First stirrings: cultural notes on orgasm, ejaculation, and wet dreams.

Sexology and Chronometry: Three Milestones

In this article I want to do three things. First, I provide an overview of data pertaining to the chronology of what are usually referred to as three milestones in sexual autobiography: first orgasm (orgasmarche), first ejaculation (oigarche), and first nocturnal emission. Second, I point out the methodological problems associated with the measurement of these variables. Third, I want to situate these problems in a culturalist perspective. Specifically, I want to examine the pedagogical status of pleasure as well as the cultural underpinnings of the notion of a psychosexual milestone. By this I want to specify the (uncontroversial) observation that orgasms are "cultural" in terms of their occurrence as well as perceived salience, necessity, and "age appropriateness."

This problem feeds into a number of wider issues some of which are explored in more detail elsewhere (Janssen, 2003, II). First, the biographic timing of sex (its meaning, measurement, control and salience) is of ongoing demographic and medical interest. From a medicolegal perspective, since the 1970s the chronometric parameter "age" has largely replaced that of "gender" as a mobilizing principle. That is to say: while prior gender-related impossibilities have been steadily normalized and decriminalized, age became the paradigm parameter of sexological welfare, justice, and intervention. This paradigm shift can for instance be observed after the depsychiatrization of DSM-II Homosexuality which was subsequently normalized through alternative milestone models (Cass, Lee, Plummer, Coleman, Troiden, and later Savin-Williams) and prolongated as problematic primarily where pedagogical issues were in vogue (differential consent age, parenting, adoption, custody, teachers, Scouting mentors, curriculum, internet filters, Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood). Sexualities, "normal" and "alternative," became chronological problems. During the 1990s, this development came to inform the peculiar notion of "age-appropriate sexuality." Thus, early sexual behavior became appropriated by a new diagnostic imperative which conventionalized during the early 1980s and came to be known as child sexual abuse.

While timing (as prevalence, frequency, attitude, and discourse) is a salient culture marker, I also think that it is important to remain critical of the chronometrization of sexuality (Janssen, forthcoming). In this article I will argue that sexological chronometry should be critiqued even when it pertains to the "body proper."

The Cultural Orgasm

While the cultural underpinnings of girls' first menstruation (menarche) have received over one hundred qualitative studies, (1) the case of orgasm has received hardly any attention. According to Meyer (1996, p. 100) orgasm is a behavioral tool mastered by adults, in contrast to children, a "superior orgasmic technology" utilized in ramifying the sexual status of the child. While this seems a strong perspective, orgasm indeed is not a topic commonly discussed in books on sex education prepared for preadult U.S. audiences (Martinson, 1994). Reiss (1998) found that in instruction books for UK 14 to 16-year-olds, "Ejaculation was mentioned in 12 of the 15 books; female orgasm in just five." In a perceptive article by Moore (2003) on sperm in sex education books marketed to a child audience, ejaculation and orgasm were not problematized. Some Western education books explicitly deny the possibility of prepubertal orgasm. Some sex researchers avoid and even reject orgasmarche (first orgasm) as a salient issue in developmental sexology. Rademakers (2000, p. 17), for instance, contended that "sexuality of children does not lend itself for description in terms of the sexual response cycle (desire-arousal-orgasm-recovery)." Elsewhere it was noted that, "the limited definition of human sexuality in terms of the sexual response cycle [...] doesn't do justice to aspects of sexuality which are more relevant to children" (Rademakers et al., 2000, p. 50). While this seems reasonable from an anti-reductionist perspective, the absence of orgasm in educational materials diagnoses an interesting "danger spot" in the pedagogical ramification of sex.

The historical emancipation of childhood orgasm is much less evolved than that of women. As for a brief historical appraisal of "early orgasm," influential figures such as Sigmund Freud, Wilhelm Stekel, and Wilhelm Reich repeatedly speculated about the possibility of infant orgasm (a matter in fact central to Freud's early speculations on neurotic diathesis) but none could reference any published material on the matter. In the 1960s and 1970s this allowed for a cottage industry of psychoanalytic musings about "orgasm-equivalent" energy expenditure in "latent" children. Interestingly, an affirmative stance seemed to have been a routine in early 20th century European anti-masturbation pediatrics. This should raise no eyebrows since anti-spermatorrhoea arguments alone (that is, unaided by an orgasmogenic traumatology of masturbation) would have excused prepubescent and female masturbators. As expected, then, as far back as 1786 clinicians have offered quite incontrovertible descriptions of infant "postural" (posture-mediated) masturbation to orgasm (Vogel, 1786), although a dialogue with epileptologists continues to date (e.g., Money, 1996). Orgasm was never unproblematic however. For instance, Fin-de-siecle psychologist G. Stanley Hall (1904, I, p. 438) detailed that

   The first orgasm, especially if forced at premature age,
   consists in a general and diffused glow and exhilaration
   of the sense of well-being even before emission is possible.
   This gives a heightened sense of the value of life,
   and a flush of ecstasy and joy that tinges the world with
   a glory that is far more than sensuous. But before this
   function is well developed the Nemesis of depression
   follows hard after these exaltations, and both states
   arouse thought and fancy in new directions and with
   a vividness unknown before.

Influential 20th century authors such as Albert Moll, Havelock Ellis, Carlfred Broderick, Floyd Martinson, Mary Calderone, Thore Langfeldt, and Ernest Borneman all concluded positively on prepubescent orgasm. Borneman (1983, p. 1/1990, p. 202) even claimed to have read "close to hundred reports of orgasms among infants and preschool children. We found six children under two years and seven under four who seemed to be able to produce bodily states which we would have termed orgasmic had they occurred in a grown-up" (as was noted, orgasms were not filmed because parents objected). Masters and Johnson (1966, p. 140) however had offered only speculations on female prepubertal sexual response, most notably by an enigmatic reference to "unpublished data"; the authors never seem to have published retrospective data on first orgasm. In the absence of clinical findings, the notorious 1948 Kinsey data on male infant orgasm were cited for almost half a century without raising many ethical concerns, at least until Judith Reisman's multi-monographic war on Kinseyism (Reisman & Eichel, 1990; Reisman, 1998), which featured a 30-minute 1993 Family Research Council video on the matter (The Children of Table 34). Since, some authors have ventured beyond "early," discussing the existence of fetal orgasm (Brenot & Broussin, 1996; Giorgi & Siccardi, 1996). Also, rare clinical observations of female orgasm at age 6 or 7 were reported in detail by Frenkel (1993, p. 180) who previously reported an anamnestic case (Frenkel, 1991).

First Orgasm

Preparing an extensive cross-cultural review study on cultural aspects of sexual socialization and preadult sexual behavior (Janssen, 2003-6, I, II), I encountered a large number of references to "first", "early", and preadolescent orgasm. These references can be categorized as follows: (1) incidental psychoanalytic observations and ruminations; (2) incidental clinical communications (specifically late 19th century and early 20th century German pediatrics); (3) retrospective numeric data derived from questionnaire-based surveys; (4) few semi-quantitative estimations on the basis of teacher or parent observations (e.g., Gundersen, Melas & Skar, 1977, 1981, p. 56; Schuhrke, 1994, p. 118; Klein, 1993, p. 48); (5) anecdotal qualitative accounts in social scientific publications; (6) incidental autobiographic accounts (e.g. B.F. Skinner, 1976, pp. 64q55); rarely, in (7) ethnographic communications and (8) zoological observations; (2) and (9) one ultrasonographic observation. In an attempt to assess orgasmarche's cultural status (Janssen, 2003, I, pp. 305-360), I encountered secondary mentioning including (10) scholarly references to aforementioned resources (textbooks, articles); quite sporadically, (11) lay sex education coverage; and, very rarely, (12) representations in the cultural domain. (3) Finally, (13) occurrences of early orgasm are unreported in declassified content analyses of child pornography. The psychophysiological aspects of diurnal (daytime, that is, intentional) orgasm do not seem to exclude prepubescent occurrence, although this remains to be analyzed in detail.

Since a meta-review is unavailable, I offer existing data in Tables 1 and 2. In Table 1, a number of studies are listed that offer numeric data on "mean age of first orgasm." It is observed that male masturbatory orgasmarche is usually remembered to occur on average in the 13th life year or later. Four studies (Chilton, 1972; Alzate, 1978; Green, 1985; Bardeleben et al., 1995) offer male-female comparisons from which it appears that female orgasmarche occurred somewhat later (the exception is Green, 1985) but with larger standard deviations (Green, 1985; Chilton, 1972). These allow the timing of a fair proportion of cases before "puberty" according to any definition.

