The difference between good sex and great sex has a lot to do with understanding your or your partner’s anatomy. Our genitals, especially the penis, is something we don’t give a lot of thought to. Guys get hard and they masturbate or fuck. Feels good, right?

But if you want to prolong your erections, come harder, or just want to enjoy your masturbation, anal sex or lovemaking more, longer or in different ways? What if you have a problem getting or staying hard or can’t come? Knowing the parts of the male genitals, what they do, and how they work go a long way in having great sex … even more so than taking a “magic pill” that your doctor prescribes (although they can be helpful) or the ones that are sold in annoying middle of the night infomercials or sold at the counter at your local mini-mart or gas station (usually bogus).

The Anatomy of a Penis

The penis is composed of three chambers; the two cavernous bodies (or corpora cavernosa), which lie side by side on top of the penis, and the spongy body (or corpus spongiosum), which is centered below the other two. The spongy body surrounds the urethra and extends out the end of the shaft to form the glans.

All three chambers contain small hollow areas that fill with blood to produce an erection. Surrounding all three bodies is a semi-elastic membrane called the tunica albuginea. The arteries that feed blood to the penis are surrounded by smooth muscle fibers that normally limit blood flow to the penis. When a man is aroused, the muscle fiber relaxes and blood flow into the penis increases. The spongy tissue of the penis fills with blood, causing the penis to swell. The size of the erect penis is governed by the semi-elastic membrane. It’s kind of like a bicycle tire; once it fills up, it gets firm and hard but can’t get any bigger. The veins that drain the penis, which lie close to the surface, are compressed by the erection and slow the blood flow from the penis. Basically, this is what keeps a penis hard.

Sex Facts About the Penis

1. It takes about 0.033814 ounces of blood for a penis to get stiff. The circulation rate must be very high at 0.067628045 ounces per second. The small arteries, with a diameter of around 0.5 mm when the penis is resting, will double their diameter to convey the blood.
2. Erections are not consistent. Waxing and waning are normal, even during foreplay and intercourse. Trying different masturbation or oral techniques usually get the little guy straight up and full of attention in no time.
3. Nocturnal erections occur during all male dreams, sometimes as many as nine times during the night. They naturally occur during REM sleep, whether you’re having a hot dream or a zombie apocalypse nightmare.
4. Morning wood happens during, or just after a dream; and it can be a very persistent erection. While a morning erection is not a sign of arousal, its presents and the pleasurable sensations it can create may result in arousal.
5. Non-erect size is not an accurate determiner of erect size. Some guys are growers and others are show-ers. Increases from flaccid to erect lengths range widely, from less than a quarter-inch to 3.5 inches longer. On average, a limp penis will increase in volume 300% when it is erect. An erect penis will also contain more than eight to 10 times its normal amount of blood.
6. Think of masturbation as a healthy workout. You need to have erections regularly to keep your penis in shape. To maintain a healthy tone, the smooth muscle of the penis must be periodically enriched with oxygen by the rush of blood that engorges the penis and makes it erect. Without regular erections, penile tissue can become less elastic and shrink, making the penis 1-2 centimeters shorter.
7. Men will go limp if they drink too much. About 3½ drinks will start having an adverse effect on a 150-pound man.
8. Smoking can shorten your penis by as much as a centimeter. Erections are all about good blood flow, and lighting up calcifies blood vessels and stifles erectile circulation.
9. You guys can all stop lying and bragging. All men are hung like horses. Most mammals have a bone called the baculumor ospenis in the penis, but it is absent in humans and horses.The part of the penis that is visible is only about half of the whole organ. When it’s flaccid, it looks like a boomerang. The root of the penis is the portion of the penis that is inside the body. The root is attached to a bone at its base, and this serves to anchor the penis and allows it to stand away from the body during erection. So when a guy claims he’s got a big 8 or 10 inches, he may not be lying. He may also be the kind of guy who’s fond of saying, “It’s what’s in inside that counts.”
10. The part of the penis that is visible is only about half of the whole organ. When it’s flaccid, it looks like a boomerang. The root of the penis is the portion of the penis that is inside the body. The root is attached to a bone at its base, and this serves to anchor the penis and allows it to stand away from the body during erection. So when a guy claims he’s got a big 8 or 10 inches, he may not be lying. He may also be the kind of guy who’s fond of saying, “It’s what’s in inside that counts.”
11. The shaft of the penis contains neither bone nor any significant amount of muscle. The shaft is wider than it is high, and one side usually bulges out more than the other. The erect penis is very tough. It can be squeezed quite firmly without causing pain or damage.

