No evidence for prolactin's involvement in the post-ejaculatory refractory period.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Preclinical animal laboratory experiment
PubMed 33398068 · doi:10.1038/s42003-020-01570-4
What was done
Researchers investigated the role of prolactin in sexual activity and the post-ejaculatory refractory period using two house mouse strains with differing baseline sexual performance (a wild-derived strain and a classical laboratory strain). They observed prolactin release during sexual behavior and tested acute pharmacological interventions that either mimicked the peri-ejaculatory prolactin surge or inhibited prolactin release.
What was found
Prolactin was confirmed to be released during copulation in male mice. However, neither pharmacologically mimicking the surge nor inhibiting prolactin release affected sexual activity or shortened the post-ejaculatory refractory period. The abstract reports no numerical values, effect sizes, or exact sample counts.
Why it matters
These findings challenge a long-standing hypothesis in behavioral endocrinology by demonstrating that copulatory prolactin surges do not establish the male post-ejaculatory refractory period in mice.
Limits
The study was conducted in mice, limiting direct translation to human sexual physiology. The abstract does not provide sample sizes, dosages, specific drug names, or quantitative metrics. Acute systemic pharmacological manipulations may also not reflect localized or chronic neuroendocrine actions.
Cited by
- contradicts The sexual refractory period is largely caused by an increase in prolactin that suppresses dopamine.
- contradicts Dopamine can overcome the post-ejaculatory or post-coital refractory period.