In Table 2 a number of studies are listed that offer further numeric data on early, pre-pubertal and/or pre-ejaculatory orgasm. These results are more difficult to compare due to differences in sampling, data acquisition, cut-off points, age bracketing, and so on. It can be observed that substantial proportions of the used samples indicate that their orgasm occurred "before puberty."

First Ejaculation

In Table 3, studies are reviewed that provide numeric data on "oigarche", meaning age of remembered first ejaculation. This informs the qualification "prepubertal orgasm" since clinical studies may define "male pubescence" as the occasion of oigarche. Interestingly, attitudinal studies on oigarche (Shipman, 1968, pp. 7-8; Levin, 1976; Gaddis & Brooks-Gunn, 1985; Adegoke, 1993, 1992; Desa, 1994; Stein & Reiser, 1994; Frankel, 2002; see also Leite & Buoncompagno, 1995 and Brongersma, 1986, I, pp. 147-155) have largely omitted to differentiate attitudes in terms of ejaculation's orgasmic component. Ejaculation is specified as consequential to a behavioral intervention (e.g., intentional masturbation) in a number of studies. This latter event is usually located on average in the 13th to 15th year of life. However, as is suggested by ethnographic and sociological sources, "ejaculation" is a gradually developing function superimposed on an existing orgasmic capacity. According to Evans-Pritchard (1932),

   Azande [north central Africa] say that in the early stages
   of male puberty the seminal fluid (nzira) does not contain
   souls of children (mbisimo gude) and it is only when
   a boy blossoms into manhood that his semen becomes
   fertile. That the souls of children are connected by a
   simple inference with the presence of spermatozoa in
   the seminal fluid is shown by the statement that the fluid
   becomes fertile when it ceases to have the appearance of
   water and becomes thick and slimy like the yolk of an
   egg [...]. Semen is thought to cause a boy's first ejaculation
   by collecting at the root of the penis and forcing
   its way out. This first ejaculation of semen is somewhat
   painful since the semen 'burns like fire' but afterwards
   the boy ejaculates without difficulty though for a long
   time his seminal fluid is like water. A boy of about
   12-14 years of age is said to have orgasms without emissions;
   from about 14 to 16 his emissions are 'merely like
   urine' and contain no mbisimo gude; at about 17 years
   of age they contain mbisimo gude.

It seems to me that these folk wisdoms go virtually unexamined in American sexology, and rarely make it into sex education books. Eighteenth century European parents, by contrast, probably knew the difference between a boyhood "Leerlaufstadium" (ejaculation without sperm) and a subsequent "Funktionsstadium" (Van Ussel, 1967, I, p. 153; 1970, p. 173). (5) Anecdotal material suggests ejaculation proper is preceded by a transitory period of spontaneous lubrication and "oozing" rather than ejection or iactatio. In masturbatorily active males, then, "first ejaculation" is a trajectory not a milestone.

First Wet Dream

Large scale studies that present data on first nocturnal emissions (Table 4), with one exception do not present data on orgasmarche per se. The study reported by Green (1985) produced data on all three male variables (oigarche, wet dream, masturbatory orgasmarche) which mean figures and standard deviations are rather uniform: 12.78 (1.85), 13.11 (2.08), and 12.87 (2.01), respectively. Correlations of timing where not offered, however.

Data on wet dreams hypothetically inform the notion of "first orgasm" since their cultural status is not that of orgasmarche, yet the hypothesis goes that they do not occur in post-spermarchic adolescents that are sexually (ejaculatorily) active above an unascertained threshold. It is also unverified to what extent wet dream frequency varies over the early life course. In any case the composite question "When did you first have either a wet dream or an ejaculation" might produce a variable less confounded by behavior.

An effect common to nighttime emissions and post-oigarchic masturbation-to-orgasm is the avoidance of teratozoospermia: both are ways to titrate sperm quality so as to optimize it for upcoming copulations (Levin, 1975; Baker & Bellis, 1993). We can extrapolate from this a legitimization for pre-oigarchic masturbation (to orgasm), since it renders likely its post-spermarchic continuance by virtue of habituation.

A wet dream is a more obscure cultural phenomenon than an ejaculation. In an Indonesian study, "52 percent of men did not talk to anyone about wet dreams before having them" (BPS-Statistics Indonesia, 2004, p. 24). In the Chinese experience, 66.2% of male students had heard about wet dreams before their first experience, however "more than half of the students thought that wet dreams need treatment" (Hsu, Liu, & Lin, 1997).

Methodological Concerns

The level of researchability, while estimated "reasonable" for wet dreams at least in terms of willingness to report them (Halpern et al., 2000), is not researched for adolescent daylight orgasms. Even considering wet dreams it was found that of 13- to 15-year old Atlanta males a low 14.3% could "correctly define" them (Hockenberry-Eaton et al., 1996). Even if there exists a certain degree of perceived status involved in (early onset) orgasmic capacity (which is unstudied for peripubescent peer cultures), research results may be troubled by recall difficulties, unfamiliarity, confusion, pathologization, or negative reception of wet dreams. Stein and Reiser (1994, p. 377) reported a 31% initial confusion of first semen with urine (cf. Sugar, 1974). In a Tanzanian study (Leshabari, 1988 as cited by Kopoka, 1999), 10% of boys initially qualified their first ejaculation as injurious. In a recent study by Bosch (2005, p. 197) 33% of Bangladeshi boys indicated to have felt "mainly scared" in immediate reaction to this event.

To some degree this may be due to transitory orgasmophobia. In a rare 1960s study in which people were asked about their first orgasmic experience (Brackbill & Brackbill, 1963), some three quarters of both men and women reported a recalled affect best described by the qualification "bewilderment." More recent quantitative studies do not seem to be available.

Discussion

Udry et al. (1985) reported that nocturnal emissions, masturbation to orgasm, thinking about sex, sexual "turn-on," and coitus were all significantly correlated with a calculated free testosterone index in a nonclinical group of 9th and 10th grade Caucasian boys, while Finkelstein et al. (1998) found that testosterone may cause increases in nocturnal emission. This may not mean that early sexual intentions are mediated by endocrinological status, although it may mean that sexual behavior qualifies as a culturally available option for endocrinologically mediated impulses to act socially. What can we say about this option?

Commenting on adolescence, Siegel and Shaughnessy (1995) observed that American sexual and social "firsts" would be "imbued with an inordinate amount of emotional investment." Boys and girls, then, are more likely to pride themselves on their private "invention" of orgasm, rather than their hormonal dispositions. "Firstness," in any case, is a cultural artifact for two reasons. Given the available data one might argue that while "first orgasm" celebrates a biographical inauguration, it also diagnoses a previously abstinent subject and a prior unconsummated potential (and arguably a cultural project of age-stratifying silence). Secondly, a cultural investment into "first ejaculation" or first orgasm reduces sexual trajectories to their "natural" milestones, which are in fact neuro-endocrinological continua the "entry" into which is interpreted as a "moment" of technological inauguration and ethico-political awareness.

The scarcity of research on early orgasm is a salient finding in contemporary U.S. sexology that experiences obvious problems in studying, contemplating or referencing children as nascent erotic subjects. Pioneer constructionist Gagnon (1977, pp. 83) argued that he could imagine societies in which childhood orgasm is "an activity as important as eating, running, jumping, getting good grades, learning to read and to smile". In contemporary Western society, however, it is commonly argued that "the child has an assortment [in other translations: a flow] of pleasure for which the 'sex' grid is a veritable prison" (Foucault, [1988], p. 117). The proposition hinted at here (a curious one for the late Foucault, it might be added) is that of sex being a monopolistic narrative of the adult aesthetic and its imperialism into what it allows as childhood territory--an aesthetic of "knowing" anticipation, progressive repetition, intelligent delay, consummated climax, and postclimactic contemplation (and might I venture, a sexology career). Is it indeed the case that climactic pleasure ends a proto-erotic Nirvana where, in the musings of Hall, genitalia provide "a sea of knismogenic (knismos = tickling) sensations" which later become "extremely gelogenic (gelos = laughter)" (Hall, 1904, II, p. 95)?

