Can’t penetrate after pumping? Five intercourse-ready erection strategies.
Try a tighter constriction ring.
Your pump-induced erection depends on ring size.
Creating erections using a pump (without spontaneous function) NEEDS a constriction ring on the base of the shaft after pumping to keep the erection up (= to stop blood moving back into the body).
There isn’t ‘one ring to rule them all’ when it comes to erection rings.
You need to find the size that fits you best, like tailoring a suit.
That’s why it’s a good idea to get a pump designed for ED, that comes with a range of ring sizes. Like the Vacurect, which comes with 5 or 10 different sized rings.
Start with the largest ring, then graduate down sizes until you find the sweet spot. Watch this video for more information on finding the best sized ring:
If your pump hasn’t come with rings, or you want to try a different set, we recommend this style of silicone-ring with side-handles for easy removal.
EXTRA TIP: Improve the quality of your pump-induced erections with these technique-checks.
2. Pleasure first, penetration second.
Prioritise connection and pleasure without an erection before pumping.
When an erection strategy isn’t working as you hoped, or the erection wanes during penetration, this can trigger an instant 'out-of-your-body and into-your-head’ response.
This sudden feeling of disconnection can flood the body with stress-related hormones. This leads to reduced erection firmness/quality as your body moves into a fight/flight state (no time for a boner when there’s a threat to escape!).
So before you pump or attempt penetration, take the pressure and expectations off the act of intercourse.
Move into a pleasurable, connected state with your partner first, and think of penetration as a nice ‘extra’ if it occurs.
We recommend doing a mindful pleasure-base exercise first, like our penile-sensation-enhancing masterclass.
3. Adapt to a slower-style of intercourse.
Expect intercourse with ‘pump-erections’ to be different.
Your erection is unlikley to have the same firmness/hardness from using a pump, that’s unfortunately just the physics of it.
But, you can still have great sex with a less-firm erection.
NOTE: This is true for vaginal-intercourse, however, anal-intercourse requires a much firmer erection, skip to points 4 and 5 for ideas on how to increase firmness.
Adapt to this less-firm intercourse by:
Using a lot of lubricant to help guide the penis in. We recommend medical-grade silicone-based lube, designed for pleasure.
Keep one hand on the base of the shaft, gently and slowly insert. This also gives your partner time to relax and enjoy the sensations, slow sex can be secretly powerful by giving us time to attend to subtler sensations.
After insertion, rather than defaulting to an ‘in-out’ motion, take a moment first to both contract your pelvic floor muscles, and see what it feels like if your partner is willing to try this too.
You might also find that one type of position (kneeling vs standing vs lying down) affects your erection quality, explore different positions to see what feels best for you and your partner, open communication with your partner is key here!
4. Add Viagra/Cialis (*always seek advice from your healthcare provider first)
You can safely use PDE5 pills at the same time as pumping.
For some men, depending on the state of erection nerve restoration, this can help with erection quality when pumping. Read our guide to using a pump and viagra to learn more.
NOTE: Always consult with your medical provider to make sure this option is right for you.
5. Try penile injections (yes, really!)
You may prefer the erection created by injections.
Let’s be real, everyone hates the thought of needles, especially in the genital region.
But many men post-Prostatectomy have told me this method gets them an erection closest to what they had pre-surgery.
The injection-erection tends to be firmer than the pump-erection (also, the accidental rhyme is quite delightful).
You also receive more oxygenated blood into the penile tissue via injections, making it a great strategy in your penile-rehab toolkit.
Also keep in mind, while some men love the injection-erection, I’ve heard others experience pain, discomfort or simply not get the results they hoped for even after tweaking the dosage/formula.
Check out this expert interview on penile injections with Melissa Hadley Barrett where she unpacks how to have pain-free injections and what to do if you’re not getting the results you want.
FINAL IDEA:
When you know having a firm erection is important to you, and you feel you’ve tried every strategy out there without success, you might want to consider a penile implant (pros and cons article here).
This option ensures you will have an erection hard enough for penetration, but it does require surgery.