For Men: 7 things you did not know about your orgasm

Here are some pretty interesting facts about the male orgasm.

You have sex, and then you reach a feel-good climax point. If this is all you know about your orgasms, then you are in for a few surprises.

Menshealth 7 interesting facts about the male orgasm.

1. It gives you a high: Brain scans on men experiencing orgasms revealed that the most excited brain region during climax is the ventral tegmental area, which is packed with receptors for neurotransmitters associated with reward. As it turns out, that same brain region lights up when heroin users shoot up.

2. Kills your sex drive: After an orgasm, your body releases a hormone called prolactin. It essentially shuts off your sex drive for up to an hour, which is why you might find yourself suddenly bored with that porn clip you were watching if you were engaged in a solo session.

3. Your weight affects your orgasm: The average amount of ejaculate released during orgasm is 3.4 milliliters (mL), which is less than a teaspoon—unless you’re overweight. Men with a body mass index greater than 30 were 69 percent more likely to only produce 2 mL or less of semen during an ejaculation, according to a Scottish study.

READ: Interesting historical facts you never knew about the female orgasm

4. You can get her pregnant without having an orgasm: During foreplay and sex, most men can release a pre-ejaculate, which is a fluid that helps lubricate intercourse and clears out your urethra to allow the semen to travel through unhindered. An analysis of this fluid that was published in the journal Human Fertility found that 41 percent of guys produced pre-ejaculate that contained sperm—up to 40 million of the little swimmers, in fact. It only takes one to make a baby, so keep those odds in mind if you’re not yet looking to become a dad.

5. Orgasms cure headache: An orgasm floods your brain with endorphins—the same feel-good neurotransmitters that are associated with a “runner's high.” Endorphins are powerful pain blockers, so researchers in Germany have been investigating whether doing the deed while you’re having a migraine helps relieve the nauseating pain. In a study published last year, the scientists reported that one-third of patients had powered through sex despite the unpleasant headache, and of those, 60 percent said they felt better post-coitus.

6. It is filled with vitamins and minerals: Semen is actually only 1 to 5 percent sperm, according to a Duke University study in which the researchers were developing an artificial semen substitute.

(For what it’s worth, the fake semen sometimes used in porn shoots is reportedly anything from hand soap to pina colada mix.)

Like many of your bodily fluids, most of the volume is water. In a typical 3.4-mL load, you’ll let out around 10 milligrams (mg) of sodium, 9 mg of fructose—which provides the sperm with energy as they swim—a little less than 2/10ths of a gram of protein, and smaller amounts of zinc, potassium, calcium, and chlorine.

7. Your semen moves faster than any man can run: The average speed of your ejaculation is 28 miles per hour, which is almost exactly Usain Bolt's world-record maximum running pace of 27.79 mph. Of course, your semen won’t cross 100 meters—the world record for ejaculation distance is supposedly 18 feet, 9 inches set by a man named Horst Schultz, but that achievement is unconfirmed.