Since the large sex surveys of the 1920s, the concept of a "first" sexual event has been a bleak neutralization of Freudian freely fluctuating ever-present "infantile sexuality". In fact, American sexology is an eventualist science, it observes a "milestone paradigm" which valorizes real events as pristine signifiers in a developmental tale, and "first events" as ultimate ones. For instance, the celebration of a variety of first events has been pivotal in the establishment of the new politicized persona of the homosexual adolescent in the late 1970s and 1980s, a persona that would answer to sequential routines of "identity formation."

The cultural status of children's "entry" into sexual culture informs the behavior-centred, event-centred, and evermore chronocentric politics of this culture. In the U.S., the hegemonic scenario reads: don't do it (the reign of the abstinent-only, the no-touch, and the safe), prevent any event outside of the appropriate (antitraumatic pedagogy, "survivorist" psychology), and timing is everything (one might say a cult of the age-appropriate). Interestingly, in adulthood this plot is effectively subverted by a heavily commercialized, managerialist and anonymous consumer duty (erections, orgasms, "performance," "health"). That is to say, no-orgasm pedagogy and the post-pedagogical imperative of the orgasm are two sides of the eventualist paradigm.

The private is political, as the feminist maxim went. Allow me to close with Paolo Mantegazza who regarded pubertal sexual dreams (the "Angels of the Night") as sublime sex educators, and recommended young readers to settle for their content. In his trilogy on the study of Love, and contra his own recommendations (it seems), he details the anecdote of a farmer's boy, who with a rare fortune had reached the marriageable age without having been informed of the good and the bad. When it finally comes to passions in a dark stable, and to emission, the "powerful boy" ran back to his mother to confess all, in dread that he might be maimed forever.

This research is adapted from materials collected over some years in Janssen (2003-6, I-III). More data than are referenced support this paper. Two full bibliographies are available for inspection on request.

The author wishes to thank Dr. Gudrun Veldre, Dr. Sherry McKibben and Dr. Kerstin S. Fugl-Meyer for their kind correspondence.

References

Adegoke, A. A. (1989). Parental socio-economic status and age of puberty: A study of selected Nigerian adolescents. Nigerian Journal of Counseling & Development, 1, 82-88.

Adegoke, A. A. (1992). Relationship between parental socio-economic status, sex and initial pubertal problems among school-going adolescents in Nigeria. Journal of Adolescence, 15(3), 323-326.

Adegoke, A. A. (1993). The experience of spermarche (the age of onset of sperm emission) among selected adolescent boys in Nigeria. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 22(2), 201-209.

Alzate, H. (1978). Sexual behavior of Colombian university students. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 7(1), 43-54.

Alzate, H. (1984). Sexual behavior of unmarried Columbian university students: A 5-year follow-up. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 13(2), 121-132.

Asayama, S. (1980). Existing state and future trend of sexuality in Japanese students. In R. Forleo & W. Pasini (Eds.), Medical sexology (pp. 114-130). Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Baker, R. R. & Bellis, M. A. (1993). Human sperm competition: Ejaculate adjustment by males and the function of masturbation. Animal Behavior, 46(5), 861-885.

Bardeleben, H., Fieberg, R., & Reimann, W. (1995). Abschied von der sexuellen Revolution. Liebe und Sexualitat der "Nach-68er-Generation." In Zeiten von Aids. Ergebnisse sozialwissenschaftlicher Aidsforschung, Vol. 15, Berlin.

Blanchard, R. & Dickey, R. (1998). Pubertal age in homosexual and heterosexual sexual offenders against children, pubescents, and adults. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 10(4), 273-282.

Bodzsar, E. B. (2000). Studies on sexual maturation of Hungarian children. Acta Biologica Szegediensis, 44(1-4), 155-165.

Bogaert, A. F. (1996). Volunteer bias in human sexuality research: Evidence for both sexuality and personality differences in males. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 25(2), 125-140.

Borneman, E. (1983). Progress in empirical research on children's sexuality. SIECUS Report, 12(2), 1-6. Reprinted. In M. E. Perry (Ed.) (1990), Handbook of sexology, Volume 7 (pp. 201-210). Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Bosch, A. M. (2005). Adolescents' reproductive health in rural Bangladesh." The impact of early childhood nutritional anthropometry. Doctoral Thesis, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, The Netherlands.

BPS-Statistics Indonesia (2004). Jayapura City young adult reproductive health survey 2002-2003. Retrieved September 22, 2005, from http://pdf.dec.org/pdf_docs/PNADD831.pdf

Brackbill, G. A. & Brackbill, Y. (1963). Some reactions to first remembered sexual climax. In M. DeMartino (Ed.), Sexual behavior and personality characteristics (pp. 227-233). New York: Grove Press.

Braestrup, A. (1960). [Oigarche]. Ugeskrift for Laeger, 122, 440-442.

Braestrup, A. (1961). Oigarche. In: Psychological and social aspects of family planning. Proceedings, 2nd Conference of the International Planned Parenthood Federation Region for Europe, Near East and Africa, the Hague, 11-17 May, 1960 (pp. 123-124). Amsterdam, London, Milan, New York: Excerpta Medica. (International Congress Series No. 46).

Brenot, P. & Broussin, B. (1996). Orgasme in utero? Sexologies, 5(21), 15-16.

Brongersma, E. (1986). Loving boys, Volume 1. Elmhurst: Global Academic Publishers.

Califia, P. (1979). Lesbian sexuality. Journal of Homosexuality, 4(3), 255-266.

Campbell, B. C., Prossinger, H., & Mbzivo, M. (2005). Tinting of pubertal maturation and the onset of sexual behavior among Zimbabwe school boys. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 34(5), 505-516.

Carlier, J. G. & Steeno, O. P. (1985). Oigarche: The age at first ejaculation. Andrologia, 17(1), 104-106.

Charite-Studie zum weiblichen Sexualerleben. Charite Universitatsmedizin Berlin online press release, November 2004.

Chilman, C. S. (1966). Dating, courtship, and engagement behavior of married, compared to single, undergraduates, with an analysis of early-marrying and late-marrying students. The Family Life Coordinator, 15(3), 112-118.

Chilton, B. (1972). Psychosexual development in twins. Journal of Biosocial Science, 4(3), 277-286.

Chirinos, J. L., Salazar, V. C., & Brindis, C. D. (2000). A profile of sexually active male adolescent high school students in Lima, Peru. Cad Saude Publica, 16(3), 733-746.

D'Augelli, A. R., Grossman, A. H., & Starks, M. T. (in press). Gender atypicality and sexual orientation development among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth: Prevalence, sex differences, and parental responses. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy.

Davidson, J. K. & Darling, C. A. (1988). The sexually experienced woman: Multiple sex partners and sexual satisfaction. Journal of Sex Research, 24, 141-154.

Davidson, J. K., Darling, C. A., & Conway-Welch, C. (1989). The role of the Grafenberg spot and female ejaculation in the female orgasmic response: An empirical analysis. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 15(2), 102-120.

Davis, K. B. (1924/5). A study of certain autoerotic practices [part I & II]. Mental Hygiene, 8, 668-723; 9, 28-59.

Davis, K. B. (1929). Factors in the sex life of 2200 women. New York/London: Harper & Brothers.

Desa, A. (1994). [The study of maturational knowledge and experiences in adolescent boys]. Jurnal Pendidikan [Malaysia] 19, 3-7.

Dessens, A. B., Smolders-de Haas, H., & Koppe, J. G. (2000). Twenty-year follow-up of antenatal corticosteroid treatment. Pediatrics, 105(6), e77.

Downs, A. C. & Fuller, M. J. (1991). Recollections of spermarche: An exploratory investigation. Current Psychology, 10(1/2), 93-102.

Edgardh, K. (2002). Sexual behaviour and early coitarche in a national sample of 17-year-old Swedish boys. Acta Paediatrica, 91(9), 985-991.

Eichner, K. & Habermehl, W. (1978). Der Ralf Report. Das Sexualverhalten der Deutsehen. Hamburg: Hoffman & Campe.

Evans-Pritchard, E. E. (1932). Heredity and gestation, as the Azande see them. Sociologus, 8(4), 400-414.

