A recent post by Mr. T on erection ability made me decide to pose a question.

It seems that ability is traditionally defined as getting an erection during sex. So if you can get hard during sex, then you do not have ED, regardless of how your ability is outside of sex.

For me though ability is quite different. Prior to my castration, I was your typical 20 year-old man when it comes to sexuality. I was horny just about 24/7, and I could get hard anytime I wanted. What I call "with direct stimluation" (getting hard either by touching your penis yourself or in the context of sexual activity with another) was by no means necessary. I could get hard just by looking at someone attractive or thinking a sexual type thought (what I call "without direct stimulation").

After my castration and when not on T, I lost my ability to get hard without direct stimulation altogether. My ability to get hard with direct stimulation was still there, although it required more time and effort.

Now that I am back on T, my ability to get hard with direct stimulation has improved quite a bit. However, I still have little ability to get hard without direct stimulation. Looking or thinking isn't cutting it anymore. I must either touch directly or be intimate with another.

Furthermore, even when back on T and even with direct stimulation, there is virtually no sensation in my penis. I feel nothing except touch and pressure. Pre surgery there was a pleasurable sensation when I got hard without direct stimulation, and there was definitely an even more pleasurable sensation with direct stimulation. Now all of it is gone.

So my question is for others on TRT: can you get hard without direct stimulation, or is direct stimulation necessary? Also, if you cannot get hard without direct stimulation, are you okay with that? Do you consider only getting hard during sex to be good enough erectile ability? Also, how is sensation now, and how does it compare to before you had any T problems?

I am just wondering what the differences are in the body and its mechanisms between getting hard with and without direct stimulation. Are these in fact two different mechanisms? Is so, what are the differences? If not, why can I get hard with direct stimulation but not without?

The only thing I can think of as to why I can't get hard without direct stimulation and why I have no sensation is that there are still blood flow problems going on, as from what I understand both are tied to blood flow in the penis. But I am too young for cardiovascular disease (my blood pressure is fine) and I am not diabetic, so what else could be wrong?

Someone suggested that I try a VED (I guess most people call them "pumps"). I did not realize before that these are now apparently available over-the-counter and FDA approved. I thought anything you could get OTC was not FDA approved and just junk. But apparently there are reputable companies that supply functional FDA approved OTC devices. But since my problems are related to getting hard without direct stimulation and I can get hard fine otherwise, what will this really do for me? And will it help at all with sensation?

The person who suggested it to me said that it will improve blood flow and thus perhaps improve sensation and ability, as both may be tied to blood flow. He also said it may help with penile atrophy if used daily, which I definitely have. Has anyone had experiences with these devices?

Plix,

As you know, I'm not on HRT but rather the opposite, I'm suppressing my testosterone production. One thing in your post made me want to respond with a possibility of what might be going on for you. I'm still interested in sex in my mind. When I stroke my penis (which I admit I seldom do now), even if I'm able to get mostly hard, I feel very little sensation, which is what you're reporting. In my case, I've come to the perhaps erroneous conclusion that the lack of sensation is because my prostate is no longer functioning the way it once did. I can be trying to ejaculate but it feels like the urgency produced by an active prostate is missing. It really feels like there's nothing 'behind' my erection to support anything happening or to contribute to the urgent feelings and sensations.

I don't recall when you started T again, although I know it's been fairly recently. Perhaps your prostate hasn't had sufficient time to start fully functioning again? Just an off-the-wall thought.

Plix has Posted a question that I too have wondered. I am not castrated, but I do take testosterone shots. And I noticed basically what he is saying, after I had been on the shots for a while, though to a less severe extent. I really don't know what would cause this. It is known that the testes produce something called "epi-testosterone" and if one takes tesosterone shots, (or gets castrated) he stops producing anything and the epi-testosterone would fall off. This is just a theory. It seems no one has the answer to this. I know bodybuilders who take tesosterone shots, and they report having a far harder time reaching orgasm, even though, they say their sex drives are actually higher on the shots. Could this harder time reaching orgasms have to do with the lesser sensitivity Plix is describing? I know the most "stimulated" I ever been in my life, was when I took HCG to stimulate my balls into producing tesosterone again. It was also increase epi-testosterone. . .

I could be completely off. It's just that I too miss that feeling. It really was magic. I could bring it back though with HCG. Of course, with no balls, HCG would be pretty much useless.

Then again, it may not even be that. Maybe even some brain hormones, for all I know. Here is something interesting, and may contradict that first theory: If I jack up the dose of testosterone really high and really suddenly, that "oh so sensitive, I can cut diamonds with my dick" feeling returns for a couple of days. Like Eddie Murphy said, " My shit gets hard when the wind blows". Then I go back to the way I was before.

