Men and Porn: Why Is the Pull of Porn So Strong?

Why Is the Pull of Porn So Strong?

By Brett

* This article is a repost which originally appeared on The Art Of Manliness

This week we’re running a four-part series about the effects of pornography on the brain. The first step in understanding these effects is to understand the relationship between your noodle and dopamine, and how this interplay makes the pull of porn so strong. I truly feel that understanding this dynamic is the crucial foundation to making a decision about what role you want porn to play in your life, and also to ultimately quitting this habit. So I’ve made this and tomorrow’s post fairly in-depth. But I have also kept the info very accessible, and I think those who read the articles in their entirety will find them worthwhile. But if that’s simply not for you, feel free to skip to the recap at the end. 

Dopamine and Your Brain 

Our brains are composed of billions of cells called neurons that send messages to each other through an electrical-chemical process. Without getting too technical about how this works, the important thing to understand for this discussion is that the neuron delivering the message releases a chemical called a neurotransmitter into the synapse – the space between the neurons — and over to a receiving neuron. The receiving neuron catches the neurotransmitter with its receptors and then generates electricity so it can communicate to another neuron. This process repeats itself a bajillion (that’s a scientific term) times a day.

Different neurotransmitters communicate different things. What they all have in common is that their primary purpose isn’t to make you “happy” or fulfilled, but to ensure that your carcass survives so that you can pass on your genes.

An integral part of our brain’s system for increasing our chances of survival and reproduction is creating the strong desire and drive to do or seek out those things that will help us fulfill those aims. We have to want to eat, we have to want to seek shelter, and we have to want to have sex. The neurotransmitter that gives us our drive to fulfill these impulses is dopamine.

Dopamine is released whenever we encounter rewards, or “natural reinforcers,” that help us survive. Things like food, sex, novelty (new things may lead to new survival-boosting benefits), and friendship (you’re more likely to survive in a group) sit at the top of the natural reinforcer hierarchy. Once we encounter one of these potent rewards/reinforcers, a neural pathway is created (more on neural pathways below). Dopamine keys in on the reward system in our brain, and drives us to repeat the same behaviors that helped us attain those rewards previously.

The more something helps with our survival and reproduction, the bigger the “squirt” of dopamine our neurons experience, and the stronger the drive to repeat the behavior. For example, different types of food release different levels of dopamine. Because our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived in feast and famine mode, it made evolutionary sense to load up on as many calories as possible while the getting was good. Foods high in fat and sugar provided the most energy benefits, so our ancestors’ brains evolved to release a lot of dopamine when they encountered high fat and high sugar foods. Our brains continue to do the same thing in the modern word, which explains why when given the choice between a Five Guys burger and a dry salad, our gut instinct is to go with the burger and shake. Dopamine drives us towards sweet, carby, and high fat foods.

Sexual stimulation and orgasm give our brain’s reward system the biggest natural shot of dopamine of all. Which makes sense. From an evolutionary perspective, the entire measure of our creation is to reproduce and pass on our genes. So seeking for and wanting sex should be our primary evolutionary drive. That big dopamine shot that results from orgasm then goes on to wire our brain’s reward system to repeat whatever behavior we did to get sex so we can continue to get sex in the future.

Isn’t Testosterone Responsible For My Sex Drive?

Contrary to popular belief and cheesy internet ads, it isn’t testosterone that plays a central role in a man’s sexual libido and ability to get an erection, it’s dopamine. Testosterone plays more of a supportive role in our sex drive by stimulating the brain to produce more dopamine. So while low T can result in low libido, it’s because there isn’t enough T to stimulate sufficient dopamine for a healthy sex drive. It is therefore possible for a man to have high total and free testosterone levels, but low dopamine (or blunted dopamine sensitivity – more on that later), and thus a low or absent sex drive. Testosterone’s dopamine-stimulating abilities also explain why testosterone replacement therapy companies advertise that increasing your T can give you more energy and drive to do other stuff in life. It’s not the T itself, but rather the dopamine that T triggers in the brain that gives you that boost. The more you know.

The release of dopamine starts amping up your sex drive when you see someone attractive. This increase will motivate you to do whatever your culture says you need to do to woo that person and eventually get them into bed. If you’re the old-fashioned type, that process can take a while. If you’re a Don Juan and the gal is open to casual sex, maybe a few hours is all you’ll need. Whatever the timetable, dopamine levels and hence sex drive will continue to increase as you move towards consummating your desire. The powerful urge to copulate created by spiking levels of dopamine as you get closer and closer to actually having sex partly explains those moments when people say, “I don’t know what happened. One moment we were on the couch watching Louie and the next minute we were making the beast with two backs.”

Once we achieve whatever reward dopamine was driving us towards, the levels of this neurotransmitter drop off. With sex, dopamine levels peak right around the moment of orgasm (to help wire our brains to seek out sex again in the future), but then decrease afterwards because we’ve accomplished our biological imperative to spread our seed. (Your brain doesn’t know if your seed never made it past the end of your condom. As far as your neurons are concerned, it’s “mission accomplished.”) The post-coitus drop in dopamine partly explains the male “refractory period” after sex. (In case you didn’t know, after a man orgasms, it’s physiologically impossible for him to have another orgasm for a period of time. Could be minutes, could be days. Depends on the guy.) When we orgasm, a hormone called prolactin is released which represses dopamine. No dopamine, no sex drive, no boner.

Porn, Novelty, and the Coolidge Effect

Remember when I mentioned above that one of our evolved natural reinforcers is novelty? Our brains are hardwired to seek out novelty because new things can provide survival and reproductive advantages. Whenever we encounter anything new — a new email, a new gadget, a new food — we get a shot of dopamine, which makes us want to look for more new things. We’ve all got an irrepressible treasure hunter streak in us. Thanks to a process called habituation, the familiar just doesn’t provide the same kind of dopamine hit as the novel. Habituation explains why the new car that we were so motivated to get for months and months doesn’t excite us nearly as much after just a few weeks of driving it around town.

We also get that shot of dopamine whenever we encounter a new attractive woman other than our current partner. Our brains are hardwired to seek out as many different (novel) sexual partners as possible. Again, from a reproductive perspective it makes sense that being exposed to a variety of attractive sex partners would jack up dopamine in our sexual reward circuitry, particularly in men. For males, the goal is to reproduce with as many different females as possible to create as many progeny as possible, with as much genetic variation as possible to increase our possible blood lines.

This drive for multiple new sex partners even when you already have an available and willing one is often called the “Coolidge Effect” after a conversation the president supposedly had with his wife:

The President and Mrs. Coolidge were being shown [separately] around an experimental government farm. When [Mrs. Coolidge] came to the chicken yard she noticed that a rooster was mating very frequently. She asked the attendant how often that happened and was told, “Dozens of times each day.” Mrs. Coolidge said, “Tell that to the President when he comes by.” Upon being told, President asked, “Same hen every time?” The reply was, “Oh, no, Mr. President, a different hen every time.” To which the president replied, “Tell that to Mrs. Coolidge.”