Finkelstein, J. W., Susman, E. J., Chinchilli, V. M., D'Arcangelo, M. R., Kunselman, S. J., Schwab, J., Demers, L. M., Liben, L. S., & Kulin, H. E. (1998) Effects of estrogen or testosterone on self-reported sexual responses and behaviors in hypogonadal adolescents. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 83(7), 2281-2285

Forman, D., Pike, M. C., Davey, G., Dawson, S., Baker, K., Chilvers, C. E. D., Oliver, R. T. D., & Coupland, C. A. C. (1994). Aetiology of testicular cancer: Association with congenital abnormalities, age at puberty, infertility, and exercise. British Medical Journal, 308, 1393-1399.

Foucault, M. (1988). Power and sex. In L. D. Kritzman (Ed.), Politics, philosophy, culture: Interviews and other writings, 1977-1984 (pp. 110-124). London: Routledge.

Fox, R. (1993). Male masturbation and female orgasm. Society, 30(6), 21-25.

Fox, R. (2004). Participant observer: Memoir of a transatlantic life. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

Frankel, L. (2002). "I've never thought about it": Contradictions and taboos surrounding American males experiences of first ejaculation (semenarche). Journal of Men's Studies, 11(1), 37-54.

Frenkel, R. S. (1991). Termination in the analysis of an adolescent girl. In A. Schmukler (Ed.), Saying goodbye (pp. 211-229). Hillsdale: Analytic Press.

Frenkel, R. S. (1993). Problems in female development: Comments of the analysis of an early latency-aged girl. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 48, 171-192.

Friedman, R. C. (1988). Male homosexuality: A contemporary psychoanalytic perspective. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Friedman, R. C. & Stern, L. O. (1980). Fathers, sons, and sexual orientation: Replication of a Bieber hypothesis. Psychiatric Quarterly, 52(3), 175-189.

Fugl-Meyer, K. S., Oberg, K., Lundberg, P. O., Lewin, B., & Fugl-Meyer, A. (2006). On orgasm, sexual techniques, and erotic perceptions in 18- to 74-year-old Swedish women. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 3(1), 56-68.

Gaddis, A. & Brooks-Gunn, J. (1985). The male experience of pubertal change. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 14(1), 61-69.

Gagnon, J. H. (1977). Human sexualities. Glenview, Ill. Scott, Foresman.

Garcia-Baltazar, J., Figueroa-Perea, J. G., Reyes-Zapata, H., Brindis, C., & Perez-Palacios, G. (1993). Caracteristicas reproductivas de adolescentes y jovenes en la Ciudad de Mexico. Salud Publica de Mexico, 35(6), 682-691. Erratum: 36(1), 125.

Gates, K. L. (2001). Report of basic research project #110. Submitted to the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality San Francisco, California. Retrieved September 22, 2005, from http://www.deviantdesires.com/brp.html

Gebhard, P. H., Gagnon, J. H., Pomeroy, W. B., & Christenson, C. V. (1965). Sex offenders: An analysis of types. New York: Harper & Row. Bantam ed., 1967.

Gebhard, P. H. & Johnson, A. B. (1979/1998). The Kinsey data: Marginal tabulations of the 1938-1963 interviews conducted by the Kinsey Institute for Sex Research. Philadelphia/London: Saunders.

Giorgi, G. & Siccardi, M. (1996). Ultrasonographic observation of a female fetus' sexual behavior in utero. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 175(3), 753.

Green, R. (1985). Experiental factors childhood and adolescent sexual behavior: Family interaction and previous sexual experiences. Journal of Sex Research, 21(2), 157-182.

Gundersen, B., Melas, P., & Skar, J. (1981). Sexual behavior in preschool children: Teachers' observations. In L. Constantine & F. Martinson (Eds.), Children and sex: New findings, new perspectives (pp. 45-61). Boston: Little, Brown & Co.

Gundersen, B. & Skar, J. (1977). Der seksuelle utvikling fra f dsel til 3 ars alderen belyst gjennom intervju med foreldre og dagheimspersonell. Research report, Dept. of Somatic Personality Psychology, University of Bergen.

Hall, G. S. (1904). Adolescence, its psychology and its relations to physiology anthropology, sociology, sex, crime, religion, and education. New York: D. Appleton.

Halpern, C. T., Udry, J. R., Suchindran, C., & Campbell, B. C. (2000). Adolescent males' willingness to report masturbation. Journal of Sex Research, 37(4), 327 332.

Hamilton, G. V. (1929). A research in marriage. New York: Boni.

Hanby, J. P. (1977). Social factors affecting primate reproduction. In J. Money & H. Musaph (Eds.), Handbook of sexology (pp. 461484). Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Hertoft, P. (1970). Das Sexuelle Verhalten junger Danen. In M. Bergstrom-Walan et al. (Eds.), Modellfall Scandinavien? Sexualitdt und Sexualpolitik in Danemark und Schweden (pp. 61-69). Reinbek: Rowohlt.

Hite, S. (1981). The Hite report on male sexuality. New York: Knopf.

Hite, S. (1994). The Hite report on the family: Growing up under patriarchy. London: Bloomsbury.

Hockenberry-Eaton, M., Richman, M. J., DiIorio, C., Rivero, T., & Maibach, E. (1996). Mother and adolescent knowledge of sexual development: The effects of gender, age, and sexual experience. Adolescence, 31(121), 35-47.

Hsu, H. Y., Liu, C. A., & Lin, Y. C. (1997). [An exploration of sexual knowledge, attitudes and behavior in aboriginal elementary school students in the Ping-Tung area]. Hu Li Za Zhi, 44(2), 38-50.

Jackinworld (1997). "Survey 3." Online results, retrieved September 22, 2005, from http://www.jackinworld.com/library/surveys/ survey3.html

Jackinworld (1998). "Puberty survey." Online results, retrieved September 22, 2005, from http://www.jackinworld.com/library/ surveys/pub.html

Janczewski, Z. & Bablok, L. (1985). Semen characteristics in pubertal boys. I. Semen quality after first ejaculation. Archives of Andrology, 15(2-3), 199-205.

Janssen, D. F. (2003-6). Growing up sexually. Volume I. World reference atlas. Volume II. The sexual curriculum. Volume III. Bibliographies. Berlin: Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology.

Janssen, D. F. (forthcoming). The Body as (in) Curriculum: On Wars, Complexes and Rides. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 15(1).

Ji, C. (2001). Age at spermarche and comparison of growth and performance of pre- and post-spermarcheal Chinese boys. American Journal of Human Biology, 13(1), 35-43.

Kaiser, J. & Gruzelier, J. H. (1999). The Adolescence Scale (ASICSM)--A tool for the retrospective assessment of puberty milestones. Acta Paediatrica, 88, Suppl. 429, 64-68.

Kaplan, M. S. & Green, A. (1995). Incarcerated female sexual offender: A comparison of sexual histories with eleven female nonsexual offenders. Sexual Abuse, 7(4), 287-300.

Kim, K. & Smith, P. K. (1998). Retrospective survey of parental marital relations and child reproductive development. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 22(4), 729-751.

Kim, K. & Smith, P. K. (1999). Family relations in early childhood and reproductive development. Journal of Reproductive & Infant Psychology, 17(2), 133-148.

Kinsey, A. C., Pomeroy, W. B., & Martin, C. E. (1948/1998). Sexual behavior in the human male. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders.

Kinsey, A. C., Pomeroy, W. B., Martin, C. E., & Gebhard, P. H. (1953/1998). Sexual behavior in the human female. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders.

Klausner, S. Z. (1961a). Sex life in Islam. In A. Ellis & A. Abarbanel (Eds.), The encyclopaedia of sexual behavior, volume 1 (pp. 545-557). London: W. Heinemann.

Klausner, S. Z. (1961b). Sex life in Israel. In A. Ellis & A. Abarbanel (Eds.), The encyclopaedia of sexual behavior, volume 1 (pp. 558-567). London: W. Heinemann.

Klausner, S. Z. (1964). Inherential visibility and sex norms in the Middle East. Journal of Social Psychology, 63, 1-29. Reprinted in B. Lieberman (Ed.) (1971). Human sexual behavior: A book of readings (pp. 300-322). New York: J. Wiley & Sons.

Klein, M. (1993). Masturbation im Kindesalter. In K. Bach, H. Stumpe, & K. Weller, (Eds.), Kindheit und Sexualitat (pp. 46-49). Braunschweig: GJ Holtzmeyer.

