School biology lessons can sometimes be a case of a teacher trying to impart the basic facts about sex to a group of giggly teenagers.
And while the trusty basics are a great place to start, there is so much more about penises and erections that we bet they didn’t teach you.
Our sexual health is something we should be all clued up about and our favourite Dr Danae Maragouthakis, from Yoxly, an Oxford-based sexual health start-up, is an Instagram doctor who knows all their is to know about our genitals.
We’ve already covered penis misconceptions, now it’s the time for the hard facts…
There are three types of erection
If you get an erection you may not think much about how you actually became aroused.
But, when your penis gets hard there are actually three different categories of erection it can fall into.
A subconscious erection is the first type. These hard ons usually occur when you’re dreaming – you won’t need physiological or physical stimulations.
Psychogenic erections are the result of sexual fantasies either fulfilled in reality or in porn, where your body responds to visual stimuli.
The third and final type of erection is the reflexogenic erection. This is an erection which happens because of direct physical stimulation to the penis.
You don’t need an erection to orgasm
We usually associate an orgasm with an erection but you don’t necessarily need to be hard to finish.
So if you can’t get it up, that doesn’t mean you can’t sometimes still have a satisfying end to getting it on.
Some people can experience an orgasm without being fully erect, while some men have reported being able to orgasm with just their prostate being massaged.
Penile stimulation isn’t always a necessity.
Up to half your erection is hidden
Men, your penis is actually a lot longer than it looks.
About 30% of the tissues that make up the male erection are internal, so you can’t see it from the outside.
This means a third or even up to a half of your hard on is hidden.
Penises have penile spines
Don’t panic, your penis doesn’t actually have spines! But, while humans don’t have penile spines, plenty of closely related animals do.
These spines are pointed, keratinised structures found in the genitalia of several animals, which may help to induce ovulation or enhance sensation during sexual activity.
Our distant relative – the chimpanzee – has penile spines, as well as cats, bats and cute fluffy koalas down under.
Myth: The penis is a muscle
Wrong.
Danae tells Metro.co.uk: ‘Some people believe that the penis is a muscle that can be exercised to increase size or improve sexual performance.
‘The penis is not a muscle. It looks like muscle because it gets hard when it fills with blood when it gets an erection but it’s actually made predominantly of spongey tissue and blood vessels.
‘When someone fractures their penis, they break the blood vessels that run in the penis and tear the soft tissue. It’s incredibly painful and really dangerous, that’s a medical emergency.
‘Seek medical attention immediately because if you compromise the blood flow to those tissues, they can die.’
Beetroot and oysters could give you better erections
Dr Danae also said that consuming foods that are high in Nitric Oxide can help blood flow, thus improving your erections.
Foods high in Nitric Oxide are dark chocolate, beets, garlic, watermelon and leafy green veggies.
You might finally have a reason to try oysters too! Foods that are high in zinc are important for good testosterone levels and sperm production.
This includes the divisive shellfish, as well as beef, chicken, nuts and beans.
As seems to be the rule of thumb for every part of your body, drinking plenty of water means you’ll be hydrated and promote healthy blood flow, which can only be good for your erections.
Smoking-related erectile dysfunction can be reversed
While there is a misconception that smoking can actually shrink your penis there is no scientific evidence to that point.
However, this doesn’t mean the effects of smoking on your body don’t take their toll on your sexual performance and satisfaction.
What you probably did learn in biology is that smoking constricts your blood flow, but they may not have touched upon the fact that means you won’t always get sufficient blood flow to your genitals.
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