A comparison of subjective and physiological measures of mechanically produced and erotically produced erections (or, is an erection an erection?)

The current investigation explores possible reasons for the poor overall su ccess rates of medical techniques used in the treatment of erectile dysfunc tion. This is the first study to compare directly the psychological impact of a mechanically produced versus an erotically produced erection. Subjecti ve and objective parameters of sexual arousal were used to compare the expe rience of a mechanically attained erection versus an erotically stimulated erection. Twenty-eight (28) men without sexual dysfunction were asked to re ach a full erection during each of the following two conditions: (a) by usi ng an ErecAid System and (b) by self-stimulating while watching an erotic v ideo. The results of this study suggest that the penile vacuum device was a successful method for attaining penile tumescence; however, the presence o f penile tumescence was not accompanied by a subjective state of physical o r mental sexual arousal. Thus, the mere physical presence of an erection do es not seem to evoke bodily or mental feelings of sexual arousal. It is imp ortant to note that these findings suggest that attention to the psychosexu al components of the individual's sexual experience are critical to the sub jective experience of sexual arousal and reflect once again the multimodal response systems involved in sexual arousal. These results suggest that mor e effective treatment approaches would be based on a clinical strategy that provides instruction both on the technical use of a mechanical device as w ell as on the importance of creating an appropriate psychosexual environmen t.