Little Known Facts About the Penis

In this article, I will touch upon little-known features of the penis; in the rest of my article, you can find both the truths behind common myths and topics you may have never heard of before. I wish you pleasant reading.

The Penis Can Become Erect While Sleeping

In many men, erection occurs 3-5 times during the night, especially during the REM phase of sleep. There are various views on the process of the occurrence of night erections (medically known as Nocturnal Penile Tumescence), the exact cause of which is unknown.

• One of these views is that a full bladder stimulates the nerves in the region and causes an erection.

• Another view is that the body activates a maintenance process to ensure penile oxygenation (blood flow) or that testosterone production in the testes increases in the early morning hours.

The Penis Needs to Be Kept in Shape

Just like all our organs, regular blood flow must be provided to the penis. To preserve the shape, function, and health of the penis on a cellular basis, it needs to be erect regularly. The body even has a maintenance process it has developed on its own. The night erection I just mentioned ensures blood flow to the penis during sleep. The night erection encountered in the REM phase has no direct connection with the dreams seen. The body has a magnificent working mechanism. Don't you think so?

There is a Tremendous Mechanism in the Ejaculation Process

The act of ejaculation is an irreversible reflex like sneezing. It occurs in two separate processes:

1. Emission: In the first stage called emission, the male is aroused. During arousal, sperm are sent via the vas deferens to mix with other fluids that make up the semen. In a way, preparation for ejaculation is made.

2. Expulsion: In the second stage, the seminal vesicles contract, the bladder neck closes (preventing retrograde ejaculation), and the urinary sphincter—the muscles that allow urine to be held—opens to ensure the ejaculate exits the body through the penis. Again, a tremendous mechanism is in question.

There is No Bone in the Penis

In my column titled "The Penis Can Break and This Situation Requires Urgent Intervention," which I wrote for Hürriyet.com.tr in the past weeks, I conveyed detailed information about penile fracture.

The penis is an organ that can break, but it does not contain bone. When sexual stimulation occurs, blood fills the tube structures located inside the penis, and these structures provide the rigidity of the penis. Around the spongy structures called Corpus Cavernosum, there is a flexible sheath called Tunica Albuginea. It is this sheath that tears in the case of a penile fracture.

The First Erection Occurs Before Birth

It is considered normal for male babies to have an erect penis when they are born. Even before birth occurs, it can be observed in ultrasound scans that the fetus has a full erection. A study conducted in 1991 showed that fetal erections usually occur during REM sleep and can repeat several times an hour. Although it is thought that the body's auto-control process is at work behind the occurrence of the erection mechanism before birth, the exact cause of this situation is not yet known.