Refractory period (sex) for treating sexual dysfunction. Sildenafil, used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction, was found in one scientific study to have caused "a decreased postejaculatory erectile refractory time (3.2 ± 0.7 vs. 6.4 ± 0.7 minutes)" in men diagnosed with premature ejaculation. It is additionally proposed that the gonadotropin inhibitory hormone (GnIH), which is considered to inhibit the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and sexual functions causes refractoriness of the post-ejaculatory refractory period. This hypothesis also supports the increase of oxytocin and prolactin after orgasm in accordance with the previous studies. One alternative theory explains the male refractory period in terms of a peripheral
Effective refractory period potential can activate it. ERP acts as a protective mechanism and keeps the heart rate in check and prevents arrhythmias, and it helps coordinates muscle contraction. Anti-arrhythmic agents used for arrhythmias usually prolong the ERP. For the treatment of atrial fibrillation, it is a problem that the prolongation of the ERP by these agents also affects the ventricles, which can induce other types of arrhythmias. Effective refractory period In electrocardiography, during a cardiac cycle, once an action potential is initiated, there is a period of time that a new action potential cannot be initiated. This is termed the effective refractory