Physiology: Sexual Action and Response

• Physiology of Sexual Action and Sexual Response

Presentation Plan

• The presentation will cover female and male anatomy, the limbic system, autonomic nervous system, endocrine basis of female and male sexuality, physiology of sexual action, and sexual response in men and women.

Female Anatomy

• The labia majora are folds of fat and connective tissue extending down from the mons pubis, covered with hair after puberty and protect the labia minora, urethral and vaginal opening, and are rich in veins and nerves.
• The labia minora are located below the labia majora, rich in vessels and nerves, covered with a thin layer of epidermis, and have no hair follicles.
• The clitoris is located at the top of the labia minora, and is short, cylindrical and an erectile organ, rich in veins and nerves which can cause a lot of bleeding in tears and injuries.
• The vestibule is the triangular field where the labia minora open, the urethra and vagina open into this area, bilateral Bartholin glands and the hymen are located in the outer part of the vagina, and it has a thin mucosal structure easily irritated by chemicals, heat, discharge, and tight clothing.
• The hymen is an elastic mucous membrane partially covering the vaginal opening which has holes to allow menstrual blood to flow out, however it may be completely closed, needing a hymenotomy.
• The Bartholin glands are the largest in the vulva, are located on both sides of the vagina, opens into the vestibule via ducts, provides lubrication to the vagina via secretions during sexual stimulation.
• The vagina is 8-10cm long, connects the vulva to the uterus, made of muscles and membranes, walls tough each other, its upper part wraps around the cervix firmly adheres to the wall of the cervix, the part of the cervix inside the vagina is the "Porsio", and the recesses are called "Fornix".
• Vaginal mucosa has layers called rugae to expand during childbirth, responds to estrogen and progesterone, is acidic, the pH shifts to alkaline during menopause, and birth canal where menstrual blood flows, and coitus takes place.

Male Anatomy

• In males, the penis and scrotum form the external reproductive organs.
• The penis has three cylindrical spongios layers: two corpora cavernosa and the corpus spongiosum.
• The urethra and blood vessels and nerves, are enclosed in the corpus spongiosum.
• The fullness that occurs in the blood vessels in this layer during sexual excitement causes an erection.
• The tip of the penis is called the glans penis, rich in nerve endings.
• The scrotum carries the testicles and spermatic cords.
• The spermatic cords suspended inside the scrotum have blood vessels, nerves, muscle fibrins, and the ductus-vas deferens.
• The spermatic cord enters the abdomen through the inguinal canal.
• Males' internal reproductive organs are the duct system stores and transports of the testicles and spermatazoon.
• Testicles are a pair located inside the scrotum, each 4 cm long suspended inside the scrotum spermatic cord.
• Each spermatic cord has seminal ducts, arteries, veins, lymphatic vessels, and nerves.
• Testicals have two functions: exocrine to produce sperm and endocrine to secrete hormones.

Sexual Behavior

• Physiology consists of a limbic system, autonomic nervous system, central nervous system, and medulla spinalis.
• The limbic system controls the affective state and the factors that motivate action, especially in relation to fear, anger and sexual behavior.
• The limbic system regulates basic functions like processing emotion, memory, sexual arousal, and learning.
• It is located in the lower right side of the cerebrum, responsible for controlling emotional reactions, trigger psychological processes and cause negative consequences.
• The hypothalamus establishes the relationship between the nervous system and the endocrine system which plays a role in behaviors related to stress and anger.
• The thalamus controls functions such as hearing, smell, taste, touch motor behaviors.
• The amygdala directs instincts, helps survival by managing emotions for struggle, escape, defense.
• Behaviors are for sustenance, continuation of existence, and adaptation of visceral activities.

Motor Systems

• Somatic motor system functions are voluntary.
• Autonomic engine system functions are involuntary for hormone secretion and heartbeat.

