Intensity of sexual activity

The intensity of sexual life is an important, but not the main indicator, and only indirectly characterizes the so-called normal sexual life.

The concept of the norm in sexology is one of the insufficiently developed issues. For a long time, this norm was identified with specific digital data on the number of sexual acts in a certain period of time and the duration of sexual intercourse, which led to various errors and caused numerous iatrogenies.

• "Norms" of intensity of sexual life

From ancient times to the present day, numerous attempts have been made to develop some average standards for the intensity of sexual activity. Thus, Zoroaster (Persia) prescribed having coitus once every 9 days. Solomon and Mohammed established the standard of 3-4 coituses per month for married women, unless they had special reasons to temporarily abstain from sexual activity. These standards, depending on the profession, are specified in most detail in the Talmud. According to this sacred book, young people without specific occupations were allowed to have sex every day, artisans and workers - 2 times a week, scientists - 1 time per week, caravan guides - 1 time per month, sailors - 2 times per year. The average standard according to Moses (Bible) is 10 coituses per month. We find almost the same standards in the Lutheran religion. Martin Luther considered 2 coituses per week to be the norm.

The words "rarely" and "often" are relative in themselves and depend on each patient's interpretation. Thus, to the same question: "How often do you have sexual intercourse?" - one patient may answer: "Very often! Almost every ten days", and another: "Not often. There are days when no more than once". As can be seen, the intensity of sexual life and a woman's attitude towards it can individually vary widely.

Thus, in the book "Psychotherapy" by D. Miiller-Hegemann it is said that, according to Schulz-Hencke, the ability to orgasm in men fluctuates from 1 coitus per month to 3 times per day, and in women - from 1 coitus in 2-3 months to 1 time per night. The data of D. Miiller-Hegemann are undoubtedly significantly reduced. In both men and women, in some cases, this ability is significantly higher. Thus, G. S. Vasilchenko indicates that the maximum number of orgasms in men was 6.8 ±0.52 per day.

Let us cite the maximum male excesses described in scientific and fiction literature.

In the monograph by V. Andreev, one Moorish nobleman is mentioned who had the habit of having sexual intercourse with 40 wives of his harem for three days.

Julius Caesar had an extremely strong sexual excitability. He lived with many women at the same time. His mistresses were many wives of Roman senators, queens (Egyptian queen Cleopatra and Moorish Eunoia). He had a son from Cleopatra, and his long-term mistress Servilia, Brutus' mother, brought Caesar together with her daughter Julia III. People's tribune Helvius Cinna even wrote and prepared a bill allowing Caesar to have unhindered intercourse with all women of Rome, supposedly to increase the number of offspring of the great Caesar. Caesar's opponents attributed to him, in addition to such heterosexual promiscuity, a wide use of passive pederasty. Thus, the expression of the Roman senator Curio the Elder went down in history, who said in his speeches that Julius Caesar "Omnium virorum mulierum est et omnium mulierum vir".

Elector of Saxony and King of Poland Augustus II was the husband of 700 wives and the father of 354 children. Augustus II was nicknamed the Strong because he would jokingly break horseshoes, flatten cups and plates in his hands, and roll up strong Prussian thalers with his fingers like paper. He claimed to have visited up to five mistresses a night.

In Greek mythology, the thirteenth feat of Hercules is known, who, by order of the Mycenaean king Eurastheus, impregnated 40 virgins in one night. According to other sources, Hercules accomplished this feat when he was not yet 20 years old, at the request of King Thespius, whom he captivated with his radiant purity and intelligence. Thespius literally begged Hercules to give heirs to his 50 daughters. Hercules agreed, and after 9 months the princesses gave birth to 51 babies (one gave birth to twins). However, the Hungarian historian Lajos Mesterhazy doubted that all this happened in one night, explaining this detail by the "cult of Hercules".

G. S. Vasilchenko observed one forty-two-year-old sculptor who had to have at least 6-7 ejaculations per day for many years. Without this, he could not work creatively. G. S. Vasilchenko cites a quote from the "Kinsey Report", which states that one lawyer had an average of more than 30 ejaculations per week for 30 years.