Sex Tips to Arouse His Penis

1. The most common complaint men have about the way their female partner handles their penis is, “She’s too gentle.” Don’t be afraid to be aggressive. Major turn-on!
2. The glans, otherwise called the head of the penis, contains a large number of nerve endings. For a lot of men, the glans is hypersensitive right after orgasm. The frenulum, an elastic band of tissue under the glans that connects the foreskin to the penis and covers the glans a very sensitive area. So is the corona, the rounded border on the base of the glans. It’s usually believed that the head of the penis is the most sensitive part, but a long of guys say it’s the frenulum or the corona.
3. Vibrators aren’t just for women. They work on the penis, too. In fact, vibration is so effective on the penis that often men with spinal cord injuries can ejaculate with the aid of a special medical vibrator. For this kind of treatment, the vibrator is usually held against the underside of the head of the penis.
4. Other sensitive parts of the penis worth exploring and playing with include underside of the glans and underside of the shaft, which have the highest sensitivity rating for a significant majority of men, followed by the upper side of the glans,the left and right sides of the glans, the sides of the penis, the upper side of the shaft, and foreskin.
5. Guys, this is all the more reason why you shouldn’t rush to come when you masturbate. Rushing to come only conditions your body and mind to ejaculate quickly when you’re with your partner, robbing both of you for longer and more intense pleasure.
6. Women who are more likely to have vaginal orgasms say it is easier to orgasm with men who have longer penises. A longer penis may be better able to stimulate the vagina and the cervix. Don’t have a long dong? Enter a woman while kneeling over her. Life her butt on a pillow and with legs up in the air. A sex sling with stirrups makes it very easy and comfortable for a woman to stay in this position, even for a long time.

