Penis Pump Facts

Before the birth of the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra the options open to men with erectile dysfunction were limited and in severe cases the use of a penile pump was recommended by doctors. Many people don't believe that a penis pump could really work and they think that it is some wierd thing out of science fiction, however they do work and they have helped thousands of men with impotence.

In the medical profession the penis pump is called a penile implant or a vacuum constriction device and the  says that they can still be useful as an effective cure for erectile dysfunction when the use of PDE-5 inhibitor drugs such as Viagra don't work. However the problem with a penis pump is that many men are put off by the idea that they with be using mechanical devices in the sensitive area of the penis and for a woman the idea that a man has to pump something to get an erection is not very romantic or attractive. The American Urological Association report on penis pumps noted that the treatment has a very low 'patient acceptability' that restricts the application of it.

A penis pump is made up of an acrylic tube as well as a pumping mechanism that can come in a number of different ways such as ball that you squeeze a plunger or some even have electrical pumping devices. The penis pump creates a vacuum that in turn increases blood flow into the penis and fills the erectile tissue with blood. In order to prevent the erection from disappearing a 'constriction ring' must be pulled over the base of the penis in order to keep the erection from dissapearing when the penis pump tube is removed.

Some men and women say that a vacuum erection is not quite the same as a normal erection and that sometimes they are not as hard as normal ones. They are often cold and and not as sensitive as naturally occuring erections, however in tests done using penis pumps men and women report high levels of overall satisfaction with vacuum erections.

The penis pump has been shown to be effective in men who have had penile surgery which causes impotence and the fact that it forces an erection can kick start the erection process and eventually get men performing in their own with no extra help needed. Penis pumps are easy to buy and don't need a doctors prescription and some men use then to increase the length of their penises. Serious medical research has not been done in this regard and whether they actually work is still debatable.

The American Urological Association warns that excessive use of the penis pump can damage the penile tissue and care must be taken when using one.