To understand the power the Coolidge Effect has in increasing dopamine levels let’s take a look at two experiments.

In the first, a lucky male rat was placed in a cage with four or five female rats. He immediately had sex with all of them until exhaustion. Panting and rolled over in a sexual stupor, the male rat was nudged and licked by the female rats to keep going, but he didn’t respond. The tuckered-out rodent was no longer interested in doing the deed. But as soon as the researchers put a new female rat in the cage, old Mr. I’m Too Tired became alert and sarged over to have sex with the new female, while still ignoring his old harem. This rat’s ability to have sex with a new female despite having been previously sexually satiated all came down to dopamine. The first crew no longer gave him those potent dopamine squirts because, well, they were now boring. Been there, done that. But the new female caused an uptick in dopamine due to novelty and bam! the male rat’s sex drive was back. The Coolidge Effect explains why people are tempted to cheat, even with someone significantly less attractive that their long-term partner; the pull of novelty, any novelty, can be quite strong.

A similar experiment was done to show the Coolidge Effect in humans. Instead of putting a lone man in a room with four or five different women to have sex with (there likely would have been plenty of volunteers, but the ethicality would have been questionable), researchers showed test subjects an erotic film while their penises were attached to monitors to measure arousal. After 18 viewings of the same film, arousal had decreased dramatically. These guys had gotten used to seeing the same woman having sex with the same dude, so dopamine levels dropped. But on the 19th and 20th viewings, researchers showed a new clip and atten-hut! arousal skyrocketed once again. Sexual novelty increased dopamine levels, which increased sexual arousal.

How Online Porn Has Changed Your Brain

Alright. So what does all of the above have to do with internet porn?

Well, dopamine plays a central role in why you want to look at porn. Understand how dopamine works, and you understand why you are attracted to porn.

Porn is a substitute for actual sex, but your brain doesn’t know that. It reacts to a picture of a naked woman or a video of people having sex the same way it does a real life naked woman or you actually having sex. When encountering sexual images, your brain is going to ramp up dopamine levels, driving you to orgasm — whether that climax is fostered with another human being or is self-induced.

Dopamine also explains why certain types of porn are more compelling than others, and how in extreme cases men prefer porn to actual sex.

A still picture of a naked woman will jack up dopamine levels the first time you see it, but after a while that same picture just won’t do it for you any more. Your brain has become habituated to that stimulus. In order to be aroused again, you’d need to increase dopamine levels by injecting more novelty into your sexual fantasies with a new picture of a different naked woman.

But as time goes on, simply looking at any picture of a naked woman won’t get you aroused. You need something more. Well, you get a bigger squirt of dopamine whenever you watch others have sex in a porn video because the live action activates your mirror neurons, making you feel like you’re the one having sex. The stronger the stimulation, the bigger the shot of dopamine to the reward system, and hence the greater desire you have to watch that porn video.

But as the study above showed, after repeated viewings, even an erotic film can become like watching a boring documentary. It just won’t offer the same kind of dopamine hit you got the first time you watched it, and will eventually fail to arouse you. Again, this is due to habituation. To become sexually aroused again, you need to increase dopamine levels by watching something new, be it a video with a new woman or a video with some new sex practice you’ve never seen before. Add the novelty, increase the dopamine, and sexual arousal returns.

You’re probably seeing a common theme here: novelty. Porn offers the sexual novelty that dopamine has hardwired you to seek. The more you successfully find new sexual experiences, the more dopamine you get, which reinforces the desire to look for even more sexual novelty. Porn’s easy access to new “experiences” is part of what makes it so alluring.

Now before the internet, this wasn’t much of a problem. Once a man in the pre-internet porn years got habituated to his “girly” magazine, he had to trek over to the adult bookshop or the convenience store in the seedy part of town to get a new one. If he wanted to watch a pornographic film, he’d have to go to a XXX theatre or maybe a porno booth in that bookstore where he got his mags. Whether getting magazines or seeing films, it was a lot of rigmarole to get porn, plus there was the risk of getting caught and experiencing social shame. So, many men just didn’t bother. Even when he could have the magazines or videos delivered to his home, that happened maybe once or twice a month. If he had kids, he had to find a place to stash his porn and then find time when his family wasn’t around so he could exhume his collection and view it in privacy. Again, a lot of rigmarole.

So while porn offered some sexual novelty back in the day, there were barriers put in place due to technology (or the lack thereof) and social mores that made access to new and novel porn difficult and time-consuming. Because the dopamine hits from the new and novel didn’t come easy, getting hooked on porn was difficult and most men didn’t experience the many problems that modern porn users report.

Fast-forward to today. Thanks to the internet, you now have an infinite variety of porn on tap 24/7. Dopamine spikes due to sexual novelty have never been easier to achieve. No more trudging to the adult bookstore, no more going to great lengths to hide your porn. Just bring it up on your laptop or mobile device in the privacy of your home or at the bathroom at work. You can have multiple tabs open in your browser for different porn sites featuring a whole host of different virtual sex partners. As Gary Wilson notes in Your Brain on Porn, in “ten minutes, you can ‘experience’ more novel sex partners than your hunter-gatherer ancestors experienced in a lifetime.”

Internet porn doesn’t just provide access to novel sex “partners,” but to novel sexual experiences as well. You’re not just limited to watching a couple have sex missionary style, but can watch a wide variety of sexual acts. Just as novel sex partners will jack up dopamine levels, so will observing different sex acts. And as we’ll discuss tomorrow, dopamine levels also spike when we encounter things that shock us or gross us out. The more intense the emotional experience we have when we encounter porn, the more dopamine is released into our brain’s reward system. Which is why you may find yourself searching for kinkier and kinkier porn even though part of you finds it repulsive. All of this novelty is just a click away. As you experience more and more dopamine squirts to your reward system with new types of porn, connections in your brain’s reward circuitry strengthen, increasing your drive to seek even more sexual novelty. On and on the cycle goes.

Neuroplasticity, or, Why You Have the Urge to Look at Porn Whenever You Get Bored or Open Up Your Web Browser

So dopamine is what drives you to want to look at porn. And thanks to the internet, you have access to an unlimited variety of sexual “experiences” that when viewed, send out squirt after squirt of dopamine in your brain, which drives you to search for more and more porn.

At the same time, without you even knowing it, those dopamine squirts are also strengthening neural connections that are responsible for the behavior that keeps those neurotransmitter hits coming.

Porn is literally rewiring your brain.

