An erection question

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-22-2006
An erection question
19
Sun, 01-22-2006 - 1:55am
Hi...
Just curious...
When a man is aroused does he always get an erection? Are there times where a man can be really aroused and not have one? (And I am referring to a man that has no problems with getting erections)
A pretty basic question, but curious!
igrl

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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-05-2006
Mon, 02-13-2006 - 1:59pm

what is considered full erection and what contributes to it?

How do i Put this into words what enables an erection to be ready for intercourse -what is the ..... ?

What keeps it erection... Is it what he is thinking? and What are the emotional stuff connected to it?

This is helping me.. this site.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-18-2001
Mon, 02-13-2006 - 5:16pm

This is a tricky question because you can answer Yes and No to both questions.

Usually;
If I get an erection it is because I am aroused. I could be thinking about or seeing sex or thinking sexual things about an attractive woman or actually being physically sexually stimulated.

Sometimes;
I can have an erection and not be aroused.
I can wake up in the morning and have an erection. Apparently that's because of pressure of a full bladder on sensitive nerves or something. Sometimes leaning against a bench puts pressure on my groin resulting in an erection. Sometimes vibrating machinery can result in an erection. None of these are because I am aroused. Note that once I have an erection in this way I can sometimes become aroused because the resulting erection usually feels good.

Sometimes;
I can be aroused but not have an erection. Usually the erection will follow, but in some situations I can think "That's arousing and very sexy" but because of the situation it would be uncomfortable or inappropriate to get an erection. My body usually takes the hint and doesn't produce an erection. I can think of one situation at work recently where one of the girls was inadvertently doing something rather arousing but it was a totally inappropriate situation for me to get an erection - luckily my body obeyed me that time.

Always:
What my penis does is pretty well completely unrelated to my feelings of love and attraction to a specific woman. It does what it wants to when it wants to.
For example, a woman that I was not attracted to could more than likely give me an erection if she did something that I thought was sexy or touched me in the right place. My body would respond, but not my mind.
A woman that I loved and adored and found very attractive could make me loose an erection if I was distracted by something else or there was some other reason. My mind responded but my body wouldn't.

So the basic answers:
>>When a man is aroused does he always get an erection?<<
Usually but not always.

>>Are there times where a man can be really aroused and not have one?<<
Sometimes but not often.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-24-2005
Mon, 02-13-2006 - 7:17pm

It's nice to know this site is helping you :).

Are you asking how large an erect penis is? If so, it varies, but the average erect penis is between 5 and 7 inches in length, and a bit under 5 inches in circumference. The typical cause of an erection is physical stimulation of the penis. Sometimes an erection will occur for no apparent reason, however, especially while a man is asleep.

An erect penis, for the most part, should be able to penetrate a vagina that is receptive (e.g., adequate lubrication, size, openness).

A man's thoughts and emotions play a large role in his being able to maintain an erection. Continued physical stimulation is also important in maintaining one. As with size, however, the type of stimulation and the specific thoughts and feelings are different for each man.

That is why communication is so important. Partners who communicate their individual needs with one another while they are in and out of bed generally end up having more fulfilling sex lives over the long-term, than their less communicative peers.

I recommend you visit the following link in order to learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erection

Best,

E :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-18-2001
Mon, 02-13-2006 - 8:47pm

>>what is considered full erection and what contributes to it?<<

I'm not sure what you mean exactly. But as the good Mr. Stubing explained, an "average" sized penis is around about 6" long when erect and firm. The flaccid state varies wildly with some being large when flaccid and not gaining much in length and girth when erect and vice versa, some are small when flaccid and gain substantially in length and girth when erect. So I guess a full erection could be considered to be the point somewhere near it's maximum size where the penis is erect and firm enough to be inserted into a vagina.

What contributes to it? A full erection? I guess a healthy male with a good sex drive needs to be aroused and wanting sex. But even if he is not interested in sex and not mentally aroused, the right physical stimulation can often cause his penis to become erect. How recently he last had an orgasm is a factor. Most men need a period of recovery varying from minutes to days before they can get or be interested in another orgasm and a full firm erection.

>>What keeps it erection... Is it what he is thinking? and What are the emotional stuff connected to it?<<

Ummmm. Loving care and attention will keep it erect! LOL! Seriously though, part of it is physical and part of it is mental. A man doesn't have concious mental control over his penis. A combination of the right thoughts and mood and physical attention will keep it erect. Physical stimulation helps to keep a penis erect. Touching, fondling, stroking, oral sex etc etc....
And as long as the man is mentally aroused his penis will probably stay erect too. Sometimes he can be distracted and his erection will subside until it gets attention again, sometimes the mood can go wrong or change and the man can loose his mental arousal and the erection will subside.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-05-2006
Mon, 02-13-2006 - 9:02pm

What is the right thoughts and what are they and .. Forgive me if you already said this but what is in the mental?

Does the man need to have physical stimulation to keep it erect or is that an choice by the man if he wants it?

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-05-2006
Mon, 02-13-2006 - 11:24pm

I appreciate the website but.It means more to hear from someone directly

Judith

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-24-2005
Tue, 02-14-2006 - 4:35am

I hope more guys will share their knowledge with you. I'm at a loss as to what else I could possibly share. Beyond what I've already mentioned--to be perfectly blunt and honest--I really know little more than you about how or why the little buggers function like they do. It's like Dorothy asking the Wizard of Oz to come back once he takes off in the hot air balloon, and he responds "I can't...I don't know how it works!!!" We fly, but who really knows how or why? I think God is pulling the strings.

All I can impart to you is theory, really. For the most part, it's a phenomenon that just 'happens' (or doesn't). And as I said in a previous post, it's different for each guy.

You'll really be able to learn a lot more through firsthand experience and communication with a partner.

:)

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-05-2006
Tue, 02-14-2006 - 6:50am
That is fine. Your experience is better than nothing. It doesn't matter if it is theory or not it is what you have experienced. I realize it is all different but something is better than nothing. What you gave is fine. I thought you might have more or whatever.
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-18-2001
Tue, 02-14-2006 - 3:19pm

>>What is the right thoughts and what are they and .. Forgive me if you already said this but what is in the mental?<<

The right thoughts? Well, in this case I think that what works for a man is probably very similar to what works for YOU. The same type of thoughts that you have as a woman will be the sort of thing that keeps a man aroused. Love and emotions for the person you are with. Sexy thoughts. The attraction towards the person that you are with. Enjoyment of the sensations that you are having. The things that keep you aroused will be similar to what keeps a man aroused.

>>Does the man need to have physical stimulation to keep it erect or is that an choice by the man if he wants it?<<

It's not usually necessary if he has a strong and very firm erection. As long as he remains mentally aroused it should stay erect for a good period of time. Usually physical stimulation will help maintain the erection for a longer period of time or help to maintain it if it is not as strong as it can be. For example, if he had an orgasm recently.

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