# nurses and erections question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 30, 2010, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975 "2010-08-30T06:54:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/21 "2010-08-30T16:27:34Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > **picunurse** , forget about sex for a minute. How about priaprism? A coma patient with an erection? An erection from stress, utterly unrelated to sexual thoughts (as I hear is a common young male worry during, say, algebra class)? Just to clear this up: I’ve never experienced or heard of a stress-related erection, but rather the opposite: having an erection while sleeping, or at times while getting very drowsy. I suggest this is the most likely reason for a young male having an erection in algebra class. A close second is of course tight sweaters/skirts/a daring flash of ankle/etc. (directly or just thinking about same). ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/22 "2010-08-30T16:33:33Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Pathological erections are by definition not real amenable to rapid detumescence by most interventions. Inserting 16 or 18 gauge needles and aspirating out the blood is certainly the quickest and most dramatic way to do so. Ooo, I love when you talk medical. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/23 "2010-08-30T16:38:18Z")
Oh grow up people. It’s only a penis. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/24 "2010-08-30T16:53:33Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Oh grow up people. It’s only a penis. This. Why the hell does anyone care if someone’s penis gets erect? Just ignore it and get on with your work. Heck, as far as I know there’s nothing to prevent catheterizing it when it’s like that, might even be easier that way, as long as you’ve got sufficient length of tubing & all. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/25 "2010-08-30T16:55:14Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Oh grow up people. It’s only a penis. [Elaine Benes]“I don’t know how you guys walk around with those things.”[/EB] ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/26 "2010-08-30T17:20:08Z")
I was half-expecting someone to say “well I’m a nurse, and whenever anyone starts to get a little bit aroused we all carry around photos of Joe Lieberman”. I don’t know if it was stress-induced, but I used to be that kid in algebra class. I think it had less to do with stress and more to do with puberty. I mean it happened when I was watching TV, doing homework, playing sports, eating, sleeping, reading, swimming, playing cards, going to the movies, riding on a train, going hiking… Oh to be young again! I promise to do rigorous experiments and report back my findings… ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/27 "2010-08-30T18:23:50Z")
Well, I’ve been a nurse for 13 years and I’ve never heard of this. Most people that aren’t too sick to have this problem don’t need any help with bathing or voiding, so I don’t think it happens all that often. ETA, I have had it happen to me, just not often, and I just wait it out. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/28 "2010-08-30T18:36:25Z")
I am astonished that this is even being asked. If a male nurse claimed that the proper way to confront a female patient with erect nipples was to smack said nipples with his stethoscope, would you do anything other than report him to his supervisor? ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/29 "2010-08-30T18:51:05Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I am astonished that this is even being asked. If a male nurse claimed that the proper way to confront a female patient with erect nipples was to smack said nipples with his stethoscope, would you do anything other than report him to his supervisor? This would only make mine harder and probably turn me on. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/30 "2010-08-30T18:56:41Z")
> [@Hockey\_Monkey](#): > > > [@Czarcasm](#): > > > > I am astonished that this is even being asked. If a male nurse claimed that the proper way to confront a female patient with erect nipples was to smack said nipples with his stethoscope, would you do anything other than report him to his supervisor? > > This would only make mine harder and probably turn me on. Same here, but still… ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/31 "2010-08-30T19:07:16Z")
January, 1961, Ft Carson, CO. Major outbreak of some sickness we were never told if identified. Every bed in the hospital and spares brought in were in use. Major changes in daily routine in the training to minimize problem as it seemed to be airborne. I woke up in a bay full of other basic training victims. Beautiful, gorgeous, saucy, #10 female Captain Doctor enters room. All even half dead patients get erections. First thing she did as she approached bed was to flick the erections. After seeing this happen about 4 times in a row, mine & most others erections went away on their own. Not one bit of problem for her to do, did not change her great personality or bed side manner, professional attitude nor her compassion for us poor sick slick sleeves… Bad respiratory infections did not prevent erections. Anticipation of pain coming your way did it seems judging by my and others reactions… Only time I ran into it in a medical setting. I have had several encounters with soccer balls in very cold games in late November where I spun out of danger to slow and the tip got whacked by the speeding soccer ball going by at warp 6. Slightly engorged or almost fully retracted due to the temperature, that STING will lay a man out and bring tears to his eyes. Much hilarity from the adult female players as you crawl off the pitch weakly blowing the whistle and whispering, ‘half time’… ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/32 "2010-08-30T19:22:46Z")
