Sexual Arousal and Orgasm – How do erections work?

Have you ever asked yourself what happens to your body when you get turned on sexually? It is very important that you get to understand the facts behind the reasons of this question.

First, it’s always a good idea to have an understanding of how your own body works, including the sexual parts. That way, you can be comfortable with the way your body responds as you get sexually excited and you will also have a better idea if something is wrong that you should see a doctor about.

Second, while no two people are exactly the same in the way they respond sexually, knowing what happens to the male and female body during the process of sexual arousal and orgasm will give you some idea of how a sexual partner’s body responds when he or she is sexually excited. Having a basic understanding of your own body’s sexual response and your partner’s sexual response can be an important building block for a mutually satisfying sexual relationship. This may be challenging and so talking to the experts and qualified professionals from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care will be vital to help you have the facts right. This is the home of all sexual arousal solution. A call to doctor Akoury will not just give you the understanding of what you can do but will also medically treat any form of dysfunctions for a perfect and fulfilling sex life.

Sexual arousal usually begins in the brain. That is, your brain responds to a sexy thought or image or having a feeling of closeness or affection toward a partner, or the touch of a partner by sending signals to the rest of your body, especially the genital area. For both men and women, one of the major components of physical sexual arousal is increased blood flow to the genital area causing the clitoris to swell and harden in women and the penis to become erect in men. Also, for both women and men, the heart beats faster, blood pressure increases, and breathing becomes more rapid. So in some basic respects, the process of male and female sexual response is quite similar. But because males and females have different reproductive organs we need to look at how sexual arousal affects the genital area separately.

Sexual Arousal and Orgasm – Women

For women, a number of things happen as sexual arousal triggered in the brain increases blood flow to the genital area. The vagina becomes lubricated with fluid that seeps through the walls of the vagina. Due to the increased blood flow, the clitoris swells slightly and hardens, becoming more visible and sensitive to touch. As sexual arousal continues and increases, the outer third of the vagina tightens and the opening becomes a little smaller. As a women gets close to having an orgasm, the clitoris retracts, becoming a little less visible.

For most women, having an orgasm requires some form of stimulation of the clitoris or clitoral area. The orgasm consists of a series of 3 to 15 contractions of the muscles around the vagina. The first few contractions are the most intense, coming about a second apart, and then they becomes weaker and farther apart. During the orgasm, the woman’s uterus and anus may also rhythmically contract.

Sexual Arousal and Orgasm – Men

It is important to appreciate that the most obvious physical sign of sexual arousal in men is erection of the penis. The increased blood flow into the penis causes it to harden for the action. As the spongy tissue inside becomes filled with blood, pressure is put on the veins inside the penis which prevents blood from flowing out which helps to keep the penis hard. The continuation of sexual arousal enables the penis to become even harder and the head (tip) a little bigger. Once the erection is attained, a few drops of clear non-urinary fluid may come out of the urethra and the testicles also moves closer to the body. Besides that to further understanding the erection process, let us consider the following occurrences in men during erection process:

The penis contains two cylindrical, sponge-like structures that run parallel to the urethra. These structures run along the length of the penis, become inflamed with blood in response to nerve impulses necessitating an increase of blood flow to the cylinders about seven times the normal amount and this is what causes the penis to become erect and hard for the intercourse.

Three steps need to take place in order for the erection to occur, and then be maintained.

• First is sexual arousal.
• The second step is the brain’s communication of the sexual arousal to the body’s nervous system (which activates the blood flow).
• Thirdly, a relaxation of the blood vessels that supply blood to the penis must occur, allowing the erection to take place.

Any negative effects of these three steps, arousal, nervous system response or the vascular system response or the interplay between them, erectile dysfunction can result. Therefore orgasm in men occurs in two basic stages.

• The seminal fluid (semen) flows to the base of the penis called the urethral bulb. At this point, the man develops a feeling of ejaculation which is often referred to as “the point of no return” because once the semen has stretched to this area it will be difficult to stop ejaculation.
• The urethral bulb and muscles in the pelvic area go through a series of contractions (5 to 8 on average), causing the semen to be pumped out of the penis. The semen may jet or trickle out with the first few contractions being stronger and are about one second apart. During orgasm, a man’s body may stiffen up or he may have mild muscle contractions and the moment ejaculation is done the body relaxes and the penis goes back to its normal size.

Sexual Arousal and Orgasm – Differences in the Speed of Sexual Response

Looking at the descriptions of arousal and orgasm detailed above it is obvious that there are certain resemblances in the ways that both genders become sexually aroused and ultimately have orgasms. Nonetheless it is important to note that there can be variances in the sexual responses of both genders.

For instance, the duration it takes a man to become aroused and have an orgasm is shorter in relation to that of women. Knowing this is very important in a relationship between sexual partners because it will help the man to slow himself down and meet his female partner at an appropriate time when she finally become sexually aroused and reach orgasm. It is also important to know that how fast we become aroused and have an orgasm can be affected from time to time depending on a wide range of factors including:

• How relaxed or stressed-out we are
• Whether we are tired or feeling well rested
• Whether we have drunk a lot of alcohol or smoked cigarettes
• Whether we are feeling positively or negatively towards our partner.

Sexual Arousal and Orgasm – How do erections work?