You’ve probably heard the phrase “neurons that fire together, wire together.” It aptly describes the way we learn things. Everything you know – how to walk, how to throw a football, who won the World Series in 1989 — is made up of connected neurons firing in sync with one another. The stronger the connection, the less you have to think about doing or remembering the thing you’re trying to recall. You don’t have to think about walking, for instance, because the neurons involved in walking have a strong connection that began being formed as toddler. However, trying to remember information for a history test that you just crammed for the previous night might be more difficult because the neurons involved in that memory haven’t fired enough together to create a strong connection.

Neurons firing and wiring together is also how our habits are formed. When you receive a shot of dopamine after receiving some reward, be it food or sex or novelty, your brain is strengthening the neurons that fired and wired together to achieve the reward so that you will repeat the process and can get it again in the future. This rewiring involves connecting the cues and behavior that led to a respective reward.

This cue-behavior-reward connection is what author Charles Duhigg calls “The Habit Loop,” and understanding it can go a long way in helping you understand your porn habit (and break it).

Habit researchers have shown that almost all cues (the thing that reminds or triggers your brain to seek a reward through a certain behavior) fall into one of five categories:

  • Location
  • Time
  • Emotional State
  • Other People
  • Immediately-preceding Action

Again, your brain is paying attention to cues that are connected with the reward. Once it recognizes the cue, dopamine is released to get you craving and wanting to do whatever it takes to get the reward. Think Pavlov’s dogs here. At the beginning of that experiment, it was just food that got the dogs salivating. But then they were introduced to the cue of a metronome, and after a while just that sound would get them salivating for their reward.

With porn, the associated cue could be sitting down at your computer late at night when everyone else is asleep. If you’re John Mayer, the cue would be being in bed when you first get up in the morning. For many guys, being in bed right before they go to sleep is a cue. Coming across a porn image by accident while surfing Tumblr could be a cue to start looking for more porn. Heck, just visiting Tumblr might be a cue to start looking for more porn.

Cues don’t even have to be external. The most common porn surfing cues are emotional states. Many men find themselves surfing for porn when they’re depressed or bored or even distracted. For them, the pleasure of porn offers relief from these unpleasant emotions.

Once the cue triggers the dopamine production that ramps up your motivation to view porn, a behavioral routine is automatically set in motion. A routine is a behavior or set of behaviors that get you to the reward of orgasm. So let’s say your cue to look for porn is when you’re at your computer late at night after everyone has gone to bed. Once that happens, without even really thinking about it, you open up your web browser (in incognito mode, of course) and go right to PornHub to commence a session of porn browsing and masturbating. The cue-behavior/routine-reward circuit is complete. Your brain releases a huge squirt of dopamine right around orgasm, reinforcing the neural connections associated with the cue, routine, and reward so that next time you have the same cue (at your computer late at night), you’ll get that itch to start your routine to get more porn. Repeat this circuit over a period of a few days or weeks, and you’ve got yourself a strong neural connection that leads to you checking out porn without even really thinking about it. That’s how porn can become a strong habit or even an addiction (we’ll talk more about the habit vs. addiction distinction in the next post).

Recap

Let’s review what we’ve covered today.

The reason porn is so alluring is because of dopamine. Dopamine is what makes us crave or seek out evolutionarily advantageous rewards. Sex is the strongest natural reinforcer of behavior and releases the most amount of dopamine in our brain when we successfully orgasm. Our brain doesn’t differentiate between porn-induced sex fantasies and actual sex, so we get the same big squirt of dopamine, and the same incredibly strong drive to orgasm, with porn as we do with real life sex. Basically, when you look at porn, your brain thinks you’re a heroic tribesman out on the savanna, and is shouting “Atta boy! Spread that seed! Spread that seed!” when in reality you’re hunched over your laptop, the light of the screen illuminating your dead-eyed gaze, as you clench a wad of tissues.

The more habituated we get to a stimulus, the less dopamine our brains release in conjunction with it. Getting the same hit as before necessitates seeking out sexual novelty, and high-speed internet porn provides this in spades. This easy access to a wide variety of new sexual scenes and practices makes internet porn all the more alluring and desirable thanks to the dopamine hits your brain gets every time you click over to a new porn clip or picture.

Not only does dopamine create the craving to surf for porn, it’s also strengthening the neural connections in your reward circuitry that are responsible for the behaviors that lead to you actually looking at and masturbating to porn. Your brain comes to associate certain environmental or internal cues with the reward of orgasm so that whenever you encounter these cues, a behavioral routine is initiated that leads you to your favorite porn site. Your brain releases more dopamine in response to successfully getting porn, and orgasming from it, which strengthens this neural cue-routine-reward circuit, making porn surfing a habit that’s extremely difficult to shake.

And there you have the brain science of why internet porn is so incredibly alluring and habit-forming.

But, the question remains…should you even care? Why not just give the old brain what it craves and not worry about it? To the possible negative effects of this course, is where we will turn in part 3.

Yes, Penis Dysmorphia Is A Real Thing

Yes, Penis Dysmorphia Is A Real Thing

Penile body dysmorphic disorder goes beyond wishing to be bigger. Men say it affects many parts of their lives.

By Brittany Wong

* This article is a repost which originally appeared on HuffPost US

“Nobody wants someone to look at their penis and say, ‘Yeah, that will work I guess.’”

Steven, a 30-year-old welder from Los Angeles, has a perfectly normal-sized penis. In fact, going by a recent study which found that the average erect penis size is 5.16 inches long, he’s a little larger than average.

But in his teen years through his early 20s, he had what he calls “penis issues.”

“I always just believed I was on the small side of average, and anyone that said otherwise was just trying to make me feel good or otherwise manipulate me,” Steven, who asked to be identified only by his first name to protect his privacy, told HuffPost.

He felt confident in his looks in other areas ― he hit the gym regularly and was told he was good-looking. But none of that mattered to him; by the internet porn standards he’d absorbed through the years, he believed he wasn’t stacking up physically.

“Growing up in the internet age with readily available porn, it gave the impression that every guy out there is packing a monster penis except for you,” he said.

This mentality took a major toll on his sex life.

“It’s easy to get this false impression that a girl you hook up with would later tell stories about you being the one small cock she found in the wild, or she would tell the next guy she’s with about how he’s so much bigger than the last guy,” he added.

Comparison is the thief of joy, especially when it comes to penis size. At the time, Steven was dealing with what sex experts call penis dysmorphia (or what’s more generally called “penile body dysmorphic disorder” or “penile BDD.”)

Penile BDD isn’t an actual diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual that psychiatrists and psychologists use for diagnosing mental disorders; instead, it’s considered a subcategory of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) that’s hyper-focused on the penis.

Penis dysmorphia is much more than simply wishing your penis was bigger, said Stephen Snyder, a sex therapist and host of the podcast “Relationship Doctor.”

Much like generalized body dysmorphia, men with penile BDD are so preoccupied with perceived defects or flaws in their appearance ― in this case, size ― that it causes them real distress. Sometimes, it leads to avoidant social behavior.

