In short
In the largest stopwatch study the middle result for intercourse was 5.4 minutes. Sex therapists rate three to thirteen minutes as adequate to desirable.
On this page
There’s no correct answer, but there is research. In the largest stopwatch study, the middle result for intercourse was 5.4 minutes. When sex therapists were asked what they consider normal, they said three to seven minutes was adequate and seven to thirteen was desirable.
What the studies measured
Researchers asked 500 couples in five countries to time intercourse with a stopwatch over four weeks. The times ranged from under a minute to more than 44 minutes, and the median was 5.4 minutes. Times got a little shorter with age. This only counts penetration, not everything else that happens.
In a separate survey, sex therapists in the United States and Canada rated one to two minutes as too short, three to seven minutes as adequate, seven to thirteen as desirable, and ten to thirty minutes as too long.
Why it feels like everyone else lasts longer
Men overestimate. Pornography is edited, and people round up when they talk about sex. Studies that compare men’s guesses with a stopwatch find the guesses run long.
Want to talk it through in private?
An Australian GP can work out what’s going on and go through what helps, by phone or video.
What partners say matters
Surveys of partners put far more weight on attention, communication and everything around intercourse than on its length. Many women don’t reach orgasm from intercourse alone, however long it lasts.
When short is a medical issue
Doctors use the term premature ejaculation when it nearly always happens within about a minute, or has dropped to about three minutes or less from what was normal for you, you can’t delay it, and it’s causing distress. If that sounds familiar, there are effective treatments. See how to last longer in bed and premature ejaculation treatment in Australia.
When long is a medical issue
Finding it hard or impossible to finish is called delayed ejaculation. It can be caused by some antidepressants and other medicines, alcohol, diabetes or nerve problems, and it’s worth raising with a GP too.
Next step: talk to a GP
Request an appointment and we’ll be in touch to arrange a time. A consultation doesn’t guarantee a prescription.
References
- Waldinger MD, et al. A multinational population survey of intravaginal ejaculation latency time. Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2005.
- Corty EW, Guardiani JM. Canadian and American sex therapists’ perceptions of normal and abnormal ejaculatory latencies. Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2008.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. It doesn’t replace a consultation with a doctor who knows your history. In an emergency, call 000.