Penis Sex Facts

1. Every penis in the womb starts as a clitoris before hormones ‘sex’ the brain of the to-be male. The penis retains the mark of its female heritage with the dark underskin and the thin ridge or seam, known as the raphe, which runs from scrotum to anus, which is a fusion of the vaginal lips.
2. Men with foreskin usually have some sexual advantages over their cut counterparts. Foreskin is loaded with nerve endings and is sensitive to touch. The mucous membranes under the double layer of skin allow the penis to slip in and out of the vagina non-abrasively inside its own sheath, reducing the need to interrupt what’s going on to grab that bottle of lube on the nightstand. Foreskin also keeps the head of the penis softer and much more sensitive.
3. Circumcision is a routine operation in America, but virtually nonexistent (other than for religious reasons) in Europe. About 80% of American men are circumcised. Only about 30% of men worldwide are circumcised.
4. The scrotum is composed of skin and muscle, and is designed to pull the testicles closer to the body for warmth, and to hang away from the body for cooling. The scrotum also pulls the testicles towards the body during sexual excitement, and at climax they are held tightly against the body. One side of the scrotum, usually the left, hangs slightly lower to keep the testicles from knocking together when a man walks or runs.
5. Both sperm and male sex hormones are produced by the testicles (also called the testes). Sperm production requires a temperature slightly below normal body temperature, and new research suggests that temperature also effects hormone production. The testicles are very sensitive to pressure; even a slight bump can be painful. Some men like to have their testicles stimulated, others do not.
6. Once produced in the testicles, sperm move into the epididymis, a tightly coiled mass of thin tubes in the scrotum that carries sperm from the testes to the vas deferens to “ripen”. At this point the sperm are inactive, being moved by the body, not by swimming.
7. The vas deferens are thin tubes that transport sperm from the epididymis up into the body.The vas deferens end near the seminal vesicles produces part of the fluid ejaculated with the sperm.
8. The prostate produces part of the seminal fluid that begins the ejaculation process and keeps semen and urine from mixing. The prostate produces small amounts of fluid continually, but accelerates greatly during sexual arousal. Extra fluid produced during prolonged arousal can lead to a stronger climax.
9. Prostatitis, or what we normally refer to as blue balls, happens when the prostate gets congested. It is a real condition and it does hurt. It happens when a man gets repeatedly aroused but cannot ejaculate, or by a feast-or-famine sex life. Mild cases can be easily remedied by climaxing either through masturbation or penetrative sex. More serious cases require prescription medication and massaging of the prostate by a physician.
10. As a man ages, his prostate swells, often interfering with normal urination. Prostate cancer is very common in older men, although it is treatable if found early by routine screening.
11. Sphincters are small valves that control the flow of urine and semen in the prostate. The upper sphincter prevents semen from moving into the bladder during ejaculation. It also makes it more and more difficult for a man to urinate as he becomes increasingly erect. The lower sphincter helps pressurize the semen just before ejaculation.
12. The ejaculatory duct is an area of the urethra in the prostate between the sphincters. The sperm and various fluids mix in this area as ejaculation begins, the closed sphincters and muscle contractions create a pressurized system, which causes a man to climax and ejaculate.
13. The Cowper’s glands are two pea sized glands produce a slippery alkaline fluid, commonly called pre-cum, when the man is aroused. Pre-cum actually serves a purpose. This fluid prepares the urethra for ejaculation. During prolonged arousal, the fluid may form drops at the tip of the penis. Sperm are not present in this fluid.
14. Semen is actually a mixture of sperm cells (less than 1%) and fluids from the prostate (30%) and seminal vesicles (70%). A typical ejaculation is about a teaspoon of fluid, and can contain up to 600 million sperm.
15. Ejaculation normally happens along with orgasm, although it can be caused separately. Ejaculation happens in two distinct parts. The first, the emission phase, causes sperm and fluid to mix in the ejaculatory duct, while the sphincters close and muscles contract. During this time, a man feels what is called ejaculatory inevitability, or the point of no return. The second, or the expulsion phase, occurs when the lower sphincter opens, forcing the semen out of the penis. Contractions in the base of the penis help propel semen out of the body. Most of the fluid is ejected in the first few contractions, but the penis may continue to contract sporadically for 15 to 20 seconds, particularly after prolonged arousal.
16. The average male orgasm lasts six seconds. A woman’s typically lasts 23 seconds.
17. The amount of semen in an ejaculation is normally about a teaspoon full, but this varies from man to man. If a man has two ejaculations in a short period of time, the second will usually be very small.
18. Following ejaculation, the penis returns to its non-erect state. There is a rapid partial loss of erection, followed by a much slower loss of the remaining erection. The second stage lose seems to be slower after prolonged sex. Resolution, or the refractory period, is the period of time after ejaculation during which a man can’t have another erection.
19. The length of the resolution phase is usually related to age. It can be minutes for teens and possibly days for older men. It can be effected by sexual frequency, with less sexually active men having the longest refractory period as they age.
20. The most common cause of penile rupture is vigorous masturbation.
21. Penises can break. The most common way penises get injured is woman-on-top, or cowgirl position.
22. About one in 400 men is flexible enough to give himself a blow job. It’s a safe bet that the other 399 have given it their best shot.
23. The smells of licorice, pumpkin pie, lavender, donuts and chocolate are reputed to increase penile blood flow. (Note that beer and bacon didn’t make the cut.)
24. Asparagus, red meat and dairy are reported to produce the least pleasant-tasting jizz.
25. The largest penis ever to be medically verified was 13.5 inches long and 6.25 inches in circumference. Just to put that in perspective, the average vagina is three to four inches deep.
26. The Kinsey Report verified the longstanding rumor that black men have larger penises than white guys, but not by much. The average black male’s hard-on measures 6.3 inches, leaving the white man in a close second with a mean of 6.2 inches.
27. Some penises are more geographically desirable than others. Men in the Republic of Congo have the average largest erect penises of 7.1 inches. The U.S. ranks 18th in terms of average erect penis length at 5.1 inches. North and South Korea rank last at 3.8 inches,
28. A micropenis refers to penises that are shorter than 2.8 inches in length when stretched. The condition affects only six in 1,000 men. It’s caused by inadequate testosterone at a late stage of fetal development.

Previously published at: http://agoodwomansdirtymind.com/a-primer-on-the-plumbing-of-the-penis/