Anne Truong MDMen's Sexual Health Doctor

Why Round 2 Takes So Long: The Brain Chemistry #RefractoryPeriod #Dopamine #shorts

15 Oct 2026 · 1 min

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In this YouTube short, Dr. Anne Truong, a physician who has treated over 7,000 men with erectile dysfunction (ED) across 25 years, explains that the post‑ejaculatory refractory period is primarily a neurochemical phenomenon rather than simple physical fatigue. She describes how sexual desire and the ability to achieve an erection are driven by two key hormones—dopamine, which promotes arousal, and testosterone, which sustains desire. After orgasm, the brain’s nervous system shifts into an inhibitory state: dopamine levels drop and inhibitory tone rises, lengthening the recovery window before another erection is possible. The greater the increase in inhibition or the larger the drop in dopamine, the longer the refractory period becomes.

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I've treated over 7,000 men with ED over 25 years. Let's talk about the brain chemistry. At its core, the refractory period, meaning the time that it takes for you from post-ejaculation to erection, isn't just physical fatigue in the body. It is driven by a shift in the brain chemistry towards inhibition or inability to get an erection. Again, what that means is that sexual desire and the reflex capacity are primarily driven by actually 2 chemicals, dopamine and testosterone. So following climax, the brain nervous system shifts into an inhibit state. So when this inhibit tone increases, or when dopamine arousal drops, the recovery window widens.