Q: How much energy do we use during a normal sex act? Why we are exhausted after ejaculation? Is it true that if we withhold ejaculation we can reach orgasm without tiring? Is this dangerous?
Dr. Klein: Sex can range from slow and low-key to fast-paced and quite energetic. Regardless of how you do it, many people feel tired after ejaculating because it is a great release of physical and emotional tension. Unless you are emotionally upset about your sexual feelings or behavior, your energy usually returns soon after orgasm.
Some people believe in withholding one’s ejaculation, for reasons of either spirituality or pleasure. Although there is no harm in this, it requires a lot of concentration, your partner’s cooperation, and it changes the experience quite a bit. (By the way, this is NOT a reliable form of birth control.) For more on this philosophy of sex, consult Margo Anand’s “Sexual Energy Ecstasy.”