THINGS MEN NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR PENIS

Although many of us men are relatively familiar with our penis and its antics, there's more to our appendage than meets the eye. In this feature, we discuss 10 interesting things that you probably didn't know about your genitals.

The penis is ancient. if you have been wondering, the oldest known penis can be traced back to 425 million years ago and it's fossilized remains belong to an arthropod dubbed Colymbosathon ecplecticos, which can be translated to "amazing swimmer with a large penis" in Greek.

It's worth reflecting on its role in human species' survival, next time you are surprised by how easily your penis is "activated." As far as reproduction is concerned, a false arousal is better than a missed opportunity.

As Mokokoma Mokhonoana opine, "Even the world's greatest actor cannot fake an erection." This leads us on to the first penis fact of the day.

1. Your first erection
Penis is born ready. It is recorded that most babies exit the womb with an erection. Even before the moment of birth, ultrasound scans sometimes show a fetus with a fully formed erection.

According to a study from 1991, fetal erections occur most commonly during random eye movement  sleep. And, they can happen a number of times each hour. No one is quite sure why, but it might just be our body's way of testing things out and keeping them running correctly.

2. Your penis is twice as long as you think
A lot of men might take solace in this fact: our penises are longer than they look. In fact, around half of its entire length is housed inside of our bodies.

3. The shoe size myth
Let's lay this one to rest, shall we? According to a study published in the journal BJU International, there is no correlation between shoe size and penis length.

Although an older study — which was published in 1993 — did find that penile length was related to both height and foot length, it was a weak relationship, and the authors concluded, "Height and foot size would not serve as practical estimators of penis length."

 4. 'Morning wood'
Most men have 3–5 erections every single night — mostly during REM sleep, as with the in utero boys.

A wooded area at sunrise
Morning wood isn't as poetic as it sounds.
Also called nocturnal penile tumescence, it's still not clear why it happens. However, one theory is that it might help to prevent bed-wetting; an erection inhibits urination.

A full bladder is known to stimulate nerves in a similar region to those involved in erections. But because females experience something similar — nocturnal clitoral tumescence — bed-wetting prevention is probably not the entire answer.

Another potential explanation is that REM sleep is linked with switching off cells that produce noradrenaline in the locus coleus, which is in the brain stem. These cells inhibit the tone of the penis. So, by reducing the inhibition, the penis becomes erect.

Whatever the reason behind nocturnal erections, they can be useful as a diagnostic tool. If a man has difficulty achieving an erection when awake but becomes erect when he sleeps, it is an indication that there is a psychological issue, rather than a physical one.

However, if he does not get erections during sleep, the issue may be physical.

5. One final erection
So, we've established that we can get erections in the womb and during sleep, but this is perhaps even more surprising: the death erection. Also called angel lust or terminal erection, it happens in the moments after death.

Most commonly, it occurs in men who have died from hanging; scientists believe that it may be due to pressure from the noose on the cerebellum. However, it has also been reported following death by a gunshot wound to the head, damage to major blood vessels, and poisoning.

6. You can break your penis
As I'm sure you are aware, there is no bone in your penis, which is fairly unusual for mammals. However, it is still possible to break your penis. It most commonly occurs during vigorous sex, although it has been documented to happen to men who fell out of bed with an erection.

Penile fracture, as it is known, is actually the rupture of the fibrous covering of the corpora cavernosa, which is the tissue that becomes erect when engorged with blood.

7. No-brainier
Most men have very little control over exactly when they ejaculate. This is partly because it does not involve the brain. The signal to ejaculate comes from the spinal ejaculation generator. This region in the spinal cord coordinates the necessary functions.

Of course, the higher brain does have some input into these matters — thinking about something else is a well-known way to delay the event, for instance — but the nuts and bolts of the whole operation are dealt with in your spine.


8. The angle of the dangle
A man's erection can point in virtually any direction. Straight ahead, left or right, up or down, there's no right or wrong.

Protractor for measuring angles
There is no such thing as a unique angle.
The following data come from a study that measured the erections of 1,565 men.

In the figures below, if the penis pointed directly up, it was measured as 0 degrees, and if it was forward-pointing (horizontal), it would be 90 degrees:

0–30 degrees — 4.9 percent of men
30–60 degrees — 29.6 percent of men
60–85 degrees — 30.9 percent of men
85–95 degrees — 9.9 percent of men
95–120 degrees — 19.8 percent of men
120–180 degrees — 4.9 percent of men
So, if you've ever been concerned that your chap is a bit skew-whiff, don't worry — you're normal. While we're on the topic of "normality," very few penises are straight; they can curve in any direction. A curve of up to 30 degrees is still considered normal.