the women the Beck Depression Inventory, a standard test of mood. Compared with women who "always" or "usually" used condoms, those who "never" did, whose vaginas were exposed to semen, showed significantly better mood--fewer depressive symptoms, and less bouts of depression. In addition, compared to women who had no intercourse at all, the semen-exposed women showed more elevated mood and less depression.

Meanwhile, risky sex is usually associated with negative self-esteem and depressed mood. Among college women, risky sex includes intercourse without condoms, so we would expect sex sans condoms to be associated with more depressive symptoms, and more serious depression including suicide attempts. However, in the Gallup-Burch-Platek study, among women who "always" or "usually" used condoms, about 20 percent reported suicidal thoughts, but among those who used condoms only "sometimes," the figure was much lower, 7 percent, and among women who "never" used condoms, only 5 percent reported suicidal thoughts. (This study controlled for relationship duration, amount of sex, use of the Pill, and days since last sexual encounter.) So it appears quite possible that the antidepressants in semen might have a real mood-elevating effect.

Finally, recall that in addition to antidepressant compounds, semen also contains two female sex hormones, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). FSH spurs egg maturation in ovary. LH is involved in triggering ovulation. Why would semen contain compounds that encourage ovulation? From an evolutionary perspective, this makes perfect sense.



Now, I'm not advocating that reproductive-age people shun condoms to elevate women's mood at the risk of unplanned pregnancy. But this effect might come in handy for women over age 50, who are experiencing menopausal blues.

I'm fascinated by the chemical complexity of semen. Until recently, scientists believed that its sole purpose was to nourish and protect sperm on their way to fertilization. But now it appears that semen spurs ovulation and makes women feel happier. That might explain why many women report increased interest in sex around the time of ovulation.
--------------------------

Also they say that males in the presence of young females for prolonged periods have higher testerone levels.

I dont know if this last examples is accurate or just Web hype.

I believe I read that males exuding testosterone causes a change in chemistry that is more favorable for bacterial growth in the armpits of men, making men more likely to have a strong odor possible in their armpits, even shortly after adequately bathing. I also believe I read that such exuding is also done at pubic areas. This would provide the testosterone on the surface of the skin. Then with your description of the vagina's ability to absorb substances, would it not stand to reason that testosterone also gets absorbed? With a woman's body using a lower amount of testosterone, any transfer would have a greater affect unless the amount transferred was negligible. Is the amount exuded negligible as far as a sex hormone?

I have noticed over the years that my wife was less moody after sex, especially if the periods between sex was longer.

Do the brain chemicals make it past the blood-brain barrier?

[ItsASecret]

Then with your description of the vagina's ability to absorb substances, would it not stand to reason that testosterone also gets absorbed?

It does get absorbed, but the amount is so fractional and low that it will not cause any major change in the woman's levels. Literally anything to do with absorption is negligible. Unless you are smearing her with pharmacy grade testosterone, then there will be an increase lol.

Do the brain chemicals make it past the blood-brain barrier?

Yes. That is why they are called neuro(insert name). Neurohormones, neuropeptides, and neurosubstrates are just some. The BBB is very selective in what it allows to pass by but for the most part hormones, peptides (proteins), and other molecular substances do freely pass through.

[jns]

Yes. That is why they are called neuro(insert name). Neurohormones, neuropeptides, and neurosubstrates are just some. The BBB is very selective in what it allows to pass by but for the most part hormones, peptides (proteins), and other molecular substances do freely pass through.

I was asking because I know testosterone does not go through the BBB unchanged. From wiki on testosterone: "Surprisingly, the male brain is masculinized by testosterone being aromatized into estrogen, which crosses the blood-brain barrier and enters the male brain, whereas female fetuses have alpha-fetoprotein which binds up the estrogen so that female brains are not affected."