Kleinsorge, H. & Klumbies, G. (1959). Selbstbefriedigung. In Psychotherapie in Klinik & Praxis (pp. 168-174). Munchen [etc.]: Urban & Schwarzenberg.

Kluge, N. (2006). Fruhpubertat im Verstandnis des "sakularen Trends": Kennzeichen, Tatbestande, Ursachen, auffallige Verhaltensweisen. Beitrage zur Sexualwissenschaft und Sexualpadagogik. Online data.

Knoth, R., Boyd, K., & Singer, B. (1988). Empirical tests of sexual selection theory: Predictions of sex differences in onset, intensity, and time course of sexual arousal. Journal of Sex Research, 24, 73-89.

Koivusilta, L. & Rimpele, A. (2004). Pubertal timing and educational careers: A longitudinal study. Annals of Human Biology, 31(4), 446-465.

Kopoka, P. A. (1999). Final report. Literature review on adolescent reproductive health studies conducted in Tanzania 1988-1998. Health unit, Ministry of Health.

Kromer, I. (1999). Vom Anbandeln, Schmusen und Miteinanderschlafen: Jugendsexualitat in den 90er Jahren. Vienna: Bundesministerium fur Soziale Sicherheit und Generationen.

Lam, T. H., Shi, H. J., Ho, L. M., Stewart, S. M., & Fan, S. (2002). Timing of pubertal maturation and heterosexual behavior among Hong Kong Chinese adolescents. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31(4), 359-366.

Langfeldt, Th. (1990). Early childhood and juvenile sexuality, development and problems. In M. E. Perry (Ed.), Handbook of sexology, Volume 7 (pp. 179-200). Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Laron, Z., Arad, J., Gurewitz, R., Grunebaum, M., & Dickerman, Z. (1980). Age at first conscious ejaculation: A milestone in male puberty. Helvetica Paediatrica Acta, 35(1), 13-20.

Larsson, I. & Svedin, C. G. (2002). Sexual experiences in childhood: Young adults' recollections. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31(3), 263-273.

Laukkanen, E., Korhonen, V., Peiponen, S., Nuutinen, M., & Viinamaki, H. (2001). A pessimistic attitude towards the future and low psychosocial functioning predict psychiatric diagnosis among treatment-seeking adolescents. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 35(2), 160-165.

Leite, R. M. & Buoncompagno, E. M. (1995). Psychosexual characteristics of male university students in Brazil. Adolescence, 30(118), 363-380.

Leshabari, M. T. (1988). Factors influencing school-adolescent fertility behaviour in Dares Salaam, Tanzania. Thesis, Johns Hopkins University Baltimore.

Letourneau, E. J. & O'Donohue, W. (1997). Classical conditioning of female sexual arousal. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 26(1), 63-78.

Levin, R. J. (1975). Masturbation and nocturnal emissions-possible mechanisms for minimising teratozoospermie and hyperpermie in man. Medical Hypotheses, 1(3), 130-131.

Levin, R. J. (1976). Thorarche- a seasonal influence but no secular trend. Journal of Sex Research, 12(3), 173-179.

Liu, D., Ng, M. L., Zhou, L. P., & Haeberle, E. J. (1997). Sexual behavior in modern china: Report on the nation-wide survey of 20 000 men and women. New York: Continuum.

Lopez Sanchez, F. (2001). Intervencion en la sexualidad infantil y adolescente. Boletin de la Sociedad de Pediatria de Asturias, Cantabria, Castilla & Leon, 41(177), 275-289.

Lopez Sanchez, F., del Campo, A., & Guijo, V. (n.d.). Prepuberal sexuality. Page-numbered draft received from author, November 14, 2002.

Manosevitz, M. (1972). The development of male homosexuality. Journal of Sex Research, 8, 31-40.

Martinson, F. M. (1994). The sexual life of the child. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey.

Masters, W. H. & Johnson, V. E. (1966). Human sexual response. Boston, Mass: Little, Brown & Co.

McKibben, S. (2005). Sex and biology: Puberty and first sexual experience of males and females in China. Paper presented at International Sociological Association (ISA) Symposium on Inequalities in Population, Malta, September 15-16, 2005.

Meyer, J. (1996). Sexuality and power: Perspectives for the less powerful. Theory & Psychology, 6(1), 93-119.

Money, J. (1996). Sexology of ictal masturbation in infancy. Sexual & Marital Therapy, 22(4), 280-283.

Moore, L. J. (2003). 'Billy, the sad sperm with no tail': Representations of sperm in children's books. Sexualities, 6(3/4), 277-300.

Nunez-Rivas, H., Elizondo-Urena, A., Monge-Rojas, R. et al. (2002). Caracteristicas reproductivas de adolescentes costarricenses de area urbana marginal. Boletin Medico del Hospital Infantil de Mexico, 59(10), 633-644.

O'Malley, A. B. (2003). Correlates of sexual orientation. McNair Scholarly Review, 8, 120-136.

Owens, N. (1973). The development of behavior in free-living Baboons, Papio Anubis. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Cambridge.

Q Tip Questionnaire (2001). Online results, formerly available from http://www.q-tip.cwc.net/archives.htm

Rademakers, J. (2000). Het kind als subject: De seksuele ontwikkeling van kinderen (0-12). Tijdschrift voor Seksuologie, 24(1), 17-23.

Rademakers, J., Laan, M., & Straver, C. J. (2000). Studying children's sexuality from the child's perspective. Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality, 12(1/2), 49-60.

Ramsey, G. V. (1943). The sexual development of boys. American Journal of Psychology, 56(1), 217-221.

Ramsey, G. V. (1950). Sexual growth of Negro and white boys. Human Biology, 22(2), 146-149.

Reisman, J. A. (1998). Kinsey: Crimes & consequences. Arlington, VA: Institute for Media Education.

Reisman, J. A. & Eichel, E. W. (1990). Kinsey, sex and fraud: The indoctrination of a people. Lafayette, Louisiana: Lochinvar-Huntington House Publishers.

Reiss, M. J. (1998). The representation of human sexuality in science textbooks for 14-16 year-olds. Research in Science & Technological Education, 16, 137-149.

Rengifo, J. F. V. (2003). Caracteristicas del espermograma y determinacion de los niveles sdricos de gonadotrofinas al inicio de la espermatogenesis humana en una poblacion de adoleseentes de la ciudad de Barranquilla, Colombia 1999-2000. Doctoral thesis, Universidad Autonoma De Barcelona.

Rennert, H. (1967). Die geschlechtlige Entwicklung der heutigen Jugend am Beispiel unserer Medizinstudenten. In H. Schwarz (Ed.), Jugendprobleme in padagogischer, medizinischer und juridischer Sicht (pp. 83-96). Jena: Fischer.

Ryan, G. (2000). Childhood sexuality: A decade of study. Part I--research and curriculum development. Child Abuse & Neglect, 24(1), 33-48.

Ryan, G., Miyoshi, T., & Krugman, R. (1988). Early childhood experience of professionals working in child abuse. Seventeenth Annual Symposium on Child Abuse and Neglect, Keystone, CO.

Savin-Williams, R. C. (1995). An exploratory study of pubertal maturation timing and self-esteem among gay and bisexual male youths. Developmental Psychology, 31(1), 56-64.

Schover, L. R. & Jensen, S. B. (1988). Sexuality and chronic illness. New York: Guilford Press.

Schuhrke, B. (1994). Genitalentdecken im zweiten Lebensjahr. Zeitschrift fur Sexualforsehung, 10(2), 106-126.

Sharma, J. C. (1983). The genetic contribution to pubertal growth and development studied by longitudinal growth data on twins. Annals of Human Biology, 10(2), 163-171.

Shipman, G. (1968). The psychodynamics of sex education. Family Coordinator, 17, 3-12.

Siegel, J. & Shaughnessy, M. F. (1995). There's a first time for everything: Understanding adolescence. Adolescence, 30(117), 217-221.

Singh, D., Meyer, W., Zambarano, R. J., & Hurlbert, D. F. (1998). Frequency and timing of coital orgasm in women desirous of becoming pregnant. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 27(1), 15-30.

Skinner, B. F. (1976). Particulars of my life. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Stein, J. H. & Reiser, L. Wh. (1994). A study of white middle-class adolescent boys' responses to "semenarche" (the first ejaculation). Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 23(3), 373-384.

