New penis ring tracks ‘erectile fitness’ and can flag silent killer months before symptoms
A NEW penis ring that tracks your health has been launched in the UK.
Creators of the new naughty gadget claim it can help tech enthusiasts track sexual performance – and might even save lives.
The £220 FirmTech Tech Ring is designed to be worn during sex or at night to track nighttime erections.
This data is then converted into an ‘erectile fitness’ score and sent to the user’s phone via an app.
Healthy blood flow is key for erections, so circulation issues could flag serious health risks like heart disease or prostate trouble.
“Sexual health is not something that is isolated, it’s a reflection of your overall health,” the founder of FirmTech, Elliot Justin, previously told the now-defunct website, Motherboard.
Erectile dysfunction, also called ED, can also be an early warning for high blood pressure.
High blood pressure, is often called a ‘silent killer’ as it has no obvious symptoms until it gets serious enough to cause heart attacks and strokes.
An estimated 4.2million people in England alone have undiagnosed high blood pressure according to the NHS.
Tracking erections at night, as the Tech Ring dose, could help men uncover the root cause of their impotence, the makers say.
Men typically experience between three and five erections per night, lasting around 45 minutes in total.
Scientists believe they occur because of changes in brain activity and increased blood flow, which helps keep the tissues in the penis healthy and oxygenated.
They’re also a normal sign of good nerve and blood vessel function.
If a man is having erection problems during sex, but his unconscious erections are normal, this could indicate his impotency is caused by mental health issues like stress, according to the NHS.
But if both sex and nighttime erections are struggling this could point to a physiological problem.
FirmTech founder Elliot, described The Tech Ring as electrocardiogram, a painless test that measures the electrical activity of the heart, for “men’s favourite and most sensitive organ”.
He also claims the device can help spot the signs of problems with erections at the earliest stages, allowing men to make lifestyle tweaks known to improve the problem.
These include losing weight, eating a balanced diet, reducing alcohol intake, and quitting smoking.
Bizarre medical cases reports... involving penises
From a man who got 'food poisoning' in his penis, to another whose scrotum swelled to the size of a beach ball, here's a round up of medical case reports involving todgers
- A man was forced to have his penis amputated after developing gangrene following “excessive alcohol consumption”
- Doctors found bacteria that tends to cause food poisoning… in a man’s penis
- A man had to have part of his penis amputated after a sex toy “strangled” his member and left it blackened and gangrenous
- A man’s scrotum ballooned to the size of a beach ball over the course of a decade, hanging “below his knees”
- A man’s rotted from the inside after he inserted three button batteries into his urethra
ED is a common medical problem, particularly as men get older.
The NHS estimates that half of men between the ages of 40 and 70 will have it to some degree.
Depending on the cause, you may still be able to get an erection at other times, such as when you wake up.
Sometimes you might also have a low sex drive.
It’s not usually the sign of something serious but you should speak to a GP about it, especially if it’s causing you distress.
Possible causes include stress, tiredness, having too much booze, as well as some medicines.
Penis fact vs. fiction
Though penises are the subject of much contemplation, certain myths around them reign rampant – from shoe size reflecting the size of your member, to creams and oils being able to make it larger.
On top of this, it can often feel taboo or embarrassing to ask questions about your private parts.
GP and author Dr Philippa Kaye answers burning questions you might have about your nether regions.
What is the average penis size?
The average size of a penis is approximately 9cm when flaccid/soft and about 13cm when erect.
Does your shoe size reflect your penis size?
No.
A study looking at the penises of over 100 men of varying ages looked at shoe size and penis length and found no correlation between the two.
Why is the penis shaped like a mushroom?
So, there is a ridge between the top of the shaft of the penis and the glans, which is shaped rather like a mushroom.
One theory as to why this is is known as the ‘semen displacement theory’, which suggests that the shape of this ridge essentially scoops out and removes any sperm left behind in the vagina by a previous partner, who might be a genetic rival evolution-wise.
Can you break your penis?
There are no bones in the penis, but you can still break it.
During an erection there are spongy tissues called corpus cavernosum, which fill with blood to make the penis erect.
If there is a trauma, often a violent twisting or bending motion when the penis is erect, then part of the covering of the corpus cavernosum called the tunica albuginea can burst, leading to bleeding into the penis and a very painful swelling.
It is rare and tends to occur during sex, often when a partner is on top.
Read more on penis facts and fiction here.