Some Penis Facts

• The shaft of the penis contains three cylinders of sponge-like tissue. During arousal these fill with blood, producing an erection. The ‘glans’ (head) is loaded with nerve endings, making it extremely sensitive to touch, particularly during arousal.
• The ‘corona’ is the flared part of the glans where it meets the shaft and many men is the most sexually sensitive part of the penis.
• The testicles are part of the body’s endocrine (hormone) system and produce the primary male sex hormone, testosterone.
• During puberty, the testicles produce a large amount of testosterone, which stimulates sperm production and causes the voice to deepen, muscles to develop and hair to grow on the face and the body.
• On average, the testicles produce approximately 150 million sperm each day.
• It only takes one sperm to get a woman pregnant.
• The size of a penis bares no relation whatsoever to man’s fertility A normal ejaculate contains more than 40 million sperm.
• The optimum temperature for sperm production is three to five degrees cooler than body temperature. This is why the testicles hang outside the body.

Erections

Otherwise known as a ‘hard on’. This is when the penis gets stiff / hard. Erections are controlled by emotional, physical and hormonal signals which means that you can’t necessarily control them yourself – sometimes they have a mind of their own!

Testicles

Otherwise known as your ‘balls’, the testes produce testosterone (hormones) and sperm. Sperm is also stored in the testes and it fertilises an egg to make a baby.

Testosterone is responsible for causing;

• A deep voice
• Beard growth
• Muscle development
• The ability to have an erection
• A sex drive (the feelings you have about wanting sex)

Prostate Gland

This is a bit of a mystery but the prostate is found between the bladder and the penis, wrapped around the urethra (the tube which urine flows from the bladder – and therefore is commonly known to help with urine flow). This is a major design flaw because as you get older the prostate naturally starts to enlarge. This squeezes the urethra and interferes with urinary flow. When they enlarge it can cause infection (common 25-45yrs). Prostate cancer is most common over 55yrs.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80% of men will eventually need treatment for prostate problems. One in three will need an operation.

A healthy prostate gland is the size and shape of a large chestnut. It is made up of millions of tiny glands that secrete a thin, milky, acidic fluid. The prostate also contains muscle and fibre cells which help the gland to contract.

The prostate is hidden away between the bladder and the penis, wrapped around the urethra the tube through which urine flows from the bladder.

Three main things tend to go wrong with the prostate gland; each occurs at a different stage in a man’s life:

1. Prostatitis, in which the gland becomes infected or inflamed. This is most common between the ages of 25 and 45.
2. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), in which the gland slowly enlarges. This commonly causes symptoms after the age of 45.
3. Prostate cancer, which tends to occur over the age of 55 though it can occur much earlier.

The prostate gland helps to direct semen outwards during ejaculation so sperm don’t reflux up into the bladder. This means that the testicles produce sperm (and testosterone), whilst the prostate produces the semen that directs sperm, it helps keep sperm healthy and aids with ejaculation.

Pics and penis facts from Channel 4′s Sexperience website

Impotence means ‘lack of power’. It is being unable to have or keep an erection for the duration of vaginal sex.

• It’s a common and distressing problem affecting 10-30% of men on a regular basis.
• Sometimes impotence is caused by mental health problems or it can be physical such as a medical condition, the side-effects of prescribed drugs, stress or tiredness.
• There is lots of help out there for men suffering from these problems. If you are worried speak to your doctor and they will refer you to a local service in Halton. Most men sort the problem out if they seek help.

Psychological problems account for 60 per cent of cases of impotence. Counselling and psychotherapy are helpful and often result in dramatic improvement.

Psychological problems are usually based on fear, guilt or feelings of inadequacy. The more a man worries about not getting an erection, the more the erection is likely to fail. Relaxation training and professional psychosexual counselling are vital.

A caring and sympathetic partner is important. He or she is an invaluable support during the investigation and treatment of the partner’s impotence. A partner who mocks or ridicules (or even feels overly sorry for) a man’s performance is making the problem worse and may even have contributed to it in the first place.

Premature Ejaculation

Premature ejaculation is the most common male sexual dysfunction. There are three different ways of defining it:

1. If the man comes before he wants to or before his partner wants him to
2. If ejaculation occurs before the penis penetrates the vagina
3. If the man cannot stop himself ejaculating for at least one minute after penetrating his partner.

Most men experience premature ejaculation several times during their lives most commonly when losing their virginity. It also occurs in over 50% of males when making love to a new partner for the first time. Premature ejaculation is particularly common among teenagers and tends to become less of a problem for men in their twenties and thirties and beyond.

If a man can stop ejaculating for anything over one minute after penetration, this is normal. It may not sound very long, but our primitive male ancestors were originally designed to thrust only five or six times before reaching orgasm!

Premature ejaculation is usually due to anxiety especially if a new partner is involved. This often results in eagerness and over-excitement. The other main cause is anxiety about performance ­ whether you will be ‘good enough’ for your partner or will fail to satisfy. No man wants to feel his performance is not up to scratch.

Other causes of premature ejaculation are the man feeling that his partner is not really interested in sex, or if either partner has difficulty in showing or responding to affection.

Sometimes the opposite problem of retarded ejaculation occurs especially if the male is trying to postpone his orgasm to make sure his partner is satisfied.

The easiest way to make premature ejaculation less of a problem is to bring your partner to the point of orgasm during foreplay. Then, when your partner is about to come, penetration can occur or you can wait until after your partner’s orgasm before entering. There are eight other techniques that help to overcome premature ejaculation – you can talk this through when you see a specialist.

Retarded Ejaculation

Retarded ejaculation is the inability of a man to ejaculate, despite having prolonged intercourse, adequate stimulation, and an intense desire to do so. This is an occasional occurrence in most men, especially when tired, but some males have never achieved ejaculation during sexual intercourse. Most affected men are able to ejaculate during masturbation.

Medical conditions such as diabetes, an enlarged prostate gland, previous prostate operation or certain drugs (e.g. water tablets, tricyclic antidepressants, treatment for high blood pressure) are sometimes at fault.

The commonest cause of ejaculatory failure, however, are psychological inhibitions such as in the case of:

• Newlyweds sleeping next door to their parents
• Discovering a partner is unfaithful
• A recent condom break when pregnancy would have been disastrous
• Having recently been interrupted during sex, such as by your children.

Make sure your surroundings are compatible with unstressful sex that is, quiet, with no risk of interruption or being overheard, warm and comfortable. If problems persist you can be referred for psychotherapy, which will involve a structured program with a specialist. Always go to your GP first and they will refer you.

Some Sexually Transmitted Infections can be passed on through oral sex so always use a condom. You can get flavoured condoms and lubricants to make things a bit more fun, but some contain spermicidal which can irritate people with sensitive skin.

For oral sex with women, you can use a dental dam to place over the vagina and you can then give oral pleasure with the latex between the tongue and the vagina. This would be the same when performing oral sex anally. Or, use a condom for the same purpose – cut along one side so that you are left with a square shape. Do the same with the customised condom as you would with the dental dam and you can have safer fun.