Autonomic Nervous System

• Nerve fibers have myelin sheath.
• Physiologically, they are divided into two parts: Sympathetic/Parasympathetic.
• The sympathetic nervous system is active during stress, danger and excitement, it speeds up vessel beats and breathing, expands brooches and dilates pupils, increases sweating and blood sugar, constricts capillaries and decreases saliva secretion, slows down digestion and kidney activity, and relaxes the bladder.
• The parasympathetic nervous system normalizes functioning following stress, increases salivation and accelerates digestion, increases kidney activity and contracts the bladder, slows down cap beats and breathing, narrows brooches and shrinks pupils, reduces sweating and blood sugar, and dilates capillaries.

Neuroendocrine Regulation

• Sexual response is determined by the interplay of sexual reproductive organs, nervous and endocrine systems, and neurochemical, neurophysiological and psychological processes.
• Diseases, conditions, drugs, and alcohol affect sexual function via the nervous system.
• Signals from genitals are focused on in the brain, from there chemical impulses travel to parts of the body.
• Genitalia and pelvic floor muscles are regulated by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
• Autonomic nerves regulate blood flow and smooth-muscle contractions.
• Somatic nerves control voluntary or striated muscle responses.
• The hypothalamus controls somato-motor, visceral-motor, body water balance, body weight control, reproduction and sexual behavior, body temperature, sleep, excitement, fear, anger, and the endocrine system".

Hormonal Control

• The pituitary affects emotions, autonomic functions, hormone production and has sensory distribution and processing centers.
• First are estrogen and progesterone, produced by the ovaries under control of gonadotropin hormones which is necessary to maintain the vaginal mucosa, adrenal cortex, lubrication, with levels slightly change during ovulation.
• Androgen affect sexual interest, desire and desire, estrogen affects for sexual intercourse and progesterone suppresses feelings of active lovemaking with increased feelings of maternity and cuddling.
• Basic sex hormone testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione are produced in Leydig cells in the testes under control of LH.
• Small amounts of androgens are produced in the adrenal glands.
• Testosterone maintains sexual interest, desire, ejaculatory capacity, formation/maintenance of an erection.
• If low there may be erotic dysfunction.

Sexual Action

• Human sexual response prepares genital organs for intercourse, is highly organized, regular and biochemical and psychological.
• Masters and Johnson emphasized women have a similar experience as men and that women have an accumulation of psycho-sexual arousal independent of direct physical sexual stimuli.
• With sexual dysfunction women participate more with their brain.

Phases of Sexual Response

• There are 4 phases of sexual response: Arousal, Plateau, orgasm, thawing.
• Desire is the emergence of sexual urge and to express it, it can last 1 seconds to many years.
• In Arousal there are erotic feelings and thoughts, erection in male and diffuse vasocongestion in female, it can occur via a physical or psychological stimuli, when sexual the intensity of sexual stimulus increased reaction increases.
• Phase may be a short time, prolong or disappear if stimulation is inappropriate.
• the wetting of vagina most sign of sexual excitement when mucous secretion increases".
• People who have had wetting it can facilitate penis to vagina sex, may experience painful sex.
• If one does not get enough lubrication and has painful may need a lubricant because with estrogen increases infection, if too low.
• In women the clitoris can be stimulated by hand contact, breast, vagina or fantasy.
• In women experience a different process than men.
• The nipple erects and increase volume.
• The G-spot is an area on top of vagina helps get to deep pressure and you have be very important to get to make love.
• Arousal in male is the first observe, hardening and of the spongy issue and fill blood you have normal reaction of both physic and and. Plateau in women lasts minutes, causes are tension and continues in the same point.
• Plateau in male where the penis where drop liquid shows muscle tension increased or high breathing.
• Orgasm is the word pleasure to get release of most and nerds the same feeling of the woman.
• Orgasm women needs to experience the or makes gets platform it, makes things for them may need lubrication.
• Orgasm men most muscles go out of control, when all semen goes out and protects bladder.
• Men need release that has to do not with power.
• During orgasming men, experiences contractions and is not only that spiritial communication but of all kinds.
• Muscle women and their body relaxes, muscle get back to old and sweating occurs and in men has 50/25 that erection get back to normal.