x.3.2.1.4 Resolution
The resolution phase is the phase of relaxation when the sexual system comes to rest. This is most prominent after orgasm, which is usually followed by intense feelings of relaxation, satisfaction and intimacy (if the partners allow themselves these feelings). Even if orgasm has not been reached, there is a sense of physiological relaxation, although this is more gradual. Sometimes an unpleasant congested feeling can remain for a while, in women in the groin and lower abdomen, and in men in the scrotum and groin. In men there is a clear ‘refractory period’ after orgasm. This is a period of physiological recovery, during which erection and orgasm are not possible. Men can remain psychologically aroused for a long time even after orgasm. The length of time required for physiological recovery increases with age. By contrast, quite a few – but certainly not all – women are able to achieve orgasm more than once in a single sexual response cycle.