Erection
What causes an erection?
Your brain starts an erection by sending
nerve signals to the penis.
The nerve signals cause the muscles within the penis to relax and let blood flow into the spongy tissue within the penis. Blood collects in this tissue like water filling a sponge. The penis becomes larger and firmer, like an inflated balloon. The veins then get shut off to keep blood from flowing out.
After climax, or after the sexual arousal has passed, the veins open back up and blood flows back into the body.
How does an erection happen?
Getting an erection relies on nerve messages from the brain, blood flow in the penis and a balance of chemicals in the body.There are two tubes of spongy tissue that run along the length of the penis. A tough fibrous, partially elastic outer casing surrounds this spongy material.
Healthy blood vessels are needed
for an erection.
In both the spongy tissue and blood vessels, muscle cells react to chemicals in the body, some which cause an erection and some which encourage a flaccid (soft) penis.
When a man is sexually stimulated, a chemical called cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) is made, which helps to keep an erection. Phosphodiesterase inhibitor 5 (PDE5) is a natural enzyme that normally breaks down cGMP, causing the erection to be lost. The balance of cGMP and PDE5 controls whether the penis is hard or soft. If cGMP stays in the penis and is stopped from breaking down, it produces a better erection. By stopping PDE5 from doing its job, this helps keep a high level of cGMP, and thus keeps a strong erection.
What part does the brain play in getting an erection?
The brain plays an important part in getting an erection. For an erection to happen the brain must be stimulated by sensations (real or imagined), for example, images, smells or sounds. When it receives this stimulus, impulses are sent down the spinal cord to the penis through the nerves leaving the lower part of the spinal cord.Erections can also arise from local feelings around the penis such as touch or a full bladder, which send impulses directly into the spinal cord to affect the erection nerves. The brain also sends a stimulus for an erection to happen three or four times through each night’s sleep.
A Normal Part of Aging
An erection can take place in as little as several seconds or it can occur gradually over a longer period of time. In the later years of a man's life, beginning in the 50's and increasingly in the 60's and 70's, it can sometimes take longer to achieve an erection even with direct stimulation and a man may notice that his erection is not as firm as when he was a teenager. This is a normal part of aging, but causes some men distress because they measure their maleness or ability to please a partner by the firmness and speed with which they become erect.However, the older man has some advantages over the younger one because his ejaculatory control is usually greater, therefore he can maintain an erection for a considerably longer period of time without feeling the ejaculatory urgency common in younger men. This advantage may be lost in men who have prostate problems because they often experience leakage of the blood supply required to maintain an erection, and can have weaker ejaculations.
Penis Size Not Related to Pleasure
Men of all ages occasionally has concerns about the size of their erect penis and whether it is sexually adequate. Although a common worry, the size of a man's erection is not related to his ability to please a partner or enjoy sex himself.In fact, continually thinking about penis size can interfere with achieving an erection, and with the giving and receiving of pleasure.
PATIENT INFORMATION ABOUT ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION (ED)
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Considerations
- What Is Erectile Dysfunction
- What causes erectile dysfunction?
- Is erectile dysfunction just a part of old age?
- Sings and symptoms
- The diagnosis of ED
- When to seek medical advice
- How is erectile dysfunction treated?
- Psychotherapy
- Drug Therapy
- Vacuum devices
- Withdrawal of Offending Medication
- Prevention
- Points to Remember
Partners:
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