In our practice, we have repeatedly encountered women who had up to 8-10 sexual intercourses per day, 80-100 coituses per month.

Havelock Ellis reports on a country girl who had coitus with 25 boys and men in a row without any harm to her psyche. Of course, the greatest sexual excesses are the lot of professional prostitutes. Thus, Lawson writes about a woman from the Marquesas Islands who serviced 103 men in one night.

It should be noted that some women, having had one orgasm, can immediately begin to have a second, and then a third, etc. Among our patients were women who had the ability to have up to 10 or more orgasms in one sexual act (orgasmic series or multi-orgasmicity, superpotency). Let us give a number of exclusive examples.

L. Ya. Yakobzon and I. M. Porudominsky considered 1 coitus every 3-4 days to be the norm, N. V. Ivanov considered 2-3 coitus per week to be the "relative medical norm" for people aged 34-35, and S. A. Selitsky considered the same 2-3 coitus per week to be the "maximum norm".

V. Hammond proposed much stricter standards. He considered daily coitus to be an excess even for the strongest and healthiest men. In his opinion, coitus twice a week would also be an excess and would lead to premature loss of sexual ability in most people. Obviously, such an unrealistic opinion of Hammond can be considered an expression of Victorian morality, which was dominant in England at that time. According to Hammond, a man should not begin sexual activity earlier than 21 years old. For the age of 21-25, he sets the norm - 1 coitus every 10-12 days, and for 25-40 years - 1 time per week. D. Miiller-Hegemann cites very interesting data from Davis, who conducted a questionnaire among 1000 women with higher education: 2% of the women surveyed had 1-2 coitus per night, 1 time per night - 8%, 2 coitus per week - 33%. 1 coitus per week - 45% and 1 coitus per month - 12%.

At present, G. S. Vasilchenko rightly points out that a significant range of intensity of sexual life is the norm, because the intensity itself depends on many biological, psychological and social causes. In connection with the denial in modern sexopathology of functional spinal impotence, which supposedly arises as a result of exhaustion of the nerve centers of the spinal cord, the very concept of excess has narrowed and acquired a different meaning.

The same should be said about modern views on masturbation. Without denying some unfavorable psychological consequences of masturbation in the form of the masturbator's isolation from social contacts (autization), immersion in self-analysis, especially in young people predisposed to this with psychasthenic personality traits, suspicious and anxious, it should be definitely said that masturbation does not cause any painful phenomena and usually ceases with the onset of regular sexual activity.

In old sexological literature, the harm caused by masturbation was equated with the consequences of plague and other epidemics. Epilepsy, schizophrenia, and neurasthenia were mentioned as diseases directly related to masturbation. The opinion about the causal connection between male masturbation and spinal impotence, and female masturbation with frigidity, nymphomania, and diseases of the external genitalia, was held for the longest time.

Tissot believed that masturbation was more common among women than among men. Rohleder even assumed that out of 100 women, 95 had ever masturbated, while Delaide believed that masturbation was equally common among both women and men. I. I. Mechnikov in his "Studien uber die Nates des Menschen" says that girls masturbate much less than boys, explaining this by the later emergence of their sexuality. M. Margulis quotes Gutzeit: "Almost every girl from 18 to 20 years old, who does not have normal sexual intercourse, masturbates." I. L. Botneva observed one patient who had up to 15 masturbatory orgasms per day. According to K. Imelinski (Poland), masturbation in girls is observed in 44.8% of cases. Researchers from other countries report figures close to these.

The most serious attention should be paid to the quality of sexual life; a woman’s full sexual life should be determined by the following indicators:

• the presence of a physiological orgasm in a woman after each sexual act or, in any case, after 75% of sexual acts;
• the presence of a psycho-emotional orgasm within these same limits (at least during the first ten years of life together);
• satisfaction of the multi-orgastic need (orgastic series), if any. In this case, pathological conditions, namely nymphomania, should be excluded;
• the coincidence of the ranges of acceptability in both spouses and the absence of other types of sexual disharmony;
• a well-thought-out and adequate system of contraception while maintaining the possibility of periodic sperm entering the female genital organs.