Stephan, W. (1973). Parental relationships and early social experiences of activist male homosexuals and male heterosexuals. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 82(3), 506-513.

Strom, B. L., Schinnar, R., Ziegler, E. E., Bamhart, K. T., Sammel, M. D., Stallings, V. A., Drulis, J. M., Nelson, S. E., & Hanson, S. A. (2001). Exposure to soy-based formula in infancy and endocrinological and reproductive outcomes in young adulthood. JAMA, 286(19), 2402-2403.

Sugar, M. (1974). Adolescent confusion of nocturnal emissions as enuresis. Adolescent Psychiatry, 3, 168-185.

Survey Assessment of Vietnamese Youth (2005). Full online report, retrieved September 22, 2005, from http://www.unicef.org/ vietnam/media_2383.html

Traumatic Masturbatory Syndrome "Male Survey" (2002). Online results, retrieved September 22, 2005, from http://www. healthystrokes.com/surveyresults.html

Udry, J. R., Billy, J. O., Morris, N. M., Groff, T. R., & Raj, M. H. (1985). Serum androgenic hormones motivate sexual behavior in adolescent boys. Fertility & Sterility, 43(1), 90-94.

Van Ussel, J. M. W. (1967). Sociogenese en evolutie van het probleem der seksuele propaedeuse tussen de 16de en de 18de eeuw, vooral in Frankrijk en Duitsland. Bijdrage tot de studie van de burgerlijke seksuele moraal. Dissertation, Gent.

Van Ussel, J. M. W. (1970). Geschiedenis van het seksuele probleem. Meppel: Boom.

Van Wyk, P. H. & Geist, Ch. S. (1984). Psychosocial development of heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual behavior. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 13(6), 505-544.

Vassilchenko, G. S. (1980). Age aspects of the male sexual activity. Journal of Sex Education & Therapy, 6, 11-13.

Veldre, G. & Jurimae, T. (2004). Anthropometric parameters and sexual maturation in 12- to 15-year-old Estonian boys. Anthropologischer Anzeiger, 62(2), 203-215.

Vogel, S. G. (1786). Unterricht fur Eltern, Erzieher und Kinderaufseher. wie das unglaublich gemeine Laster der zerstorenden Selbstbefleckung am sichersten zu entdecken, zu verhuten & zu heilen. Stendal.

Von Sydow, K. (1996). Female sexuality and historical time: A comparison of sexual biographies of German women born between 1895 and 1936. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 25(5), 473-493.

Weller, K. (1993). Zur sexuellen Entwicklung im Kindes- und Jugendalter, Ergebnisse der Studie PARTNER III. In K. Bach, H. Stumpe & K. Weller (Eds.), Kindheit und Sexualitat (pp. 60-72). Braunschweig: GJ Holtzmeyer.

Westling, A. (1952). [The age of Finnish students at the first ejaculation as a basis for the estimation of the age of puberty]. Duodecim Suppl. 68(1), 3748; 68(2), 119-122.

Westling, A. (1954). On the correlation of the consumption of alcoholic drinks with some sexual phenomenon of Finnish male students. International Journal of Sexology, 7, 109-115.

Weinberg, M. S. & Williams, C. J. (1980). Sexual embourgeoisement? Social class and sexual activity: 1938-1970. American Sociological Review, 45(1), 33-48.

Yan, H., Dibley, M. J., D'Este, K., & Hou, R. (1999). The National Survey on the constitution and health of Chinese students in 1995: Nutritional status of school students aged 10-17 years in Shaanxi, China. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 8(2), 121-128.

Yankowski, J. S. (1965). The Yankowski report on premarital sex. Los Angeles: Holloway House.

Zabin, L. S., Smith, E. A., Hirsch, M. B., & Hardy, J. B. (1986). Ages of physical maturation and first intercourse in black teenage males and females. Demography, 23(4), 595-605.

Zentralinstituts fur Jugendforschung, Leipzig (1979/80). Partner II. Codebook. Retrieved September 22, 2005, from http:// www.za.uni-koeln.de/data/ddr-nbl/codebuch/6145cb.pdf

Zentralinstituts fur Jugendforschung, Leipzig (1990a). Partner III. Studenten. Codebook. Retrieved September 22, 2005, from http:// www.za.uni-koeln.de/data/ddr-nbl/codebuch/6147cb.pdf

Zentralinstituts fur Jugendforschung, Leipzig (1990b). Partner III. Supplementary studies: homosexual men. Codebook. Retrieved September 22, 2005, from http://www.za.uni-koeln.de/data/ddrnbl/codebuch/6057cb.zip

Zentralinstituts fur Jugendforschung, Leipzig (1990c). Partner III. Employed people. Codebook. Retrieved September 22, 2005, from http://www.za.uni-koeln.de/data/ddr-nbl/codebuch/ 6142cb.pdf

Zentralinstituts fur Jugendforschung, Leipzig (1990d). Partner III. Lehrlinge. Codebook. Retrieved September 22, 2005, from http://www.za.uni-koeln.de/data/ddr-nbl/codebuch/6146cb.pdf

Zentralinstituts fur Jugendforschung, Leipzig (1990e). Partner III. Supplementary studies: Soviet Union students. Codebook. Retrieved September 22, 2005, from http://www.za. uni-koeln.de/data/ddr-nbl/codebuch/6141cb.pdf

Diederik F. Janssen

Independent researcher, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Correspondence should be addressed to Diederik F. Janssen, Independent researcher, Berg & Dalseweg 209 k60, Nijmegen 6522BK, The Netherlands. E-mail: [e-mail]

Notes

(1) Full bibliographies on these issues are maintained in Janssen (2003, III).

(2) Examples include Scott Heim's 1995 novel, Mysterious Skin, and the 2004 movie by the same name, and the 1998 movie Happiness.

(3) As for the comparative record, little appears to be known about non human orgasmarche. However an orgasmic (dry) pattern was noted in infant anubis baboons (Owens, 1973 as cited by Hanby, 1977, p. 466).

(4) In his 2004 Memoir professor Robin Fox insists that "The adult female orgasm is the homologue of the pre-pubertal male masturbatory orgasm."

(5) Clinical research points out that "azoospermia dominates until the fifth month after the first ejaculation, oligozoospermia from the sixth to the eleventh month, asthenozoospermia from the twelfth to the twentieth month, and normospermia from the twenty-first month" (Janczewski & Bablok, 1985).

Table 1. Orgasmarche: Mean Age

Country            References

[indeterminable]   Gates (2001)

                   Jackinworld (1997)
                   TMS Male Survey (2002)

Canada             Bogaert (1996, p. 135)

Colombia           Alzate (1978)
                   Alzate (1984)

Denmark            Schover & Jensen (1988, p. 47)

Germany            Bardeleben et al. (1995) as cited in Kromer
                     (1999, p. 14)
                   Charite (2004)

Germany [DDR]      Zentralinstituts fur Jugendforschung
                     (1979/80)

Germany [DDR]      Zentralinstituts fur Jugendforschung (1990a)

                   Zentralinstituts fur Jugendforschung (1990b)
                   Zentralinstituts fur Jugendforschung (1990c)
                   Zentralinstituts fur Jugendforschung
                     (1990d)/Weller (1993)

Iraq               Klausner (1961a)

Israel             Klausner (1961b)

Soviet Union       Zentralinstituts fur Jugendforschung (1990e)

U.S.               Califia (1979, p. 258)
                   Chilton (1972)
                   Davidson et al. (1988, 1989)
                   Friedman & Stern (1980, p. 180); Friedman
                     (1988, p. 196)

                   Green (1985, p. 172)
                   Kaplan & Green (1995, p. 294)

                   Letoumeau & O'Donohue (1997, p. 71)
                   Savin--Williams (1995)

                   Singh et al. (1998, p. 22)
                   Stephan (1973, p. 511)

                            Mean Age in Years (SD)

Country                 Males                    Females

[indeterminable]   12.59                         --

                   12.8                          --
                   12.2                          --

Canada             16.2 (l.7)                    --

Colombia           14.1                          17.0
                   --                            18.1

Denmark            --                            16 vs. 21
                                                 vs. 23

Germany            15.1                          17.0

                   --                            16

Germany [DDR]                        15.657 (2.191)

