Greater resting heart rate variability is associated with orgasms through penile-vaginal intercourse, but not with orgasms from other sources

Journal of Sexual Medicine

Volumn 9, Issue 1, 2012, Pages 188-197

  Costa, Rui Miguel ^a   Brody, Stuart ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Heart Rate Variability; Intercourse; Orgasm

Indexed keywords

ARTICLE; CLITORIS; COITUS; FEMALE; HEART RATE VARIABILITY; HUMAN; MALE; ORGASM; PENILE VAGINAL INTERCOURSE; PENIS; PRIORITY JOURNAL; SEXUAL BEHAVIOR; SEXUAL INTERCOURSE; SEXUALITY; STIMULATION; VAGINA;

EID: 84855350506     PISSN: 17436095     EISSN: 17436109     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2011.02541.x     Document Type: Article

References (54)

1. Appelhans BM, Luecken LJ. Heart rate variability as an index of regulated emotional responding. Rev Gen Psychol 2006;10:229-40.
2. Thayer JF, Lane RD. The role of vagal function in the risk for cardiovascular disease and mortality. Biol Psychol 2007;74:224-42.
3. Masi CM, Hawkley LC, Rickett EM, Cacciopo JT. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia and diseases of aging: Obesity, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. Biol Psychol 2007;74:212-23.
4. Dekker JM, Schouten EG, Klootwijk P, Pool J, Swenne CA, Kromhout D. Heart rate variability from short electrocardiographic recordings predicts mortality from all causes in middle-aged and elderly men. Am J Epidemiol 1997;145:899-908.
5. Rich MW, Saini JS, Kleiger RE, Carney RM, teVelde A, Freedland KE. Correlation of heart rate variability with clinical and angiographic variables and late mortality after coronary angiography. Am J Cardiol 1988;62:714-7.
6. Mulhall J, Teloken P, Brock G, Kim E. Obesity, dyslipidemias and erectile dysfunction: A report of a subcommittee of the sexual medicine society of North America. J Sex Med 2006;3:778-86.
7. Esposito K, Ciotola M, Maiorino MI, Giugliano F, Autorino R, De Sio M, Cozzolino D, Saccomanno F, Giugliano D. Hyperlipidemia and sexual function in premenopausal women. J Sex Med 2009;6:1696-703.
8. Giuliano F, Rampin O, Allard J. Neurophysiology and pharmacology of female genital sexual response. J Sex Marital Ther 2002;28(1 suppl):101-21.
9. Motofei IG, Rowland DL. The physiological basis of human sexual arousal: Neuroendocrine sexual asymmetry. Int J Androl 2005;28:78-87.
10. Chen CJ, Kuo TB, Tseng YJ, Yang CC. Combined cardiac sympathetic excitation and vagal impairment in patients with non-organic erectile dysfunction. Clin Neurophysiol 2009;120:348-52.
11. Stuckey BG, Walsh JP, Ching HL, Stuckey AW, Palmer NR, Thompson PL, Watts GF. Erectile dysfunction predicts generalised cardiovascular disease: Evidence from a case-control study. Atherosclerosis 2007;194:458-64.
12. Komisaruk BR, Whipple B. Love as sensory stimulation: Physiological consequences of its deprivation and expression. Psychoneuroendocrinology 1998;23:927-44.
13. Komisaruk BR, Whipple B, Crawford A, Liu WC, Kalnin A, Mosier K. Brain activation during vagino-cervical stimulation and orgasm in women with complete spinal cord injury: fMRI evidence of mediation by the vagus nerves. Brain Res 2004;1024:77-88.
14. Gellhorn E. Principles of autonomic-somatic integrations: Physiological basis and psychological and clinical applications. St. Paul: North Central Publishing Co; 1967.
15. Brody S, Veit R, Rau H. A preliminary report relating frequency of vaginal intercourse to heart rate variability, Valsalva ratio, blood pressure, and cohabitation status. Biol Psychol 2000;52:251-7.
16. Brody S, Preut R. Vaginal intercourse frequency and heart rate variability. J Sex Marital Ther 2003;29:371-80.
17. Brody S. The relative health benefits of different sexual activities. J Sex Med 2010;7:1336-61.
18. Brody S, Weiss P. Simultaneous penile-vaginal intercourse orgasm is associated with satisfaction (sexual, life, partnership, and mental health). J Sex Med 2011;8:734-41.
19. Costa RM, Brody S. Anxious and avoidant attachment, vibrator use, anal sex, and impaired vaginal orgasm. J Sex Med 2011;8:2493-500.
20. Brody S, Houde S, Hess U. Greater tactile sensitivity and less use of immature psychological defense mechanisms predict women's penile vaginal intercourse orgasm. J Sex Med 2010;7:3057-65.
21. Brody S, Costa RM. Satisfaction (sexual, life, relationship, and mental health) is associated directly with penile-vaginal intercourse but inversely with other sexual behavior frequencies. J Sex Med 2009;6:1947-54.
22. Costa RM, Brody S. Immature defense mechanisms are associated with lesser vaginal orgasm consistency and greater alcohol consumption before sex. J Sex Med 2010;7:775-86.
23. Brody S. Alexithymia is inversely associated with women's frequency of vaginal intercourse. Arch Sex Behav 2003;32:73-7.
24. Brody S. Slimness is associated with greater intercourse and lesser masturbation frequency. J Sex Marital Ther 2004;30:251-61.
25. Brody S. Blood pressure reactivity to stress is better for people who recently had penile-vaginal intercourse than for people who had other or no sexual activity. Biol Psychol 2006;71:214-22.
26. Brody S. Vaginal orgasm is associated with better psychological functioning. Sex Relation Ther 2007;22:173-91.