Jesus. Between the bleeding horror stories in the LadyDoper threads (GuyDopers: don’t read them. Just … don’t.) and this kind of stuff, I’m thinking it sucks to have _any_ kind of reproductive organs. ---
**Author:** ![Nancarrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@Nancarrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nancarrow)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/33 "2010-08-30T19:48:56Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Inserting 16 or 18 gauge needles and aspirating out the blood is certainly the quickest and most dramatic way to do so. Though just threatening this probably also works most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/34 "2010-08-30T20:10:12Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Why the hell does anyone care if someone’s penis gets erect? Just ignore it and get on with your work. Heck, as far as I know there’s nothing to prevent catheterizing it when it’s like that, might even be easier that way, as long as you’ve got sufficient length of tubing & all. I’ve heard my mother recount the time she was catheterizing a paralysed patient. He got an erection, my mother looked at him and he seemed to be completely unaware of anything. She just shrugged and kept on doing her work; she may have mentioned that it made it easier if anything. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/35 "2010-08-30T20:34:37Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Pathological erections are by definition not real amenable to rapid detumescence by most interventions. Inserting 16 or 18 gauge needles and aspirating out the blood is certainly the quickest and most dramatic way to do so. Isn’t injecting saline solution another way to do it? ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/36 "2010-08-30T21:03:32Z")
> [@Hockey\_Monkey](#): > > > [@Czarcasm](#): > > > > I am astonished that this is even being asked. If a male nurse claimed that the proper way to confront a female patient with erect nipples was to smack said nipples with his stethoscope, would you do anything other than report him to his supervisor? > > This would only make mine harder and probably turn me on. _rummages in closet_ _reappears wearing white coat and carrying stethoscope_ Sorry, where were we? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/37 "2010-08-30T21:16:00Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I am astonished that this is even being asked. The problem is not that the myth exists, but that it appears (in my experience) to be kept alive by medical people. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/38 "2010-08-30T21:27:52Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > January, 1961, Ft Carson, CO. > Major outbreak of some sickness we were never told if identified. > Every bed in the hospital and spares brought in were in use. > Major changes in daily routine in the training to minimize problem as it seemed to be airborne. > > I woke up in a bay full of other basic training victims. > Beautiful, gorgeous, saucy, #10 female Captain > Doctor enters room. All even half dead patients get erections. > > First thing she did as she approached bed was to flick the erections. > > After seeing this happen about 4 times in a row, mine & most others erections went away on their own. > > Not one bit of problem for her to do, did not change her great personality or bed side manner, professional attitude nor her compassion for us poor sick slick sleeves… > > Bad respiratory infections did not prevent erections. > > Anticipation of pain coming your way did it seems judging by my and others reactions… > > Only time I ran into it in a medical setting. So, anyone with civilian anecdotes less than fifty years old? There were many things done in hospitals a half-century back which are no longer standard prodecures. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/39 "2010-08-30T21:38:00Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > So, anyone with civilian anecdotes less than fifty years old? There were many things done in hospitals a half-century back which are no longer standard prodecures. Well, the people who told me about it, or mentioned it within my earshot, would be talking about the 1990s onwards. Doesn’t make it true, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975/40 "2010-08-30T22:06:21Z")
Funny how ubiquitous that is - I’ve heard that story too. I’m not sure where, but I’ve heard it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurses-and-erections-question/551975.md?page=3)