“Men who suffer from penis dysmorphia may compulsively measure themselves over and over, avoid dating, practice home-enlargement techniques they see promoted on the internet and even seek penis enlargement surgery,” Snyder told HuffPost.

As with regular body dysmorphia, it doesn’t matter that the size differential is insignificant and undetectable to others. The condition can affect anyone: those who are well-endowed, average, under-endowed, growers and showers ― you name it. (In fact, one study in the British Journal of Urology suggested that most men who go for penis enlargement surgery have normal-sized penises.)

A girl texted me back, ‘OMG you’re so f**king thick.’ Most would take this as a compliment but it was lost on me, I felt like yet again I was being lied to.Steven, 30

It’s hard to say how common penis dysmorphia is, though, since people with BDD often don’t seek help from a mental health professional, Snyder said.

“You know you’re dealing with it if you’ve suffered significantly or have your life be impaired as a result, and have engaged in maladaptive behaviors ― avoiding dating or that constant need to measure yourself,” Snyder said.

The good news? In a recent study of American men, 85.9% of guys reported being more or less satisfied with their genitals. But if you’re dealing with penis dysmorphia, size matters a whole lot; you’re never satisfied, and any positive feedback you might hear is basically ignored.

Porn’s Role In Penis Dysmorphia

Part of the reason some men have penile BDD is that their expectations are warped by porn, where well-hung actors ― statistical outliers, really ― are the norm.

In his book “The Penis Book: A Doctor’s Complete Guide to the Penis,”  urologist Aaron Spitz says that roughly 40% of men who come to urologists’ offices seeking penis enlargement surgery got the idea that they were under-endowed from watching porn when, in fact, they are normal.

“A huge problem with pornography is that, although most guys intuitively know it’s not ‘real,’ few men have any other frame of reference to compare themselves to,” Spitz told HuffPost. “Unless a straight guy happens to be a urologist like me, he really has a very limited understanding of the pageantry of the penis in all its various shapes and sizes.”

Hell, even porn stars are surprised by what they see in real life compared to what’s on PornHub.

“In the industry, the average penis size is often over 8 or 9,” Theo Ford, an adult film performer, told HuffPost in April. “Funnily enough, I often forget that that’s the case and am almost surprised if I meet a guy with an average penis size.”

“In porn, even I could potentially feel inadequate,” he admitted. “I’m not sure how the general public feels about themselves if they only see very hung guys, but I hope they, too, remember that porn is simply a fantasy. (https://www.dunkinbahamas.com/) ”

I think I stayed a virgin for so long because I let my dysmorphia consume me. I adopted a defeatist mentality. Luke, 24

The pressure to be porn-perfect is harder on some men in particular. Given how popular “big black cock” (BBC) videos are on porn sites, Black men in particular struggle with size issues. (Subreddits about penis size are full of men of color lamenting how porn portrays them: the exaggerated ideas about their genitalia and the industry’s ugly, highly-stereotyped view of Black sexuality.)

Growing up as a Black teen in South Bend, Indiana, Luke, 24, said his penis dysmorphia went hand in hand with his porn addiction.

“The whole BBC myth made me exceptionally self-conscious to the point I just told myself, if women are expecting something special from me, I’m just going to disappoint them, and in that case, I might as well not put myself in situations to disappoint,” Luke, who asked to withhold his last name for privacy, told HuffPost.

Because of anxiety about his size, Luke was a virgin up until a few months ago.

“My penis measures in at a hair over seven inches but because of all the porn I’d seen, I believed I was average at best and definitely small for a Black guy,” he said. “I think I stayed a virgin for so long because I let my dysmorphia consume me. I adopted a defeatist mentality.”

How To Deal With Penis Dysmorphia Without Getting A ‘Dick Job’

Spitz said men should talk to a doctor or a therapist before undergoing any type of surgery. Generally, as long as your body is healthy and functioning, there’s no good reason to stress over dimensions you don’t control, he said.

“Take your natural body, keep it as healthy as you can, and enjoy it, and just as importantly, bring someone else enjoyment,” he said.

It doesn’t help to constantly measure yourself, either.

“Compulsive self-observation and self-measurement tend to make the anxiety of penile dysmorphia worse,” Snyder said. “It’s important to cut way down on compulsive checking.”

Even if you’re not considering surgery, if you’re actively avoiding dating or measuring yourself nonstop ― the two big warning signs of PBDD ― it might be worth talking to a therapist or specialist about your concerns.

Both Luke and Steven said they’ve moved past their days of avoiding sex. They’re less consumed with size. Talking about penis dysmorphia on Reddit with other guys who’ve experienced it has helped. So has taking a more realistic view of porn ― and at times, cutting back on watching it.

“Of course every guy wants the porn reaction … nobody wants someone to look at their penis and say, ‘Yeah, that will work I guess.’ But you do your research and realize how exaggerated porn can be,” Steven said.

What’s helped most is going on actual dates, he added.

In real life, he realized, most women are far less fixated on length than men are. (In fact, if women are interested in anything, it’s girth, since a wider penis does a better job of stimulating the entire clitoral structure. And obviously, there are other ways to please a woman that don’t involve your penis; work on your oral and digital sex skills.)

And of course, the same holds true for queer men. Yes, some men are very vocal about their “bigger is better” preference, but not all guys are seeking the same kind of sexual partner or the same sort of sex.

Today, Steven gets that people want to share their bed with someone decent, regardless of dick size.

“You have to be someone that others actually want to have sex with,” he said. “Your first concern shouldn’t be your penis size and how many tenths of an inch it is bigger than average. Focus on taking someone out and being kind, charming, funny, entertaining and genuine instead.”

Luke understands that now, too.

“Eventually I realized I have more to bring to a relationship than just the size of my penis, whether it’s big or small,” he said. “My size won’t matter if I have the personality of a rock.”

This Man Tried to Enlarge His Penis by Injecting It With Petroleum Jelly—and It Went Dangerously Wrong

This Man Tried to Enlarge His Penis by Injecting It With Petroleum Jelly—and It Went Dangerously Wrong

His DIY penis enhancement landed him in the hospital for a month.

By Jessica Migala

* This article is a repost which originally appeared on Health

Consider this your public service announcement for the day, something you might want to pass along to the guys in your life: Don’t inject petroleum jelly into your penis in an effort to make it larger.

One 45-year-old man living in the South Pacific learned that the hard way after he came down with gangrene on his penis. Yes, gangrene—a condition that causes body tissue to rot away. Details of this man’s diagnosis is newly published in the medical journal Urology Case Reports.

Wait—record scratch. How did this happen?

As the case report details, the man went to the ER with a “severe deformity of the shaft of the penis, which had been progressively worsening over the course of five days,” the authors wrote. The man said that his shaft was itchy and bled when he scratched it. After the area began to swell and he started feeling weak and feverish, he went to the ER.

