RELATION OF INTROMISSIONS TO THE FEMALES POSTEJACULATORY REFRACTORY PERIOD IN RATS

The objectives of this study were to investigate the temporal aspects of female sexual behavior during single and multiple ejaculatory tests . Females were tested in a two-compartment chamber where they could es cape from the male following sexual contacts. In Experiment 1, correla tion analysis showed that the number of intromissions received by the female over 3 ejaculatory series was positively correlated with the fe male's postejaculatory refractory period (PER). In Experiment 2, femal es receiving 2-4 intromissions before ejaculation had a PER that did n ot differ from those receiving 5-15 (average 10) intromissions precedi ng ejaculation. However, if the male ejaculated on the first or second intromission, the female's PER was significantly shorter than the oth er groups and did not differ from her return latency after an intromis sion without ejaculation. Females receiving 24-31 intromissions preced ing ejaculation exhibited the longest PER Analysis revealed that the n umber of intromissions received by females before ejaculation was posi tively correlated with the female's PER. We concluded that the male's ejaculatory reflex, seminal emission, and postejaculatory behavior alo ne without at least 2 preceding intromissions were not sufficient to i nduce a female's PER comparable to that seen after an ejaculation duri ng normal copulation. In addition, the number of intromissions receive d by the female preceding ejaculation was positively correlated with t he female's PER if the range of intromission frequency was large enoug h. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Inc.