Persistent Erection - Lasting Too Long

An erect penis is generally healthy and necessary for good sexual relations.  But in some cases, men are not capable of returning their penises to a flaccid state.  This can result in a painful and dangerous situation that requires immediate attention.
 
Persistent erection, or priapism, is a potentially harmful and often painful medical condition in which the erect penis does not return to its flaccid state within about four hours, despite the absence of both physical and psychological stimulation.  Priapism is considered a medical emergency, which should receive proper treatment by a qualified medical practitioner, especially for cases of erection beyond four hours.
 
Priapism may be associated with sickle-cell disease, leukemia, thalassemia, Fabry's disease, spinal cord lesions and spinal cord trauma.  Priapism can also be caused by medications, most commonly treatments for erectile dysfunction.  In addition, excessive masturbation and over-ejaculation can lead to a persistent erection.
 
A prolonged erection is like an erection produced by a vacuum penile pump and then retained by a tight cock ring fully sealing the penile veins.  Priapism draws about 500 cc of blood into your penis from the perineum and groins for many hours.  As a result, the adjacent tissue and prostate suffer from a lack of blood, androgen hormones and neurochemicals, preventing prostaglandin E-1 synthesis for the elasticity of nervous fibers.
 
At the same time, your body produces an excess of prostaglandin E2 that directly stimulates the penis, leading to persistent sexual arousal.  And when your pituitary gland fails to release sufficient prolactin, you have no way of suppressing your sexual arousal.  One reason for this condition is excessive masturbation.  You need both oxytocin and prolactin in your bloodstream to feel sexually being satisfied at the end of sex, but masturbation won't induce much oxytocin release. 
 
However, masturbation can produce a lot of prostaglandin E2 in your penis, urethra and prostate, triggering your adrenal medulla and hypothalamus to release excess epinephrine into your bloodstream, resulting in persistent genital arousal after masturbating.