5 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Penis​

5 Things You Didn't Know About Your Penis

The great male “love muscle.” We have marveled at what it can do for generations. Relaxed or erect it serves so many functions.  The ability to empty urine from the bladder when full. Or when aroused, it becomes an erect organ meant for intercourse and delivery sperm for fertilization. We joke about it in society. We contemplate it’s uses in the bedroom. For an organ that is needed by both men and women, there’s a lot that some people don’t know. Let’s take a closer look at 5 things you didn’t know about your penis.

It's A Larger Penis that Most Mammals

Compared to all of the other mammals, the human penis is one of the largest when compared in proportion to body size. The largest penis-to-body ratio is a predatory cat in Madagascar.

For humans, the largest erect penis length to body length is in men from the nation of Ecuador. On average a typical male is 5′ 5″ (1.67 meters) in height. Their penis length is 6.93″ (17.67 cm). Compared to Americans, we come in at an average height of 5′ 10″ with an erect penis size of 5.34″ (13.58 cm) in length.

It's Not a Bone

Despite what some people think, humans have no bone in their penis. Further did you know that most other mammals do? The common theory is that as humans shifted from a polygamous to monogamous society, bone filled penises were no longer needed. Penises containing bones stay in the female reproductive tract longer, keeping other penises away.

Without a bone we can still “fracture” a human penis. It’s not easy to do, but it happens when an increased downward force comes down suddenly on a semi-erect or fully erect penis. It will make a snapping sound followed by sudden and intense pain. It then turns black and blue, and typically requires medical intervention. 

Nighttime Wood

Erections occur commonly at night. But why? Because when you are asleep, your body relaxes. The valves that allow blood into the erectile tissue relax allowing blood to flow into the penis after being tightly clamped down when you’re awake. This happens on average 3 times per night mostly in your deep REM sleep and you probably don’t even know it happens, except for that early “morning wood” that we will sometimes recognize.

It's Like A Gun

Ejaculation is a reflex that is 2 stages that once turned on have no ability to shut off. 

The first stage is emission,” which happens during foreplay and arousal. Sperm is pumped to the prostate from the testicles like loading a bullet in the gun’s chamber and is described as a pulsation feeling. 

Next is the “ejaculation phase.” A lot is happening here. The seminal vesicles contract, the bladder neck closes, and the urinary sphincter opens, allowing semen to surge through the penis and out. Pelvic muscles pulsate every 0.9 secs to help force fluid through the penis.

Stress Kills Erections

For a good erection, the body can’t be stressed. Men that are under chronic stress with work, health, family, etc. have a harder time achieving erections. But if achieved and maintained, climax will follow. Afterwards, the erection falls and cannot be regained for some time.

Sure, there are other factors that play into erectile deficiency: high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, but stress is the most common cause.

Do You Really Need ED Medication for Erectile Dysfunction?

erectile dysfunction
erectile dysfunction

Do You Really Need ED Medication for Erectile Dysfunction?

“Can I get ED medication for my erectile dysfunction?” It’s one of the more common requests I get from patients. Unfortunately, that answer isn’t always straightforward.

The typical scenario goes like this: A guy comes to our clinic suffering from erectile dysfunction for a number of years. It’s affecting his sex life with his spouse to the point that he has to explain to his wife that it’s not her, but that it’s him.

His confidence is shaken. Her insecurities grow. Then it becomes a vicious cycle of continued erectile dysfunction causing more and more stress in the relationship.

His solution is to find a men’s health clinic like us to get ED meds like Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra.

But, what he doesn’t realize is that there are a lot of factors that go into causing ED.

Arousal Problems

The problem is the inability to become physically aroused or excited before sexual activity. I’ll often ask a man if he has trouble getting or maintaining an erection. Depending on his answer, that helps steer the direction for the remainder of the visit.

If it’s a problem with getting an erection, there could be problems with depression, anxiety, anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medications, or low testosterone.

Other reasons might include chronic health conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes.

It’s important to assess for all of these conditions.

Desire Problems

If a guy is lacking sexual desire or interest in sex (we call his low libido), then this might be more of a sign of low testosterone.

Treating a man with ED medications when the problem is low testosterone isn’t really treating the problem. It’s putting a temporary patch on the problem without treating the root cause. This is just one more reason to check testosterone levels with lab work.

Orgasm Problems

A delay or absence of an orgasm/climax is certainly a problem for some men. This will literally take the joy out of sex for men.

Men will feel like they’re able to reach the point of climax, but for one reason or another, they never progress past that point.

Most often the reason is mental/emotional. Whether it be an emotional disconnect with their partner, anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication side effects, stress, or fatigue. These can all weigh on a man’s confidence and leave him feeling as less of a guy.

If this happens once or twice, it’s usually not a problem. But, if it occurs more and more often, there might be some other underlying factors we need to look at.

Erection or Intercourse Pain

This is certainly all physical. Men that have penile pain with intercourse certainly need to be evaluated:

  • Peyronie’s disease – scar tissue forms inside the penis causing a painful bend when erect. Normally, most men have a slight curve in their erect penis. A slight bend in the penis that does not cause any problems is normal and nothing to worry about. However, if this does cause sex to be painful, you should consult with a urologist.

  • Phimosis – for men with foreskin that is too tight, this might cause pain during intercourse. 

  • Priapism is a long-lasting, painful erection and can cause permanent damage to your penis if it is not treated. Some cases may need hospital treatment to drain the excess blood from the penis. This is most often caused by taking too much ED medication causing a prolonged erection.

So, as you can see, there are plenty of reasons men may have erectile dysfunction that certainly doesn’t always require ED medication.

If you suffer from Erectile Dysfunction, certainly talk to your doctor or schedule a visit with us at Redefined Health Clinic for a thorough workup.