The ER reported his symptoms as a fever of 101 degrees F and a fast heart rate. His penis also had necrotic skin, aka dead tissue.

Doctors thought they knew what was responsible for his symptoms: The man explained that two years earlier, he injected petroleum jelly into the shaft of his penis because he thought that would make his penis bigger. (The authors wrote that in some parts of the world, this is a common thing for men do.)

The docs opened up his penis to drain pus and fluid. They reported finding a lot of petroleum jelly around the shaft, which they removed. They diagnosed him with a type of gangrene called Fournier’s gangrene, which basically means gangrene of the genitals. Blood tests also were positive for staph and other bacteria.

Petroleum jelly is often recommended by dermatologists as a top-notch moisturizer, and it certainly seems harmless on skin. But it’s not harmless when it’s injected under the skin, and it’s safe to say that no doctor has ever given the go-ahead to inject it into the penis, especially as a way to make it bigger.

The petroleum jelly in the shaft was bad enough, but the authors of the case report explain that the man made things worse by scratching his penis, breaking the skin, and introducing the bacteria that sparked the infection. That eventually cut off blood supply to tissues and lead to Fournier’s gangrene, the researchers explained.

To treat Fournier’s gangrene, the man spent time in the intensive care unit taking antibiotics. He then was visited by plastic surgeons, who did skin grafts on his penis to replace the dead tissue. After a month, he was discharged from the hospital—*and his case report serves as something of a warning for any guy thinking of trying his own DIY penis enlargement.

*Editor’s note: For information on safe, healthy penis enlargement alternatives check out PEGym!

Sorry guys, having big feet doesn’t mean your penis is super-sized – it’s all in the toes

SOLE SEARCHING Sorry guys, having big feet doesn’t mean your penis is super-sized – it’s all in the toes

Becky Pemberton

* This article is a repost which originally appeared on THE Sun

MOST people know the phrase “you know what they say about men with big feet”, but is this cheeky saying true?

Scientists set out to see if the old wives tale of big feet equalling a whopping penis was accurate– and men with big shoes may no longer have a reason to brag.

It turns out, from a 1993 Canadian study, that there was no strong correlation between penis and foot size.

Scientists noted: “Height and foot size would not serve as practical estimators of penis length.”

This was supported by a similar study done across the pond in the UK in 2002, with researchers concluding: “The supposed association of penile length and shoe size has no scientific basis.”

However, there may be a body part that could be an indicator of your penis size; your toes.

What is the average penis size in the UK?

According to Target Map, Britain’s average erect schlong is from 3.5-5.8 inches.

But research from London clinic International Andrology clinic has slightly different results.

This may be because they asked 1,000 blokes to reveal their own size (which could have led to a few extra inches being added).

They found the average penis length in the UK is 6.36 inches.

Men with the largest members live in Wales, according to the survey, with the average size in that region measuring 6.56 inches.

At the bottom of the table with the smallest penises in the UK was the East Midlands, which came in with an average of 6.11 inches.

In 1999, a Korean study found that the circumference of the penis was slightly correlated to the length of your first and third toes.

Although a slight link occurred, it was deemed to be a weak indicator.

Scientists wrote: “Human body index including the size or characteristics of body extremities is not enough to predict the penile size.”

Meanwhile, in Greece in 2002, it was found that there is a “statistically significant” correlation between the penis length and index finger length.

So there you have it! Next time someone brags about the size of their trainers you may want to take the connotations with a pinch of salt.

Veiny Penis: Is It Normal?

Is it normal to have a veiny penis?

By Jamie Eske
Reviewed by J. Keith Fisher, M.D.

 

* This article is a repost which originally appeared on MEDICALNEWSTODAY

 

In most cases, seeing veins beneath the skin of the penis is perfectly normal and does not require medical attention.

Several factors influence vein visibility, including:

  • genetics
  • age
  • frequency and intensity of physical activity
  • cardiovascular health
  • underlying medical conditions

In this article, we discuss why the veins in the penis might appear prominent and what this means.

We also review potential underlying medical conditions that contribute to penis vein visibility and when to see a doctor.

Why does it happen?

There are several veins and arteries that carry blood to and from the spongy erectile tissue in the penis.

Veins may look larger than usual during and immediately following an erection. Although the appearance of prominent veins may cause alarm, they indicate healthy blood flow.

Genetics and age can influence skin thickness, which may make veins appear more prominent or bigger than usual.

Also, blood clots and other conditions that affect the cardiovascular system can trap blood in the veins, which may affect how these blood vessels look.

Do prominent veins affect erection or ejaculation?

Typically, prominent veins do not affect erectile function.

Conditions that affect blood flow, such as blood clots and atherosclerosis, can have a minor impact on erectile function.

Research suggests a close relationship between cardiovascular health and erectile function.

In a 2015 study, for example, researchers conclude that erectile dysfunction could be an early sign of cardiovascular disease.

Also, in an earlier study by the Heart Institute, the authors state that erectile dysfunction may precede heart attacks by 3–5 years.

Possible causes

Vein size and visibility may vary over a person’s lifetime. They can also change as a result of sexual activity, or due to an underlying health condition.

Some possible causes of prominent veins in the penis include:

Erection

During an erection, oxygenated blood from the heart flows through the cavernous artery, which supplies the three chambers of spongy tissue that make up the corpus cavernosum and the corpus spongiosum.

The increase in blood flow causes the spongy tissue to expand, resulting in an erection. The tunica albuginea keeps blood in the corpus cavernosum.

The blood will then drain through the veins near the surface of the penis and travel back to the heart and lungs. The spongy tissue will remain engorged with blood until the erection goes away.

Varicocele

A varicocele refers to enlargement of the veins that make up the pampiniform plexus in the scrotum, which is the loose skin that surrounds the testes.

Varicoceles develop during puberty and affect about 10-15% of young males.

The exact cause remains unknown, but the following factors may contribute to the formation of varicoceles:

  • reduced blood flow
  • swollen lymph nodes
  • injury or trauma to the testes

Varicoceles do not require treatment unless there is also:

  • pain
  • low sperm count
  • a lump on or near the testes
  • swelling of the scrotum

Blood clots

A blood clot, or thrombosis, is a medical condition that occurs when blood cells stick together to form solid masses in the blood vessels. Blood clots can interrupt or completely stop blood flow.

Penile blood clots can develop in the dorsal vein in the penis, resulting in a rare condition called Mondor’s disease. Mondor’s disease can lead to significant pain and swelling in the affected veins.

According to a 2018 case study, penile blood clots typically resolve on their own within 1–4 weeks.

Lymphedema

Lymphedema refers to swelling that occurs when lymph fluid incorrectly flows through the body.

Swelling due to lymphedema can make the veins more visible than usual.

