Cavernous body

The trunk of the male penis in cross section. The two large upper oval structures are the cavernous bodies, and the lower is the spongy body in which the urethra passes. From above pass dorsal veins, arteries and nerves. The trunk is covered with a skin shell (integument)

The cavernous ( cavernous from Latin caverna “cavity, cave”) body is a structural unit of erectile tissue of the trunk of the male penis (penis) . This tissue also includes its spongy body . Two longitudinal cavernous bodies together with one spongy body located longitudinally below them form the trunk of the penis.

The cavernous bodies provide blood to the penis - its erectile function. An erection is necessary for a man to have intercourse . Cavernous bodies during erection are palpated from above and on the sides of the trunk of the penis in the form of solid ridges.

Inside the spongy body is the male urethra , which has an external opening on top of the continuation of the spongy body - the glans penis .

Comparison of the sizes marked by the penis frame (left) and the clitoris body. The clitoris body is formed only by a pair of cavernous bodies, and in the penis they are above the urethra, and their contour is indicated by a dark brown color.

In addition to the penis , the cavernous bodies (but usually much smaller) form the body of the clitoris - the organ of the woman's sexual sense, but the clitoris does not have a spongy body, and the female urethra is located separately from the clitoris behind it. The clitoris, due to its structure, is capable of erection, like the penis, but is not intended to penetrate the sexual organs of the sexual partner and is usually much smaller in length and thickness.

The spongy body remains soft during an erection, otherwise it would compress the urethra from swelling and prevent free ejaculation . With sexual arousal, nerve impulses reach the tips of the nerves of the penis. The bodies swell, and the blood supply increases the volume of the penis and gives it hardness. This allows the man to easily have sexual intercourse necessary for reproduction, as well as for sexual satisfaction. . After ejaculation, noradrenaline is released and the blood quickly drains from the penis. Thus, after intercourse, an erection quickly weakens and disappears, but with sexual arousal it does not reach a maximum immediately, but only with complete readiness to insert the penis into the woman’s vagina . Violation of the erection mechanism, defects of the cavernous bodies ( Peyronie’s disease , that is, replacement of erectile scar tissue), increased venous discharge (pathological venous drainage of the cavernous bodies), or lack of nerve impulses to the penis (damage to the innervating penis of the nerve or mental problems) are the cause of erectile dysfunctions .