Coitus reservatus

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Coitus reservatus, also known as karezza, is a form of sexual intercourse in which the man does not attempt to ejaculate within his partner, but instead attempts to remain at the plateau phase of intercourse for as long as possible. The term "karezza" was coined by the physician Alice Bunker Stockham.

Coitus reservatus is not a reliable form of preventing a sexually transmitted infection, as the penis leaks pre-ejaculate which may contain all of the same infectious viral particles and bacteria as the actual semen. Beyond that, it is also unreliable for contraception, even if ejaculation is successfully avoided, since the sperm content and quality of pre-ejaculate are not completely understood. The method is also unreliable because of the difficulty of controlling the process of ejaculation.

Another difficulty of this method is that, if the man begins to orgasm (before ejaculation proper begins), the muscles can tense tightly in the lower body, such as legs and buttocks, causing the removal of the penis to be difficult. This can cause the first half of the ejaculation to go into his partner.

[edit] Intended Use

According to J. William Lloyd, author of The Karezza Method or Magnetation: The Art of Connubial Love (no longer in print), "Physicians freely condemn it, or express doubts of it, almost invariably with no knowledge of it of any kind. They think it should cause ill-health, therefore they say it will." He further explains that in the nearly 100 years previous to his 1931 publication both Alice B. Stockham, M.D., John Humphrey Noyes had little success convincing many people of the health benefits enough to even attempt the method.

There is no evidence to indicate any of these three authors had knowledge of ancient Tantric sexual practices. Yet, the Karezza Method is remarkably similar in both purpose, and practice - to emotionally unify the practicing couple, yeild physical and mental health benefits, and to contribute to spiritual growth.