Causes of lymphedema include:

  • blockages in the lymphatic system
  • cancer treatment
  • infection
  • injury
  • removal of lymph nodes
  • scar tissue buildup from surgery

Peyronie’s disease

Peyronie’s disease occurs when scar tissue, or plaque, forms in the top or bottom of the penis. The buildup of scar tissue can cause the penis to curve or bend, which can lead to severe pain during sexual intercourse.

The scar tissue that develops may feel slightly firm to the touch. Scar tissue that calcifies can feel like a hard, solid mass beneath the skin.

Causes of Peyronie’s disease include:

  • injury
  • autoimmune disease
  • vigorous sexual activity
  • aging

Lymphangiosclerosis

The abnormal hardening of a lymph vessel in the penis characterizes lymphangiosclerosis.

Lymphangiosclerosis can develop due to:

  • injury causing tissue damage in the penis
  • circumcision
  • scarring from circumcision
  • sexually transmitted infections
  • vigorous sexual activity

Unlike a prominent vein, lymphangiosclerosis will look similar to the rest of the skin. The hardened lymph vessel usually forms just below the head of the penis and measures about 3 millimeters thick.

A doctor may perform blood tests and analyze a small tissue sample to diagnose lymphangiosclerosis.

Lymphangiosclerosis typically goes away on its own within 4–6 weeks and rarely causes complications.

People with lymphangiosclerosis should try to abstain from sexual activity, including masturbation until completely healed.

When to see a doctor

In most cases, a person will have no reason to worry if the veins in their penis appear more prominent than usual.

However, people may want to consider speaking with a doctor if the appearance of veins in their penis causes them distress, or if they experience any of the following symptoms:

  • pain during erection, ejaculation, or urination
  • swelling of the penis or testicles
  • hard, flesh colored cord on the penis
  • lumps on the penis or scrotum
  • pain in the lower abdomen or back

If any of these symptoms occur alongside prominent veins in the penis, it may indicate an underlying medical condition.

Summary

The appearance of prominent veins in the penis may cause some concern.

However, enlarged penile veins usually occur as the result of normal blood flow to and from the penis.

In rare cases, an underlying medical condition can contribute to the appearance of penile veins. These conditions include:

  • cardiovascular diseases, such as blood clots
  • Peyronie’s disease
  • lymphangiosclerosis

People may want to consider contacting their doctor if they have noticeable cord-like structures on their penis or testicles.

People should seek immediate medical attention if they experience:

  • painful erection or ejaculation
  • swelling or lumps on the penis or scrotum
  • pain in the lower back or abdomen
  • unusual discharge from the penis

 

 

 

Ask a Stoner: Do Marijuana Sex Products Really Work?

Ask a Stoner: Do Marijuana Sex Products Really Work?

By Herbert Fuego

* This article is a repost which originally appeared on Westword

Dear Stoner: Can these marijuana sex products really help? I’ve seen some weird-looking shit at dispensaries.
Krafty

Dear Krafty: Haven’t we all? If you can put it in your body, chances are good that someone’s tried to put weed in it first — and don’t even get us started on where CBD is being introduced. But we’ll limit our answer to the birds and the bees.

Sexual enhancement and pleasure products have indeed invaded dispensaries and the hemp industry, with pills, lubes and even suppositories infused with cannabis offered to allegedly ease sexual anxiety or pain in our privates, or just make us better at sex.

We can’t tell you from experience whether CBD lube really does ease vaginal pain from menstrual issues or during sex, or if THC or CBD anal suppositories “enhance erotic play,” as their maker, Foria, says they do.

We also don’t have experience with THC-infused herbal male enhancement pills, like CannaMojo, which claims to be an aphrodisiac. Reviews online go both ways, but I get enough stoner jokes as it is, so I prefer to buy my lube at a Walmart self-checkout with my head down. Like a real man.

 

Will eating tomatoes make your penis bigger?

Will eating tomatoes make your penis bigger?

By Almara Abgarian

* This article is a repost which originally appeared on METRO.co.uk

We have shared a lot of penis facts as of late.

Like when we told you that you shouldn’t eat sexy pavement lichen to treat erectile dysfunction or explained why masturbating with pineapple juice is a bad idea.

Today we’re delving into a new area of penile exploration: sizing.

There are a lot of theories on the internet of foods that, if ingested regularly, will help add a few inches to a dick, including one particular vegetable that seems to pop up time and time again: the tomato.

Just a few months ago, a man posted on Quora to ask others whether the red juicy produce could work as a ‘home remedy’ for penis enlargement.

Firstly, note that we appreciate all dicks and there is nothing wrong with not having a monster aubergine in your trousers. But, to avoid queues at tomato aisles at supermarkets everywhere, we found out the facts.

Will eating tomatoes make your penis bigger?

Unfortunately, there is no research to support that spending your days eating tomato-based dishes will change the size of your penis.

However, that’s not to say there aren’t benefits.

Red fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, watermelons and strawberries, contain lycopene, an antioxidant that can have beneficial effects on your body, including your penis health.

Men who eat tomatoes – or meals that contain this vegetable – 10 times per week are 18% less likely to develop prostate cancer, due to the lycopene warding off toxins that could cause cell damage, according to a study in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

Additionally, another piece of research revealed that the antioxidant can potentially prevent tumuors from growing for people who have prostate or breast cancer.

What’s more, eating tomatoes could be helpful for men who suffer from infertility.

Consuming high quantities of the vegetable can improve the shape of a man’s sperm (or morphology) according to one study. Out of the participants, those who had eaten the most tomatoes had swimmers that were between 8-10% more ‘normal’.

It’s also said that the antioxidant can help improve blood flow and as a result, give men stronger erections.

‘Lycopene “is one of, if not the most powerful of nature’s antioxidants,’ Dr. Paul Turek, a fertility urologist, told Health.com.

‘It’s thought that oxidants underlie much of male infertility and prostate cancer, and we know that antioxidants are good for blood vessels in both in the heart and the penis. But their exact mechanisms of action aren’t well defined.’

To conclude, eating tomatoes is great for a lot of things – but not for penis growth.

Bronx Doctors Say Man Discovered With ‘Exceedingly Rare’ Condition, His Penis Is Turning Into Bone

Bronx Doctors Say Man Discovered With ‘Exceedingly Rare’ Condition, His Penis Is Turning Into Bone

* This article is a repost which originally appeared on WebMD

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Doctors in the Bronx say they encountered one of the rarest medical mysteries they’ve come across – a man’s penis was literally turning to bone.

According to a team of physicians from Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, a 63-year-old man suffered a fall onto the pavement and went to the hospital complaining of knee pain.

“He was walking on the side walk with his cane when he fell onto his buttocks. Shortly thereafter, he started to have a left knee pain,” the doctors reported in the medical journal Urology Case Reports.

To see the x-ray pictures click here

Doctors did an x-ray on the 63-year-old’s pelvis to make sure he hadn’t hurt his hip as well and that’s when the stunning discovery was made.

