Is this a sexologist? I'm needing help regarding a male sexual issue. I'm 18 years olds. I used to have great erections and now I don't. Back when I wasn't sexually active I could gain a hard firm erection (enough to we're I could squeeze the blood out of the head of my penis). Now that I'm sexually active, when I'm having sex with my gf or even masturbating by my self, I can't seem to get as hard as I used too. I don't know what caused the change but I've done much research and have had no luck. I though Ide mention I don't smoke, I workout around 2-4 times per week I'm around 8-11% body fat. And eat very healthy. My Ps02 level average 98% I've been told that it could be from anxiety from sex but, even when I'm masturbating its a problem. Please gives me all of your opinions.
I don't think 8-10% body fat is healthy. If I remember the recommendations correctly. the ideal numbers were 18-20% bodyfat for men, 20-23% for women. I can think of a few causes. 1) The erection is controlled by a muscle. If you're masturbating too often, you're not giving it time to recover. Give it a week's rest and then see if you still have trouble. 2) thyroid problems can sometimes cause week erections. But you need to go to a doctor to diagnose that problem. 3) over exercise 4) antidepressants. I'm sure the forum can come up with a dozen other reasons.
Your erection is not caused by a muscle. When you become aroused, your brain flashes nitric oxide through your nerve endings from your brain to the two corpus cavernosa sacks in the shaft of your penis. This causes the capillaries in the sacks to open up and blood to flow in, causing an erection, which you keep until the nitric oxide flow stops (due to hearing the telephone ringing or a sudden noise which distracts your brain from sex, or some other distraction). In your case, it seems that performance anxiety (common in most 18 year old guys) is distracting your brain from sending the nitric oxide to your penis. You have to relax, and focus on the sex you are performing, whether with another person or solo. If you start thinking "I hope I don't lose my erection", it will happen. If you become a member of Hipforums, send a private message to me and I will counsel you further, or allow private messages to be received. Check out my thread on "Sexual Health" on Premature Ejaculation, which 40,000 or so guys have accessed and been helped with that problem, which also is common with young guys. Think of sex as something like being an athlete - you know the basic techniques, but to become expert in sex, you need instruction, and practice. And the practice is the fun part.
When masturbating, what comes first? The arousal or the action? Jacking off for jacking off sake may make a difference. Also, with masturbation you grip your dick in the best way that's good for you, and a vagina simply won't do that and will not always allow full on hardness until you're closing in on climax. From a psychological point of view, if you really do think your erection isn't up to where it was before it could be a slight anxiety issue. Don't worry in the moment with what's missing - do not look at it from a black and white point of view, failure/ success. Simply use what you've got and enjoy the sex. Also, an overused cock is going to get tired - even at 18. Try keeping to sex for a while and see the difference.