Given these indicators, the frequency of sexual intercourse, in our opinion, is not of significant importance.

Some authors believe that the absence of orgasm in a woman, despite the presence of general satisfaction, does not significantly disrupt her sexual life.

Among the factors influencing the intensity of sexual life, we will mention the early onset of sexual life in men, which sometimes leads to a faster decrease in its intensity. The early onset of sexual life in women in the case of rape or too early marriage without love (Eastern countries) can lead to a decrease or complete suppression of libido, aversion to sexual life.

V. A. Kiselev and Yu. G. Zubarev, having studied 186 frigid women, note that the earlier a girl begins her sexual life, the higher the percentage of frigidity. In cases of hypersexuality, early onset of sexual life leads to superpotency of a woman. Excessive fatigue, physical and mental asthenia lead to a decrease in the intensity of sexual life.

The intensity of sexual life is also affected by profession, although there is no consensus on this issue. Some authors claim that mental work supposedly reduces libido and potency. Researchers attached particular importance to mathematics in reducing potency. poussais wrote back in 1836 that mathematical problems suppress sexual potency, and G. de Coux and M. St.-Arge advised studying mathematics to distract from excessive sexual arousal. V. Hammond was of the same opinion. G. de Coux and M. St.-Arge cite the example of one mathematician who could never finish coitus, because just before orgasm he suddenly came up with a solution to a geometric problem or equation that he was busy with that day.

N. V. Sletov, having studied 67 cases of male impotence, the treatment of which was ineffective, found that among them were 12 mathematics teachers, 4 theoretical engineers, 1 astronomer, 10 accountants, 16 designers and accountants, and 5 cashiers. Thus, of the 67 unsuccessfully treated impotence patients, 48 were related to mathematics.

P. I. Kovalevsky, on the contrary, believed that healthy men engaged in mental activity, with good nutrition and the right regimen, not only do not experience impotence, but even experience increased sexuality, and only excessive mental fatigue, especially in weak and exhausted individuals, leads to a decrease in potency.

According to S. Schnabl, women engaged in mental work have a higher frequency of coitus, a more pronounced libido and better relationships with their partner.

Here are some data on the effect of the intensity of sexual intercourse on health and even the possibility of death during and after sexual intercourse. In tuberculosis patients, as a rule, libido and sexual reactions are significantly increased compared to healthy people. Cases have been described where an increase in arterial pressure during sexual intercourse led to dangerous hemoptysis in such patients.

Increased blood pressure and changes in the blood supply to the brain during coitus in elderly people suffering from atherosclerotic phenomena can lead to a catastrophe with a fatal outcome from a stroke or embolism. These cases of sudden death at the moment of orgasm were called "sweet death" (la mort douce, tod susse). The death of Pandu in the arms of his wife Madola is described in an ancient Indian book. The powerful king of the Huns, Attila, died during coitus from a ruptured large vessel. In 1909 and 1912, two works on this topic were published in the German press by Lipa Bey. Max Marcuse writes that cases of la mort douce are not uncommon even today. He believed that the greatest statistics on such sudden deaths are in the archives of police departments, where death certificates in brothels are kept.

German sexologists (M. Marcuse et al.) considered the case described in the story by E. J. Hofmann "Das Freulein von Scuderi" to be a classic example of the description of such a death in fiction. The case described in this story is related to "tod in sexuallen Affekt", but we consider the description of the death of Dr. Emilion Godes in the story by the modern Brazilian writer Jorge Amado "Teresa Batista, Tired of War" to be more suitable for la mort douce.

As has been pointed out, these general reactions of the organism to sexual intercourse are much more pronounced in men than in women. It was generally believed that cases of la mort douce were the exclusive prerogative of men, but we were able to find in the medical literature a case of la mort douce in a woman. M. Fiesch reported a woman of 51, who had given birth several times, suffered from diabetes and heart disease, who died suddenly (apparently from pulmonary embolism) a few minutes after a stormy sexual intercourse.

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