Spermarche, also known as semenarche, is the time at which a male experiences his first ejaculation.[1] It is considered to be the counterpart of menarche in females.[2][3] Depending on upbringing, cultural differences, and prior sexual knowledge, males may have different reactions to spermarche, ranging from fear to excitement.[4] Spermarche is one of the first events in the life of a male leading to sexual maturity. It occurs at the time when the secondary sex characteristics are just beginning to develop.[5] Researchers have had difficulty determining the onset of spermarche because it is reliant on self-reporting. Other methods to determine it have included the examination of urine samples to determine the presence of spermatozoa. The presence of sperm in urine is referred to as spermaturia.[3]
Age of occurrence
editResearch on the subject has varied for the reasons stated above, as well as changes in the average age of pubescence, which has been decreasing at an average rate of three months a decade.[6] Research from 2010 indicated that the average age for spermarche in the U.S. was 12–16.[7] In 2015, researchers in China determined that the average age for spermarche in China was 14.[8] Historical data from countries including Nigeria[9] and the United States also suggest 14 as an average age.[10]
As a function of precocious puberty
editPuberty onset before the age of 9 in males is considered medically abnormal, and is defined as precocious puberty; Research on both organic and ideopathic precocious puberty in males has described puberty onset as early as nine months old,[11][12] as semenarche has a wide range of onset within puberty (with some research indicating spermatogenesis in some cases in early pubertal development)[13] it is difficult to determine a minimum age for spermarche should one exist.[11][13] Research on the subject, though lacking has described ejaculation in males as young as six years old.[14]
Context
editVarious studies have examined the circumstances in which first ejaculation occurred. Most commonly this occurred via a nocturnal emission, with a significant number experiencing semenarche via masturbation, which is very common at that stage. Less commonly, the first ejaculation occurred during sexual intercourse with a partner.[15][9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "APA Dictionary of Psychology". dictionary.apa.org. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ Adolescence, E. Atwater, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 3rd edition, 1992. ISBN 978-0-13-007469-0
- ^ a b Kuhn, Howard E. (1989). "The Onset of Sperm Production in Pubertal Boys". American Journal of Diseases of Children. 143 (2): 190. doi:10.1001/archpedi.1989.02150140080024.
- ^ Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach, Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 3rd edition, 2006. ISBN 978-0-13-195071-9
- ^ Nielsen, C. Thøger; Skakkebæk, Niels E.; Richardson, David W.; Darling, Janet A. B.; Hunter, William M.; Jørgensen, Merete; Nielsen, Aage; Ingerslev, Olaf; Keiding, Niels; Müller, Jørn (1986). "Onset of the Release of Spermatozoa (Spermarche) in Boys in Relation to Age, Testicular Growth, Pubic Hair, and Height". The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 62 (3): 532–535. doi:10.1210/jcem-62-3-532. PMID 3944237.
- ^ Eckert-Lind, Camilla; Busch, Alexander S.; Petersen, Jørgen H.; Biro, Frank M.; Butler, Gary; Bräuner, Elvira V.; Juul, Anders (2020-04-06). "Worldwide Secular Trends in Age at Pubertal Onset Assessed by Breast Development Among Girls: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis". JAMA Pediatrics. 174 (4): e195881. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.5881. ISSN 2168-6203. PMC 7042934. PMID 32040143.
- ^ Laron, Zvi (2010). "Age at first ejaculation (spermarche)--the overlooked milestone in male development". Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews: PER. 7 (3): 256–257. ISSN 1565-4753. PMID 20526238.
- ^ Song, Y.; Ma, J.; Wang, H.-J.; Wang, Z.; Lau, P. W. C.; Agardh, A. (October 2016). "Age at spermarche: 15-year trend and its association with body mass index in Chinese school-aged boys: Age at spermarche and relation to BMI". Pediatric Obesity. 11 (5): 369–374. doi:10.1111/ijpo.12073. PMID 26403948. S2CID 4772897.
- ^ a b Adegoke, Alfred A. (April 1993). "The experience of spermarche (the age of onset of sperm emission) among selected adolescent boys in Nigeria". Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 22 (2): 201–209. doi:10.1007/bf01536653. ISSN 0047-2891. S2CID 145581215.
- ^ Moshang, Thomas (2005). Pediatric Endocrinology: The Requisites in Pediatrics. Mosby. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-323-01825-8. Cites Sun, S. S.; Schubert, C. M.; Chumlea, W. C.; Roche, A. F.; Kulin, H. E.; Lee, P. A.; Himes, J. H.; Ryan, A. S. (1 November 2002). "National Estimates of the Timing of Sexual Maturation and Racial Differences Among US Children". Pediatrics. 110 (5). American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): 911–919. doi:10.1542/peds.110.5.911. ISSN 0031-4005. PMID 12415029.
- ^ a b Wheeler, Mark D.; Styne, Dennis M. (1990-12-01). "Diagnosis and Management of Precocious Puberty". Pediatric Clinics of North America. Current Issues in Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology. 37 (6): 1255–1271. doi:10.1016/S0031-3955(16)37010-9. ISSN 0031-3955. PMID 2147987.
- ^ Ziqin, Liu; Xiaohui, Li; Xiaobo, Chen (December 2021). "Precocious Puberty in Boys: A Study Based on Five Years of Data from a Single Center in Northern China". Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology. 13 (4): 418–425. doi:10.4274/jcrpe.galenos.2021.2021.0033. ISSN 1308-5727. PMC 8638629. PMID 34013711.
- ^ a b Schaefer, F; Marr, J; Seidel, C; Tilgen, W; Scharer, K (1990-11-01). "Assessment of gonadal maturation by evaluation of spermaturia". Archives of Disease in Childhood. 65 (11): 1205–1207. doi:10.1136/adc.65.11.1205. ISSN 0003-9888. PMC 1792602. PMID 2248529.
- ^ A. A.M. Ghazi; F. Rahimi; M. M.S. Ahadi; A. Sadeghi-Nejad (2001-11-01). "Development of True Precocious Puberty Following Treatment of a Leydig Cell Tumor of the Testis". Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism. 14 (9): 1679–1682. doi:10.1515/JPEM.2001.14.9.1679. ISSN 2191-0251. PMID 11795661.
- ^ Stein, James H.; Whisnant Reiser, Lynn (1994). "A study of white middle-class adolescent boys' responses to ?semenarche? (The first ejaculation)". Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 23 (3): 373–384. doi:10.1007/BF01536725. S2CID 143706378.