Read more Erectile dysfunction briefly explained So what can sex without an erection look like? We spoke with Mr Tilley and Dr Chris Fox, a senior lecturer in sexology at the University of Sydney, to bust a few common myths. 'For many people, this is extremely satisfying.' They can still experience high levels of stimulation and pleasure without an erection,' Mr Tilley says. 'A person with a penis doesn't require a full erection to have a pleasurable sexual encounter. The reality is, you don't need a hard penis to experience or give pleasure. 'Sometimes the person can become fixated on the loss of erection further preventing them regaining their erection.' 'People typically overlook the fact that a person's erection waxes and wanes throughout the sexual encounter, meaning they may lose their erection, or partially lose it and then regain it,' explains Matt Tilley, a clinical psychologist and lecturer in sexology at Curtin University. That puts a lot of pressure on sexual encounters, given 40 per cent of Aussie men will experience erectile dysfunction.

Many people with a penis see an erection as an important part of giving and receiving pleasure.