Germany [DDR]                                    **

                                     13.366 (2.643)
                                     16.80 (3.24)
                                     15.026 (1.652)

Iraq               --                            14.18

Israel             --                            12.87

Soviet Union                              **

U.S.               --                            16.5
                   13.6 (0.56)                   14.4 (0.85)
                   --                            16.8 ***
                   12.3 vs. 12.0                 --

                   12.87 (2.01)                  12.25 (3.12)
                   --                        16.3 vs. 13.9

                   --                            16
                   12.6 (l.4)                    --

                   --                            21.9 (4.9)
                   12.56 vs. 13.57               --
                   (p <.01)

                   Specifications and Additional
Country                     Findings

[indeterminable]   Masturbatory

                   Masturbatory
                   Masturbatory

Canada             "First orgasm with a partner"

Colombia           --
                   --

Denmark            --

Germany            --
                   --

Germany [DDR]      Specific data available on
                     ability to remember; mode of
                     actualization, cumulative
                     from age 10

Germany [DDR]      specific data available on
                     ability to remember; mode of
                     actualization, cumulative
                     from age 10

Iraq               --

Israel             --

Soviet Union       Accumulative % from age 10

U.S.               --
                   --
                   --
                   25 masturbatory, 3 nocturnal
                     emission, 6 mutual mastur
                     bation; range = 11--14y

                   Masturbatory
                   --

                   -- ***
                   71 % masturbatory, most others
                     nocturnal
                   --
                   Cause attribution specified

Country                      Sample

[indeterminable]   Self--selecting Caucasian balloon fetishists
                     (online survey), 15-70y; N = 171
                   Self--selecting respondents (online survey)
                   Self--selecting respondents (online survey);
                     N = 119
Canada             Undergraduate students

Colombia           University students
                   University students

Denmark            Cohorts of women, 22y vs. 40y vs. 70y

Germany            Students, 14-24y

                   17-71y, mean age 30y; N = 575
                   Students *

Germany [DDR]

Germany [DDR]      Academic students

                   Homosexual men
                   Working people <44y
                   High school and academic students

Iraq               Adults

Israel             Adults

Soviet Union       Academic students

U.S.               Lesbians. N = 286, 7 nonorgasmic
                   Monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twins
                   Nurses, N = 753
                   Homosexuals vs. heterosexuals, N = 34

                   Undergraduate students, N= 1.073
                   Incarcerated female sex offenders vs.
                     controls, N = 9 +11
                   18-40y; N = 25
                   Gay and bisexual youths, 17--23y
                     (M = 20.9y); N = 83
                   Nurses, 23--50y; N = 69
                   Young activist homosexuals vs. heterosexual
                     controls; N = 88 vs. 105

* Male orgasmarche and ejacularche seem equated.

** An idiosyncratic scale was used.

*** Age for orgasmarche in coitu = 23.0.

**** Mean age of first masturbation = 9.

Table 2. Orgasm: Early, Prepubertal and Pre--Ejaculatory

Country             References

[indeterminable]   Jackinworld (1998)
                   Q-Tip (2001)

Denmark            Hertoft (1970, p. 79)

Germany            Eichner & Habermehl (1978, p. 58, 203)

                   Rennert (1967, p. 94)

                   Von Sydow (1996, p. 479)

Iraq               Klausner (1961a)

                   Klausner (1964)

Israel             Klausner (1961b)

Norway             Langfeldt (1990, p. 184)

Spain              Lopez, del Campo, & Guijo, (n.d.,
                     pp. 20, 32).
                     Cf. Lopez Sdnchez (2001, pp. 276, 279)

Sweden             Fugl-Meyer et al. (2006, p. 60)
                   Larsson & Svedin (2002)

U. S.              Davis (1925; 1929, pp. 114--115)
                   Fox (1993) (4)
                   Gebhard et al. (1965)
                   Hamilton (1929)
                   Hite (1981)
                   Hite (1994)
                   Kinsey et al. (1948). Cf. Gebhard &
                     Johnson (1979, Tables 129, 152, 131,
                     133, 139, 150
                   Kinsey et al. (1953)
                   Ryan et al. (1988) as reported by Ryan
                     (2000, p. 38)
                   Van Wyk & Geist (1984)
                   Yankowski (1965, pp. 64--65)

UK, Wales          Forman et al. (1994)

Country                Males          Females

[indeterminable]       45.7             --
                                        49

Denmark                                  1

Germany                  2               2

                        --          Not offered

                        --           (graphic)

Iraq                    2.4            10.5

                    Not offered     Not offered

Israel                 9.1 *           10.5

Norway                                  10

Spain                  18.0             5.4

Sweden                  --               9
                   6.3 vs. 42.5    7.0 vs. 20.4

U. S.                   --             17.7
                      82 (!)            --
                      [25-62]           --
                                        14
                        36              --
                        --              60
                       26.6             --

                        --               9
                        50              50

                        25              10
                   3.5 vs. 77.5      0.5 vs. 9

UK, Wales          16.2 vs. 13.9        --

Country                     Relative Timing

[indeterminable]   Before ejaculation
                   Before age 12

Denmark            Before age 13

Germany            Before age 13 (males); before age
                     14 (females)

                   Acumulative %, plotted against
                   Kinsey data

                   Cumulative % of 4 cohorts,
                     median

Iraq               Before age 12

                   Cumulative % from age 11

Israel             Before age 13

Norway             Before age 11

Spain              Before puberty

Sweden             "Before teens"
                   Before age 11 vs. 11-12

U. S.              Before age 11y
                   Before puberty
                   Before puberty
                   Before age 13
                   Before ejaculation
                   Before age 12
                   Before age 12

                   Before age 12
                   Before age 13

                   Before puberty
                   Before age 11 vs. ages 11-13

UK, Wales          Before age 13

Country            Definitions and Additional Findings

[indeterminable]

Denmark            Petting with orgasm

Germany            Orgasmarche in coitu

                   "masturbarche with orgasm"

Iraq               "Spontaneous." Petting to orgasm: none
                    at 11y, 2.4% (males) at 12y; and 5.2%
                    (females) at 11y, with linear increases
                    till 16y

                   "Spontaneous": 9.8% age 11y and 12.2%
                    age 12y in active males; 5.2% and
                    10.5%, resp., for females

Israel             "Spontaneous." (0% at 11y); petting to
                    orgasm: 0% at age 12y

Norway             Children 4-10y, masturbation to orgasm;
                   estimation from interviews

Spain

Sweden
                   Masturbatory

U. S.

                   Masturbatory

UK, Wales          Masturbatory. At age 13: 20.9 vs. 18.7
                    (tumor vs. controls)

* Unclear whether this applies to ejaculation or first orgasm.

Table 3. Oigarche: Mean and Median Age

Country               References

Belgium           Carlier & Steeno (1985)

Canada            Kim & Smith (1998)

China             Ji (2001)

                  Liu et al. (1997)

Colombia          Rengifo (2003, p. 7)

Denmark           Braestrup (1960, 1961)

Estonia           Veldre & Jurimae (2004)

Finland           Laukkanen et al. (2001)
                  Koivusilta & Rimpele (2004)

                  Westling (1952, 1954)

Germany           Kleinsorge & Klumbies (1959)
                  EMNID cit. Kluge (2006)

Hungary           Bodzsar & Papai (1989) as cited by
                    Bod zsar (2000)
                  Bodzsdr & Papai (1994) as cited by
                    Bod zsar (2000)
                  Bodzsar & Pdpai (1994) and Papai (1992)
                    as cited by Bodzsar (2000)
                  Dezso (1965) as cited by Bodzsar (2000)
                  Eiben et al. (1992) as cited by Bodzsdr
                    (2000)
                  Eiben & Panto (1984) as cited by
                    Bodzsar (2000)

India             Sharma (1983)

Iraq              Klausner (1961a)

Israel            Laron et al. (1980)

                  Hirsch et al. (1979) as cited by
                    Bosch (2005)
                  Klausner (1961b)

Japan             Asayama (1980, p. 116)

Mexico            Garcia-Baltazar et al. (1993)

The Netherlands   Dessens et al. (2000)

Nigeria           Adegoke (1993, p. 207)

Peru              Chirinos, Salazar & Brindis 2000)

Russia            Vassilchenko (1980, p. 11)

