The Sunday News
Hi Sis Noe
I AM a young man who started masturbating a long time ago and I am easing it up but I have developed a weak erection.
Could it be caused by masturbating? — Stressed.
Reply
There is indeed a relation between masturbating and a weak erection. At the rate at which you have been doing it, you certainly qualify to be an excessive masturbator and so your penis might have lost its previous natural tendency to get erect.
This happens in most men who have begun it at a very young age and have continued it excessively into their adulthood.
There are ways to get around this problem, but first let me tell you how your habit can affect your erectile capacity. In most cases, the liver gets impaired due to excessive masturbating accompanied by the parasympathetic nervous system and the hormones.
The reproductive organ is made up of a spongy tissue known as the corpus cavernosa. When you get excited, this spongy tissue becomes engorged with blood. This is when your organ becomes hard. But what sends the message to the brain that the corpus cavernosa needs to be engorged with the blood? That is the job of the parasympathetic nervous system. That means the parasympathetic nervous system looks after the psychological part of the masturbation. It is this system that provides you with the sexual gratification.
However, the parasympathetic nervous system cannot provide any message to the organ without the presence of nitric oxide.
Nitric oxide is effectively the chemical that signals the need of the penis to become erect. And this nitric oxide is released by the liver when you do this. Each time you do this, the liver releases the requisite amount of nitric oxide into the parasympathetic nervous system, which signals the organ to become erect.
When someone masturbates excessively, what happens is there is too much release of nitric oxide. As a result, the tissues of the reproductive organ could become immune to signals from the parasympathetic nervous system. Let me explain it to you in a very simple manner. Erection of the organ requires signals from your nervous system, which are facilitated by the liver. But since you have masturbated so much, your nervous system and liver have become overburdened.
Your organ is no longer responsive to these signals because it has gotten used to it. That explains why you don’t get those erections as you did in your younger days. But all is not lost because there is never any permanent damage at such a young age. Your body functions will get back to normal and you will get good erections once again. Exercise some self-control.
Starting today, give your habit a break. Try to get yourself interested in other activities. Do things that you like and try to be with your friends for most of the times. This will keep you occupied and will help in reducing your habit of touching your penis every time you are titillated.
If you continue the habit you will be stuck with a limp organ for the rest of your life.
Hi Sis Noe
I’m a girl aged 19 and I’ve got a problem. My breasts are itchy so I’m afraid that it might be cancer and I always have pain around my breasts. Please help, I’m scared. — Scared.
Reply
Pain in the breast is a common symptom, which is rarely due to cancer. The normal cyclical breast pain is related to hormone imbalances. Temporary increased oestrogen production may result in breast pain, fullness and nodularity. The oestrogen stimulates proliferation of the ductal system and supporting tissues in the breasts. Sometimes pain in the breast is due to conditions in the chest wall which feels like breast pain. Such conditions could be a pulled muscle, an inflammatory process of the cartilage around the ribs or heart angina which may be felt as breast pain. Your soreness could be related to changes in your hormones but you should report this to your doctor for further evaluation.
Hi Sis Noe
I am a man aged 22; my problem is when I sleep with my girlfriend I do not produce sperms. I am worried because sometimes I have wet dreams. — Worried.
Reply
There are a lot of reasons why a man may not orgasm or ejaculate. It may be physical, or it may be drug-related, prescription or non-prescription. It may be because of strong religious injunctions and guilt; the idea of not wanting to surrender to a woman or even the fear of making your girlfriend pregnant. It is possibly a psychological problem that can stem from a conservative upbringing or an unhealthy attitude towards sex. Try to enjoy sex play without the expectation of ejaculating.
Take the pressure off ejaculation and orgasm. If you want to work this out, you will have to talk about it with your girlfriend and try different stuff together. But in the end, you have to have a desire to address this problem and work on it with your girlfriend. If it does not work see a urologist — doctor who specialises in male sexual dysfunction. Good luck!
Hi Sis Noe
I am 19, the problem is that since birth I have been bed-wetting, what can I do to solve my problem? — Worried.
Reply
Teen bedwetting is a common problem among many, even though those afflicted with the condition may feel isolated and alone. This problem of not being able to control urination while sleeping is scientifically known as nocturnal enuresis, though in common terms it is dubbed involuntary urination or bed-wetting. Enuresis can again be categorised into two categories: primary enuresis and secondary enuresis. A person with primary nocturnal enuresis has had the habit of wetting the bed since he or she was a baby, whereas in cases of secondary enuresis the problem develops at least several months, or even several years, after the person learned to control his or her bladder as he or she grows from being a baby. In most cases teen bed-wetting is a case of secondary enuresis rather than primary.
Some teens also have relatively smaller bladders that are not large enough to hold a large volume of urine, which often results in bed-wetting as the amount of urine developed at night while the teen is sleeping is more than his or her bladder can hold or handle. Maybe you are one of them. The problem of teen bed-wetting has also been traced down to genetics. Teens with problems of involuntary nocturnal enuresis often have a history of parents who had the same problem at similar ages. Certain genes can be identified that cause enuresis but the exact reason for teen bed-wetting is still unidentified. Sleeping disorders or rather deep sleeping habits have also been identified as reasons for teen bedwetting. Teen bed-wetting can also be related to psychological problems.
Family problems, shifting into new schools and social environments, or family tension can result in disturbed sleeping habits and patterns and produce the problem of teen bed-wetting. Stress during teenage years can thus be strongly suspected as a cause of secondary enuresis. The solution is a combined process of behavioural modifications, reducing mental tension, and in some cases incorporating a very mild medication prescribed by a doctor that can help a person control teen bed-wetting.
