What are the phases of male sexual response and where does ejaculation fit in?

1. The canonical four‑phase model: what most textbooks teach

The model most often cited—originating with Masters and Johnson—lists excitement (arousal), plateau, orgasm, and resolution as the broad stages of the human sexual response; many clinical sources and reviews still use this four‑stage framework to describe male physiology ^{[1] [7] [8]}. Variations in labeling exist (for example, some sources call the first phase “desire” or “appetitive” and some combine excitement with arousal), but the practical point is consistent: bodies move from initial interest and genital engorgement toward a peak (orgasm) and then return toward baseline ^{[2] [9]}.

2. Where ejaculation fits: two physiological steps inside the climax

Ejaculation is usually tied to orgasm in men but is physiologically separable: clinical sources describe ejaculation as having two motor subphases—emission (movement of seminal fluids into the urethra) followed by expulsion (rhythmic muscular contractions that propel semen out through the penis) ^{[4] [3]}. Several reviews emphasize that ejaculation typically coincides with orgasm but is a peripheral motor event, whereas orgasm is a central nervous system phenomenon experienced subjectively ^{[5] [6]}.

3. Orgasm vs. ejaculation: why the distinction matters clinically

Researchers caution that orgasm (a peak cortical experience) can occur without ejaculation, and ejaculation can sometimes occur without the subjective experience of orgasm; the two are related but distinct phenomena relevant to diagnosing problems like anorgasmia, delayed ejaculation, or retrograde ejaculation ^{[5] [3]}. Reviews and clinical articles state that confusion between the terms exists in both lay and professional literature, so clarifying which is meant (subjective climax vs. semen emission) matters for treatment and fertility evaluation ^{[5] [6]}.

4. The “point of no return” and refractory period

Many clinicians describe the emission phase as a physiological “point of no return,” after which expulsion and ejaculation are inevitable; this aligns with practical descriptions of ejaculatory inevitability during high arousal ^{[10] [11]}. Immediately after ejaculation most men enter a refractory period—a recovery window during which further erection or orgasm is difficult or impossible; its length varies widely with age and individual differences (minutes in younger men, much longer in older men) ^{[2] [12] [13]}.

5. Variability, alternative labeling, and modern updates

Contemporary sources show two important trends: (a) nomenclature varies—some health sites and educators use Desire/Arousal/Orgasm/Resolution or DEOR, while others retain Excitement/Plateau/Orgasm/Resolution—and (b) clinicians emphasize individual variability rather than rigid sequence timing ^{[14] [2] [7]}. Oxford and other reference texts add an “appetitive” phase (desire, fantasy) before arousal, highlighting psychological antecedents to the genital response ^[9].

6. Practical implications and unresolved questions in reporting

For patients and partners, the chief practical takeaways are clear in clinical sources: ejaculation usually occurs during the orgasmic phase but is a motor sequence (emission + expulsion) distinct from the subjective orgasm; disorders can affect either the subjective (orgasm) or motor (ejaculatory) components and require different evaluations ^{[3] [5]}. Available sources do not mention a definitive single “best” model; instead, they present competing labels and emphasize clinical utility and individual differences ^{[1] [6]}.

Limitations: this summary relies on classical clinical and review literature provided above; it reflects prevailing clinical descriptions but does not cover every experimental or sociocultural model of sexual response—available sources do not mention such alternative theoretical frameworks beyond those cited ^{[1] [5]}.