“An extensive, plaque-like calcification along the expected distribution of the penis was evident.”

The Bronx doctors say the unidentified man was likely suffering from an “exceedingly rare” case of ossification, or the abnormal formation of bone.

“Penile ossification remains a relatively rare condition being mentioned in very few journals,” the Bronx doctors said.

There are reportedly less than 40 published cases of a man’s penis turning to bone in this way.

Unfortunately, the staff at Lincoln Medical could not examine the man’s pelvic paralysis further. The 63-year-old reportedly decided to leave the hospital against the advice of medics and a follow-up lab exam could not be done.

For now, a medical mystery is still walking around New York.

Erections: Use It or Lose It?

Erections: Use It or Lose It?

What the research says about whether sex and masturbation help prevent erectile dysfunction.

By David Freeman

* This article is a repost which originally appeared on WebMD

Men who have trouble getting erections have sex less often than men with normal sexual function, several studies have shown.

But can a long sexual dry spell actually cause erectile dysfunction (ED)? And can men cut their risk for ED by having sex (or masturbating) on a regular basis?
What the Research Says

European scientists caused a stir in 2008 when they published results of a study — believed to be the only one of its kind — purporting to show that infrequent sex can lead to erectile dysfunction.

But many urologists remain skeptical.

The study, published in the July 2008 issue of the American Journal of Medicine, tracked 989 men in their 50s, 60s, and 70s for five years. It showed that men who reported having sexual intercourse less than once a week were twice as likely to develop ED. The less frequent the sex, the greater the risk for ED.

“The result indicated that regular sexual activity preserves potency in a similar fashion as physical exercise maintains functional capacity,” the scientists concluded.

The study didn’t address the question of whether masturbation helps preserve male sexual function. But it probably does help, says Juha Koskimaki, MD, PhD, a urologist at Tampere University Hospital in Tampere, Finland, and one of the authors of the study.

Both forms of sexual activity seem to protect nerve fibers and blood vessels responsible for erectile function and prevent scarring of the chambers inside the penis that fill with blood to form an erection, Koskimaki says.
Not So Fast

Other urologists tell WebMD that that while infrequent sex is clearly associated with ED, it’s unclear that it causes ED. And it’s premature to conclude that frequent sex or masturbation can help men stave off ED, they say.

“Having sex is good, masturbating is good, but the concept that men have to go out and have sex to preserve erectile function is bogus,” says Irwin Goldstein, MD, director of sexual medicine at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego.

Ira D. Sharlip, MD, clinical professor of urology at the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine and a spokesman for the American Urological Association, says that infrequent sex is more likely to be a consequence of ED than a cause.

Among men in the study, those who reported frequent sex might simply have had “good genes” that protected them from ED, whereas the men who developed ED might have had sex less frequently simply because they were having erection trouble, Sharlip tells WebMD in an email.

Erections to the Rescue

Erections seem to be the key, whether or not they’re accompanied by sex.

Anecdotal reports and expert opinion in sexual medicine indicate that having erections — with or without sex — helps preserve male sexual function. And of course, there’s no downside to having sex; it certainly won’t hurt a man’s chances of avoiding ED.

And with few exceptions, every man has several spontaneous erections each night while sleeping. So even in the absence of sexual activity, most men have a measure of built-in protection against erectile dysfunction, just by having erections at night.

The bottom line? Given the many benefits of sexual activity, and the possibility that the Finns are right about sex helping to prevent ED, urologists say there’s every reason to stay in the game.

The Rise of Impotence and Erectile Dysfunction in India

The Rise of Impotence and Erectile Dysfunction in India

An increase in impotence and erectile dysfunction is becoming a concern for men in India. We take a look at causes, the impact and helpful treatments.

By Prem Solanki

* This article is a repost which originally appeared on DESIblitz



In an age where sexual satisfaction is becoming a growing need in India, the issue of rising impotence and erectile dysfunction is being highlighted as a concern.

Impotence and erectile dysfunction are a condition where a man finds it difficult to maintain an erection to have sexual intercourse.

Thus, Indian men are not likely to openly get help for issues related to their manhood of this nature openly. Therefore, this is developing into an unhealthy growth of such men who are in need of help.

India has been dubbed the ‘impotence capital of the world’, not just in numbers but also in prevalence rates.

According to Dr Sudhakar Krishnamurti who set up the first andrology centre in India in 1989, impotence is affecting over 50% of Indian men over 40 and 10% of those aged below 40.

Another report has concluded that 1 out of every 10 men in India could be impotent, which is a very alarming figure.

The rise in impotence is beginning to affect relationships and marriages. It is taking its toll both on the suffering men and women partners.

We take a look at the impact of the rise of impotence and erectile dysfunction in India, causes and treatments available.

Health and Lifestyle Causes

There are a number of issues related to the health and lifestyle of Indian men being seen as contributors to impotence and erectile dysfunction.

Medical research has found that obesity, excessive smoking, alcoholism and drug abuse amongst men are examples of contributors towards impotence.

Heart ailments in India are on the rise and there is a direct correlation to the increase in levels of impotence.

However, the highest contributors are seen as diabetes, high lipids, hypertension, high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases, especially in men over 40.

Diabetes, in particular, is seen as a disease which is aiding the growth of impotence in India.

According to Dr Deepak Jumani, the most common complication of diabetes is erectile dysfunction (ED).

In research conducted by Dr Jumani, he compared diabetes results in India and those of China and other countries and concluded:

“We compared all these results with data from China and other countries.

“Conclusions: India ranks highest in the prevalence of Diabetes.

“In men, ED is the commonest complication, hence, India is Erectile Dysfunction capital of the world.”

Increases in stress, hypertension and sedentary lifestyles are also seen major contributing factor to the impotence in Indian men in all age groups.

Therefore, these health and lifestyles issues need serious attention when it comes to Indian men’s health in order to combat the growing problem of impotence and erectile dysfunction.

Depression, anxiety and other mental health issues can contribute to impotence as well. Some medications prescribed for mental health problems can have an impact on sexual abilities like not being able to maintain erections.

There is also a myth associated with masturbation being a cause of impotence and erectile dysfunction.

There is no medical evidence that proves masturbation can cause erectile dysfunction in men. However, anything extremely excessive can lead to problems like any other habit.

In the majority of cases, it is an unhealthy lifestyle which can be the culprit.

Impact on Marriage and Relationships

Figures say about 20-30% of Indian marriages are failing due to lack of sexual satisfaction.

This figure is not just referring to newlyweds but those even who are middle-aged and with grown-up families.

Then there are those who continue to suffer in silence without getting any help.

Issues with sexual communication, acceptance, expectations are all part of the equation in India that needs to be solved with impotence being a key variable.

Indian men tend to correlate their masculinity with their sexual prowess and ability to perform. Their ego can lay in their genitals.

