What is the normal duration for a man during the first round of sex?

Dear Sarah,

What is the normal duration for a man during the first round of sex?

Dear anonymous,

Most times, the first round is always very short and quick but still the sweetest. An adequate intercourse session lasts anywhere from 3 to 7 minutes, while a desirable one lasts 7 to 13 minutes.

However, what really matters here is not how many minutes or hours you spend making love, but whether the time you spend is enough to satisfy both you and your partner. If your sexual sessions typically only last two minutes, but both of you are content with that, there’s no problem.

In contrast, if one of you finishes much sooner than the other and this is creating distress or anxiety for either or both of you, then we have a serious issue that needs to be addressed. So, judgments of what forms an adequate or desirable amount of sex are quite subjective and depend upon how both partners feel about it.

If you find that you are consistently finishing much sooner than you or your partner would like or if the time it takes you to reach orgasm is usually less than one minute, then we’re probably dealing with a case of premature ejaculation. This condition is pretty common and affects more than one in five men. The good news is that this problem can be treated relatively easily and the success rates are very high. 

Perhaps the most commonly prescribed treatment is the stop-start technique. This technique involves continuing sexual activity to the point where orgasm is about to happen, then stopping everything until the feeling goes away.

Once it does, stimulation resumes but stops again the next time the feeling arises. Going through this cycle of starting and stopping stimulation typically produces better ejaculatory control.