Sweden            Edgardh (2002)

U.S.              Strom et al. (2001)

                  Chilton (1972)
                  Manosevitz (1972)
                  Gaddis & Brooks-Gunn (1985)

                  Knoth, Boyd & Singer (1988)
                  O'Malley (2003)

                  Blanchard & Dickey (1998, p. 277)

                  D'Augelli, Grossman & Starks (in press)

                  Downs & Fuller (1991)

                  Frankel (2002)

                  Green (1985, p. 171)

                  Kinsey et al. (1948, p. 184)
                  Ramsey (1943, p. 232; 1950, p. 149)

                  Stein & Reiser (1994)

                  TAGI (1997, pp. 1-2) as cited by
                    Bosch (2005)

UK                Kim & Smith (1999)
                  Levin (1976, p. 178)

                    Age in Years/Months [+ or -] SEM (SD) *

Country                  Mean                     Median

Belgium           13y 2m

Canada            13y 8m (19.3)                  13y6m **

China                                            14.3 - 14.7

                                                 14
Colombia          12.8 (1.0) ***

Denmark                                 [unavailable]

Estonia           13.35 [+ or -] 0.11
                    (0.99)

Finland           13 (1)
                                        Not offered

                                        [unavailable]

Germany                                          14
                                                 14.2 vs 12.6

Hungary                                          13.77 [+ or -] 0.05

                                                 13.55 [+ or -] 0.13

                                                 13.52 [+ or -] 0.12

                                                 13.10
                                                 13.10

                                                 14.11 [+ or -] 0.09

India             14.51 (0.96);
                    15.01 (1.63)

Iraq              14.24

Israel            13.5 (0.5)
                    bone age
                                                 14.5 (estimated)

                  13.50

Japan                                            11.7

Mexico            14

The Netherlands   14.1 vs. 13.5

Nigeria           14.3

Peru              13.3 (1.36)                    13

Russia            14.3 [+ or -] 0.10

Sweden            13.6                           13.6

U.S.              13.2 (1.2) vs. 13.0
                    (1.4)
                  13.7 (0.47)
                  12.59 vs. 13.44
                  12.3

                  [12.4-13.1]
                  11.28 (4.32) vs.
                    11.27 (4.72)
                  12.84 (1,56) vs.
                    13.82 (1.45)

                  12.42 (1.68)

                  12.53 (1.57)

                  12.3

                  12.78 (1.85)

                  13.88
                  13.8

                  12.9

                                                 14

UK                13y 4m, (15.7 m)               13 **
                  13.1 [+ or -] 0.16             13.17

Country                Additional Findings *

Belgium

Canada            Range = 9y6m-18y6m

China             14.4 (urban), 14.6 (rural); 14.3, 14.6,
                    and 14.7 for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd
                    socioeconomic classes, resp.

Colombia          Range = 10-15y

Denmark

Estonia

Finland           Range = 11-16y
                  Accumulative % per age segment

Germany

Hungary

                  14.05 [+ or -] 0.120 vs. 13.62 [+ or -] 0.06 for
                    urban vs. rural boys

                  "Obtained by graphic curve fitting"

India

Iraq

Israel            Range = 12.5-15.5y bone age

Japan

Mexico

The Netherlands

Nigeria           14% masturbatory, 53% by
                    nocturnal emission

Peru              Oigarche range = 8-17y

Russia            Nocturnal emission: 51%;
                    masturbatory: 45%; in coitu: 4%)

Sweden

U.S.

                  55% masturbatory, 36% nocturnal
                    emission
                  12.4; 12.6; 13.1; 12.9

                  57% masturbatory, 26% nocturnal
                    emission, 17% other
                  31% masturbatory, 46% nocturnal
                    emission, 23% other

                  Range = 10-16y. Study also reports
                    on average time required to reach
                    masturbatory orgasm
                  36% masturbatory, 56% nocturnal
                    emission

UK                Range = 10y4m-18y6m

Country                 Sample

Belgium

Canada            University students, 18-24y;
                    N = 357

China             Han boys 9-18y, N= 86,744

                  High school students

Colombia          12-18y, N= 161

Denmark

Estonia

Finland           Adolescents (N= 164)
                  12-, 14- and 16-year-olds;
                    N = 8,886
                  University students, N= 893

Germany

                  1980 vs 1994 data, 14-17y;
                    N = 1,522 (1994)

Hungary           N = 712

                  N = 2,076

                  N = 2,106

                  N = 662
                  N = 972

                  N = 2,641

India             Monozygotic twins; dizygotic twins
                    N = 2 x 24

Iraq              Adults

Israel            N = 263

                  Schoolboys

                  Adults

Japan             Students

Mexico            Adolescents, mean age 17y

The Netherlands   Antenatal corticosteroid exposure
                    vs. placebo group

Nigeria           Adolescents, 12-18y, N = 188

Peru              Adolescents, N = 606

Russia            Male outpatients of a sexological
                    clinic

Sweden            17-year-olds

U.S.              Adults, 20-34y, soya fed vs cow
                    milk fed; N = 108 + 274

                  Homosexuals vs. heterosexuals
                  13.5-15.5y; N= 13

                  4 samples
                  Homosexuals vs. heterosexuals (ns)

                  Sex offenders against adults,
                    homosexuals vs. heterosexuals,
                    N = 154 vs. 176
                  Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth
                    aged 15-19y; N = 259
                  Adults, N=412

                  N = 13

                  Undergraduate students,
                    N = 1,073
                  N= 3,573
                  10-20y, N = 291

                  White middleclass adolescents,
                    mean age = 18.4y; N = 36
                  1988 sample

UK                Students, 16-23y; N = 509
                  Undergraduates, 18-21 y; N = 142

* SEM = Standard Error of the Mean; SD = Standard Deviation; y =
years,  m = months.

** Defined as first emission (nocturnal or diurnal).

*** Conscious oigarche "by means of self-stimulation."

Table 4. First Nocturnal Emission

Country          References

China         Chinese Health and Family Life
                Survey (1999-2000), as cited by
                McKibben (2005)
              Yan et al. (1999)

Costa Rica    Nunez-Rivas et al. (2002)

Hong Kong     Lam et al. (2002)

Indonesia     Soekarjo et al. (2003) as cited by
                Bosch (2005)

Japan         Asayama (1980, p. 117)

Nigeria       Adegoke (1989)

UK            Kaiser & Gruzelier (1999)

U.S.          Chilman (1966, p. 115)

              Green (1985, p. 171)
              Kinsey et al. (1948)
              Weinberg & Williams (1980, p. 39)

              Zabin et al. (1986, p. 598)

Vietnam       Survey Assessment of Vietnamese
                Youth (2005)

Zimbabwe      Campbell, Prossinger & Mbzivo (2005)

                       Age in Years (SD)

Country             Mean                 Median

China         16.576 (2.404)

                                  13.80 vs. 14.24

Costa Rica    14.1

Hong Kong     13.0 (1.74)

Indonesia                         12

Japan                             13.7

Nigeria       13.3 vs. 14.1

UK            13.7 (1.60)

U.S.                              12.6 vs. 13.9

              13.11 (2.08)
              13.8
              14.6 vs. 14.0 vs.
                13.5
              13.1

Vietnam       15.6

Zimbabwe                          13.02 [+ or -] 0.03

Country            Additional Findings

China         median = 16y, range = 10-26y

Costa Rica

Hong Kong     range = 8-17y

Indonesia

Japan

Nigeria

UK            Range = 9-18

U.S.

Vietnam       3.3% at 13y, 50% at 15y; urban vs.
                rural = 15.4 vs. 15.7

Zimbabwe

Country             Sample Specifications

China         Males who had and had not experienced a
                first sexual experience

              "Onset of spontaneous ejaculations" (urban
                vs. rural students)

Costa Rica    Self-reporting 10-19 year olds

Hong Kong     14-18y, N = 2,175

Indonesia     Retrospective study

Japan         Students

Nigeria       Adolescents, high SES vs. low SES

UK            Young adult males, N = 152

U.S.          Married men, less vs. more than 20 marital
                years
              Undergraduate students, N= 1,073

              High school vs. some college vs. college
                samples
              Grades 9-12, mean age = 16y

Vietnam       Large scale study of youth, 14-25y

Zimbabwe      School boys, ages 12-18y, N = 442