Therefore, men having to deal with the onset of impotence and erectile dysfunction can take on a huge toll on expectations of them.

Being the man, they should be able to perform sexually but when they cannot the strain on their relationships can be huge.

Especially, in a marriage. Where traditionally, Indian men are seen to be pivotal in a sexual relationship.

In addition, Indian women are now a lot more educated about sex and more open to their needs in the bedroom.

Dr. Krisnamurti expands on this and says:

“There is a whole new openness about things. People are more willing to talk about sex; it isn’t a taboo subject.

“Before you couldn’t talk about oral sex, now it isn’t a big deal, and people are increasingly experimental.

“You have missionary position aunties trying out garters and whips to rekindle the spark in their sex lives.”

Hence, adding more pressure on Indian men to meet the needs of partners.

To hide the issue, men tend to blame the partner in the relationship for being obsessed with sex, being too demanding or for not turning him on.

This results in a gradual distance sexually in the relationship rather than dealing with the problem.

Sheena Kumari, a housewife says:

“Our sex life is over very quick and over within minutes.”

“Due to my husband not accepting that he has an impotence issue, I end up masturbating secretly and using ‘other things’ to satisfy myself.

“He provides me with material comforts and in his mind, our sex life is great without realising I too have sexual needs.

“So, our marriage is a façade of happiness which is a big lie when it comes to our sex life.”

Ameena Javed, who is in a relationship, says:

“My boyfriend has only started to have issues with impotence over the last year.

“At start, we thought it was nothing but gradually it became worse and I saw the effect it had on him. It was not good. Our sex life was impacted.

“So, I told him we have to get medical help. At first, he was very reluctant but as I was supporting him I went with him.

“Now, he is getting treatment, it has made a huge difference to him and us.”

Problems Having a Family

While impotence and erectile dysfunction have a major impact on the sex life in relationships and marriage, it also impacts a couple when it comes to having a family.

Once a couple gets married, the Indian pressure put on them to start a family increases tenfold.

This pressure can become a strain on a couple trying to conceive if the man is suffering from impotence and is finding it very difficult to have sexual intercourse.

Meera Khan, a recently married woman, revealed her anguish, saying:

“When I met my husband, he boasted about the many ex-girlfriends he had in the past.”

“So, I assumed he was sexually experienced.”

“He showed me tremendous affection, respect and love which led us to get married fairly quickly.

“But I only found out about his issue after our marriage and to save our marriage I have tried to conceive, to keep face to my relatives and my in-laws.

“When it comes to me he portrays himself as a caring and loving husband. But in reality, our intimacy is non-existent.

“It gets awkward, he even says he has a ‘headache’ or ‘not feeling well’ to avoid the issue of his impotence.”

“To help, I even collected his semen in a syringe and tried to inseminate myself with it.”

Porn and Impotence

India is touted as a nation growing in its use of porn. Research by popular porn website Pornhub has widely documented the increase.

This in return raises the question as to whether there is a connection between the excessive use of pornography and impotence.

The correlation between porn and impotence is being raised as a possible concern more amongst younger men.

Research is revealing that there is a possible link between porn and erectile dysfunction, where the use of porn in isolated environments by young men can desensitise sexual responses in them when it comes to sex with a partner.

An article published in 2016, highlights that more and more young men are seeking help for erectile dysfunction, and this could be due to the use of ‘hardcore’ pornography.

Research in the article suggests that porn decreases the satisfaction of men with their own bodies, therefore, triggering anxiety about their performance during sex.

Thus, indicating that sex with a real partner is a less arousing experience compared to the porn equivalent, which is something they have got their brain used to.

With porn being a scenario where women are always ready for sex and men are constantly hard, men using porn may need a lot more sexual stimulation to remain and feel aroused during sex with a partner.

With sex education being very limited in India, there is no doubt that porn is being used as a substitute and providing a very misconstrued picture of sexual performance expectations to young men.

Thus, this may be a contributing factor to impotence amongst younger Indian men not being able to get erections quickly as well, due to their excessive use of porn.

Getting Help and Treatment

Impotence is poorly understood and needs much more awareness in India to help men get treatment.

In an age of progressive sexual science, treatment for impotence and erectile dysfunction comes essentially in two forms in India.

Psychological and counselling support is one key method of help, which is proven to with good results.

This is because impotence can be related to psychological issues from a trauma in the past or childhood such as a bad sexual experience, poor relationships or a specific mental block.

Baljit, who has been married for over twenty years, says:

“Our sex life was starting to get affected by my husband erectile issues which started after he was 45.

“A friend of mine suggested we first see a psychologist who specialised in sexual issues.

“After a few discussions with my husband, he agreed. We found that the issue was related to his stress and workload in his job.

“He was not relaxing and had too much tension. The doctor told us to do some intimate exercises together which we followed.

“The doctor then suggested we go on holiday to try a different environment and get some quality time together.

“The holiday made such a difference, it was like a second honeymoon! We found ourselves re-engaging with sex and being intimate once again.”

The second form of treatment is medication. There are many forms of medication available to help impotence and erectile dysfunction including the popular ‘blue pill’ Viagra.

Other treatments include surgical procedures as well, including penile implants, which provide a mechanism to help a man to achieve an erection.

Medication, counselling and possibly surgery, would be treatments considered and offered by a medical professional to help Indian men.

Therefore, it is important for a man who is being affected by impotence and erectile dysfunction to seek medical help.

The more the matter of impotence is prolonged without medical support, the more impact it will have on the man, his partner and even family.

Indian women are now being seen to support their men when it comes to sexual issues and they are openly seeking help for them.

Dr Sudhakar Krishnamurti says:

“A quarter of the cases that I see are brought in by women.

“This is often because men and women are educated at different levels, and women are much more assertive if they are better educated; and if there is a problem they are willing to bring their husbands to the clinic.

“Sometimes the husbands are busy, or unwilling to face the issue, and in the much more open atmosphere that we live in, wives are willing to schedule the appointments.”

Seema Tiwari, a young housewife, says:

“After a lot of convincing, my husband finally agreed to see a specialist doctor.

“First we tried a lot of Desi remedies for his problem but nothing really worked.

“After three consultations and tests, the doctor provided treatment with medication which definitely helped.

“Since then, our sex life has got much better and above all, he is much happier.”

New methods and techniques are continuously being researched to help men with the issue in India.

Dr Sudhakar Krishnamurti says that rigidity levels of erections can decrease in men too:

“Even if a person isn’t completely impotent they might not be able to perform. Now we have machines that can measure rigidity, and we have moved beyond early thinking on the subject.”

Removing the taboo around sexual problems such as impotence is much needed in India and better sex education is a must.

With the internet providing a plethora of information on the issue, it is important to not get misinformed and get misled by ‘quick fixes’ to the problem with potions and pills.

Therefore, seeking professional medical help for an Indian man suffering from impotence and erectile dysfunction should be mandatory.