27. Brody S. Body mass index but not pulse pressure is associated with lesser penile-vaginal intercourse frequency in healthy young men. J Sex Med 2010;7:1853-7.
28. Costa RM, Brody S. Women's relationship quality is associated with specifically penile-vaginal intercourse orgasm and frequency. J Sex Marital Ther 2007;33:319-27.
29. Weiss P, Brody S. Female sexual arousal disorder with and without a distress criterion: Prevalence and correlates in a representative Czech sample. J Sex Med 2009;6:3385-94.
30. Nutter DE, Condron MK. Sexual fantasy and activity patterns of females with inhibited sexual desire versus normal controls. J Sex Marital Ther 1983;9:276-82.
31. Nutter DE, Condron MK. Sexual fantasy and activity patterns of males with inhibited sexual desire and males with erectile dysfunction versus normal controls. J Sex Marital Ther 1985;11:91-8.
32. Brody S, Costa RM. Vaginal orgasm is associated with less use of immature psychological defense mechanisms. J Sex Med 2008;5:1167-76.
33. Boettger MK, Schulz S, Berger S, Tancer M, Yeragani VK, Voss A, Bar KJ. Influence of age on linear and nonlinear measures of autonomic cardiovascular modulation. Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol 2010;15:165-74.
34. Aslan E, Beji NK, Gungor I, Kadioglu A, Dikencik BK. Prevalence and risk factors for low sexual function in women: A study of 1, 009 women in an outpatient clinic of a university hospital in Istanbul. J Sex Med 2008;5:2044-52.
35. Heruti R, Shochat T, Tekes-Manova D, Ashkenazi I, Justo D. Prevalence of erectile dysfunction among young adults: Results of a large-scale survey. J Sex Med 2004;1:284-91.
36. Lanza GA, Fox K, Crea F. Heart rate: A risk factor for cardiac diseases and outcomes? Pathophysiology of cardiac diseases and the potential role of heart rate slowing. Adv Cardiol 2006;43:1-16.
37. Shigetoh Y, Adachi H, Yamagishi S, Enomoto M, Fukami A, Otsuka M, Kumagae S, Furuki K, Nanjo Y, Imaizumi T. Higher heart rate may predispose to obesity and diabetes mellitus: 20-year prospective study in a general population. Am J Hypertens 2009;22:151-5.
38. Greenland P, Daviglus ML, Dyer AR, Liu K, Huang CF, Goldberger JJ, Stamler J. Resting heart rate is a risk factor for cardiovascular and noncardiovascular mortality: The Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry. Am J Epidemiol 1999;149:853-62.
39. Brody S. Sex at risk: Lifetime number of partners, frequency of intercourse, and the low AIDS risk of vaginal intercourse. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction; 1997.
40. Schmitt DP. Is short-term mating the maladaptive result of insecure attachment? A test of competing evolutionary perspectives. Pers Soc Psychol Bull 2005;31:747-68.
41. Costa RM, Brody S. Greater frequency of penile-vaginal intercourse without condoms is associated with better mental health. Arch Sex Behav 2010;39:1-2.
42. Lee JY, Joo KJ, Kim JT, Cho ST, Cho DS, Won YY, Choi JB. Heart rate variability in men with erectile dysfunction. Int Neurourol J 2011;15:87-91.
43. Dogru T, Kocak OM, Erberk-Ozen N, Basar M. Assessment of the autonomic nervous system is an appropriate biological marker for the well-being in erectile dysfunction. Asian J Androl 2008;10:643-50.
44. Ballard R. Short forms of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Psychol Rep 1992;71:1155-60.
45. Gravetter FJ, Wallnau LB. Essentials of statistics for the behavioral sciences. 6th edition. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth; 2008:445-7.
46. Richardson JTE. Eta squared and partial eta squared as measures of effect size in educational research. Educ Res Rev 2011;6:135-47.
47. Costa RM, Brody S. Sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and health are associated with greater frequency of penile-vaginal intercourse. Arch Sex Behav 2011 Aug 31 [Epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1007/s10508-011-9847-9.
48. Dai J, Lampert R, Wilson PW, Goldberg J, Ziegler TR, Vaccarino V. Mediterranean dietary pattern is associated with improved cardiac autonomic function among middle-aged men: A twin study. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2010;3:366-73.
49. Pellizzer AM, Straznicky NE, Lim S, Kamen PW, Krum H. Reduced dietary fat intake increases parasympathetic activity in healthy premenopausal women. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 1999;26:656-60.
50. Weiss P, Brody S. International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) scores generated by men or female partners correlate equally well with own satisfaction (sexual, partnership, life, and mental health). J Sex Med 2011;8:1404-10.
51. Porges SW. Love: An emergent property of the mammalian autonomic nervous system. Psychoneuroendocrinology 1998;23:837-61.
52. Komisaruk BR, Wise N, Frangos E, Liu W-C, Allen K, Brody S. Women's clitoris, vagina and cervix mapped on the sensory cortex: fMRI evidence. J Sex Med 2011;8:2822-30.
53. Luft CD, Takase E, Darby D. Heart rate variability and cognitive function: Effects of physical effort. Biol Psychol 2009;82:164-8.
54. Tao P, Brody S. Sexual behavior predictors of satisfaction in a Chinese sample. J Sex Med 2011;8:455-60.