I blame porn for a lot of things, and one of them is the expectation that an orgasm is a fountain of semen, spraying everywhere like some sort of impregnating firehose. To everyone reading this during breakfast, hi!
Anyway, yes, it's possible for a man to orgasm without ejaculation, or at least to ejaculate and you be unable to feel it. The old joke about basketball players dribbling before they shoot has a kernel of truth to it; some guys just don't have that much pressure. Add a condom into the mix (you are using a condom, right?) and we're talking very little oomph here.
His faking it is also a possibility: some people just can't communicate what they want in bed, and there might be something he needs that he's afraid to ask you for. So he can get most, but not all of the way there. It might even be something medical that he just doesn't want to discuss with you.
You have two options here: talk to him directly, or give him a handjob. The handy seems weird, but it means you'll be able to observe how his hydraulics work without embarrassing him and without using a condom. Plus, it's just a nice thing to do occasionally; he should return the favor.
Talking with him directly will be trickier, but he might be able to put some concerns to rest. Keep in mind that sexual dysfunction is an awkward subject for guys; they can feel like less of a man. So bring it up carefully, and respect his boundaries.
Good luck, and happy to give you a han...some assistance.
I am the original question asker. Thanks for replying! How do you recommend I approach the conversation? I don't want to make him feel uncomfortable, but I definitely want to make sure he's enjoying our hook-ups!
I would go with his advice to try the hand job first. You don't want to bring up something as potentially awkward as this until you're POSITIVE that there's even an issue. Maybe, like Dan said, he just has smaller ejaculations.
ROFL on "impregnating firehose". =)
My best friend used to hook up with this guy who had like zero semen when he came, but he definitely was achieving orgasm -their relationship was mostly just about sex. He told her that it was always like that. She said it was nice for a blowjob, swallowing was no big deal but made her wonder if he'd be able to have kids... I'd try the handjob or a blow job to see if there really isn't much coming out but i wouldn't worry too much about it - I doubt he's lying but he is probably self concious about it.
actually, interesting medical note; sperm and semen are actually made by two different processes. The sperm gets added after the rest of the ejaculatory fluid has already been made so a man can have a low semen volume and still have a normal amount of sperm, and a high semen volume doesn't actually mean there's more sperm in there. This interesting little fact is also why getting a vasectomy doesn't affect a man's ability to ejaculate, they just clip the line that takes the sperm from where it's produced to where it joins up with the rest of the semen.....and now I just need to figure out how to get the "the more you know" logo into a post.
...also, why yes I did read this over breakfast. Good morning everyone!
Nice. I'm about to have dinner. :)