Most people think that the penis is a pretty straightforward (no pun intended) organ, but there are some interesting quirks to male genitalia that you might know already know.
Here are the strangest and lesser known…
They can get erect even after death
The penis is basically born-ready, and it’s not uncommon, albeit a bit creepy, for babies to be born with an erection. Sometimes, ultrasound scans have even picked up foetuses’ with erections in the womb.
Erections continue to happen for your whole life and perhaps even afterwards. Known as ‘angel lust’, a man can get an erection moments after death — it’s most common when a man has died suddenly.
It’s not a bone or a muscle
Most people probably realise that the penis does not contain any bones (despite the ‘boner’ nickname!) but the more prominent (heh) misconception is that the penis is instead, a muscle. But can you move it very much when it’s erect?
The penis is actually not a muscle; an erection is caused by blood rushing to the organ when a man is sexually excited, which makes the penis swell, so it can’t be flexed in the same way a muscle can when it’s not filled with blood.
Yup, penises can break
So if it’s not a bone or a muscle — can you break it? The answer is a resounding yes. It’s not overly common, but if the penis is violently twisted or bent when erect (usually as a result of certain sex positions), the blood vessels can burst and can result in something known as a penile fracture.
Symptoms of a broken penis include a popping or cracking sound (upon breakage), swelling and intense pain.
Morning glory doesn’t just happen in the morning…
Most men will be familiar with a phenomenon known as ‘morning glory’ or ‘morning wood’, where they wake up with an erection. But it’s actually not a stand-alone erection; a healthy man will have three to five erections during a night’s sleep.
Although the cause is not fully understood, we do know that each erection will usually last for around 30 minutes and there seems to be a correlation between a man’s nighttime erections and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is when dreams occur.
No, there’s no link between penis size and foot size
There’s a lot of lad chat and jokes about what big shoes mean, but the idea that penis size is linked to shoe size is nothing more than a myth.
Researchers at University College London measured the penises of 104 men of various ages and found no link between penis size and shoe size.
Erectile dysfunction is more common than you realise
Along with most men’s familiarity with their penis comes a fear of it not working. And while most people will know what erectile dysfunction is, most won’t realise how common it is.
Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t just affect the elderly; ED typically affects up to one in five men (4.3 million men) across the UK.
Thankfully, there are a number of effective treatments for erectile dysfunction available, including Viagra, Cialis and Levitra and other treatments offered by UK Meds that can be discretely delivered to your door, as well as lifestyle changes like stress reduction and eating a healthier diet.