Testman,

Long before I ever started Androcur, and I can even remember when I was a teen , I don't ever recall the 'I can cut diamonds with my dick' effect. Sounds really intense! At any rate, I hope more archive members with experience on TRT will respond to plix. There's a lot of accumulated wisdom and experience here.

-todd

It's all in the mind!

I had srs twenty years ago, have only ever had female hormones since and yet frequently get turned on. I can feel my prostate swelling with pleasure and my tiny, tiny bit of urethra gets hard like a clit.

This can go on for as long as I want to let it, hours if I like. When I choose to bring myself off I can achieve a full earthquake of an orgasm in minutes.

All with virtually no penile tissue or testosterone, but a very active imagination!

I rest my case M'lud

Postoplezzie

The issue of Atrophy is a good one. My ed issues are not directly related to my hormone use. Without getting all into this its blood pressure meds.

Penile atrophy is due to lack of regular erections. Kristoff posted a very good piece on the problem and some of the solutions. One was to simple take Cialis every other night to encourage night time erections. This works and is $$$...

Another solution is to use a VED (like Rejoyn or Osbon) to regularly make the penis erect. Once or twice a day for 10 minutes. If your sexual with someone and you don't want to "loose it" you have to use it. And if your not having sex twice a day this is what you have to consider.

Plix talks about the ability to get erect without direct stimulation. I am not "normal" in this area so I can't know for sure that my experience is right but that ability went away fairly early for all but extraordinary stimulation. When I went on the BP meds ALL erections went away stimulation of any kind included.

When I started using Viagra tablets it didn't allow me to get erect without stimulation. Humm... let me retract that. Once or twice in years and then with some very erotic visuals...

Ok, last comment the feeling for me never left. But it did get better the more often I made love. In other words when I first started treatment things felt good. Got better with time.

I don't notice any problems with missing hormones post op. The stuff I inject which is dirt common Testosterone Cypionate USP from Watson labs seems to be giving me my "maleness" back. I did have some talks with my Doctors about other missing elements that my screwed up balls gave me that Watson labs would not but none of them could spell out what those missing items were nor what I would miss.

I know this is not the forum for ED issues but OSBON and Rejoyn are sold on the internet now. Google them if you want a "medical" pump. The Fetish ones are crap (my opinion) and many don't even have penile constriction bands or a way to use them. If your doctor writes the prescription and you have insurance for them you can get one really cheap but the OTC price for them is probably under $200

Its a little embaressing to be pumping yourself up every night but its better then being "cocktail weenie johnson"

Mr T

postoplezzie (imported) wrote: Mon Jan 07, 2008 11:33 am It's all in the mind!

I had srs twenty years ago, have only ever had female hormones since and yet frequently get turned on. I can feel my prostate swelling with pleasure and my tiny, tiny bit of urethra gets hard like a clit.

This can go on for as long as I want to let it, hours if I like. When I choose to bring myself off I can achieve a full earthquake of an orgasm in minutes.

All with virtually no penile tissue or testosterone, but a very active imagination!

I rest my case M'lud

Postoplezzie

Just one comment. I never "felt" much from my prostate until after my Orchiectomy. Then I really knew I had one during sexual stimulation.

I am more and more convinced, that sexual drive hasn't that simple mechanism as we believe. I suspect there are more hormone like substances involved than GnRH, LH, FSH and T. These four are known to us. It could be that testicles produce more substances than just T and sperms.

I have another side thought regarding T, and pleasure.

What I have seen, well everyone of us has, is that with puberty people start to consume alcohol and other pleasure making drugs. Especially males.

It is perhaps the need for lust that is triggered by T or other related substances that force males to find some additional satisfaction in their endless seek of sex, pleasure and satisfaction.

there is no rational explanation why males have such a strong sex drive and why theyr lust tends to turn perverted. Except the need given by mother nature to distribute their semen.

Here my question goes, to people who are living at castrate T levels:

Have you noticed that you need less alcohol, drugs, etc now?

E.

I don't know I'm not normal... Drinking was a short term thing when it was "new" to me and I was legal to do it I went a bit overboard. Bring "drunk" was fun for a while but I grew up and saw how damn silly others looked and thought "Do I really want to spend my free time throwing up or getting in fights, hanging out with drunks in smoky bars?" And the answer was no. I still have a drink now and again but its not a big part of my life. I really don't think hormones have anything to do with that but... Thats my take on it.

I also have serious doubts about the other hormones and how much they effect us. I couldn't find a single doctor who was willing to even guess what lack of those would do. Most ended up saying "You probably won't notice" There are some unrelated hormones that I'm more worried about such as DHEA.