There are no rules in intimacy. It can be done in any position, with any person, any time — day or night, and for any length of time. But for humans, even though there are no rules, intercourse can still be a daunting experience. There is no set time for how long intercourse should last. It can vary greatly, depending on preference and a range of other factors, such as what a person considers intercourse to be. People define intercourse differently. One person might only consider it to entail penetrative intercourse, while another might consider it to start with the beginning of foreplay.
According to Mayoclinic, firstly, how do we define the beginning and end of intercourse?
Most studies of this nature are based on intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT). IELT refers to the time it takes a man to ejaculate during intercourse. A scientist, though, would phrase the same question in an almost comically obscure way: What is the mean intravaginal ejaculation latency time? I know there’s a lot more to intercourse than penetration but the rest is not always easy to define (kissing, rubbing, grinding). To keep things simple and specific, we’ll just focus on the time to ejaculation.
According to WebMd, studies found that penetration can last anywhere from 33 seconds to 44 minutes, but the average time across the board was five minutes and 40 seconds. And that’s not including foreplay, in case you were wondering.
What affects your intercourse duration?
Age
Your age can affect your s*x life, and not just because you might throw your back out. A 2008 study of 2,341 people ranging in age from 18 to 93 found that libido decreased with age. Men reported more frequent and stronger desires than women.
Intimacy
How you feel and what you understand about your partners body might also be a key component of intercourse duration.
Sexual dysfunction
In some cases, s*xual dysfunction can impact how long you last. Specifically:
Erectile dysfunction (ED): ED happens when a man has trouble getting or keeping an erection, which can affect how long intercourse lasts.