Hi Dan, I'm a long time reader but first time writer. My girlfriend and I read your column religiously, and I have that in part to thank for being comfortable with telling her about my interest in BDSM. She is very GGG and has been more than happy to indulge all my kinky fantasies and she's discovered some of her own.

Our latest adventure has been having her lock my dick in a CB6000 (male chastity device) and holding on to the key. The play/sex has been super fun so far, but we both want to be aware and informed about any health and safety concerns from this type of play/restriction, specifically in regards to risk of damage to my penis. We've had the device for almost a week and I've been doing a ton of research on the net. There is no shortage of information on proper hygiene and cleaning while locked, and there is lots of information about effects of infrequent ejaculation/orgasm denial.

However, what we're most concerned about is not the effects of not coming, but whether the restricting of the penis and of erections can cause nerve damage, erectile dysfunction, or any other issues. I've read conjecture and opinions online, but nothing that would be considered comprehensive and reliable medical information. Specifically, I want to know if I should be concerned by having my erections constricted by the device while being teased in sexual play, or by wearing the device overnight (my research tells me that in REM sleep the typical male will get 3-5 erections).

We certainly plan on taking off the device for sexual play, which we do about 5 times a week, so there would certainly be plenty of opportunities for my guy to stretch out and get some exercise. Besides worrying about limiting erections, I'd also like to know if there's any issue with having the device on long term while soft, specifically in regards to the cock ring that serves as the back end of the device. If it is fitted properly, are there any negative effects to having this on for a day? A week? A month?

I find it odd that there isn't more information about this provided by manufacturers; it seems like a toy that you should be well informed about before experimenting with. From what I've read online, there seem to be a lot of guys who stay locked way more long term than I'm planning on doing, and I hope they have had questions like mine answered before engaging in that.

Lock On Cock Kausing Erectile Dysfunction?

My response after the jump...

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There are scores of male chastity bloggers out there whose wives and girlfriends keep their cocks locked up in male chastity devices for extended periods of time. It's difficult to put a number to exactly how many locked up guys are out there. But we can safely say this: there are more guys out there blogging about their locked up cocks than there are guys out there whose cocks have ever been locked up.

By which I mean to say: don't believe everything you read online. While there are plenty of kinky guys who've had their cocks locked up for extended periods of time, LOCKED, their numbers are small. I'm thinking most of what you've read by guys claiming to have been locked up for months or years is pure fiction. Best not to take health-and-safety advice from anonymous and potentially fictional male chastity practitioners, okay? (And here's a pro tip: guys who do wear male chastity devices for extended periods typically invest in custom devices that are fitted to their dicks. Their cocks aren't locked up in clunky, semi-adjustable, one-size-fits-all, easy-to-escape-from devices like the CB6000, which is fine for short-term play. Their cocks are locked up in shit like this.)

Manufacturers of things like CB6000s and other male chastity devices don't provide information about risks because they're not required to. Cock cages and male chastity devices are sold as "novelty items." They're not medical devices and the FDA doesn't regulate them. Still, so long as your CB6000 isn't so tight that it's cutting off circulation, pinching nerves, or rubbing you raw, you should be fine. I wouldn't recommend wearing it to bed, LOCKED, and not just because you'll be awakened by painfully constrained nocturnal erections three-to-five times per night. You know how you sometimes sleep "funny" on one of your arms and then it's completely asleep when you wake up in the morning? I don't think you want to risk doing that to your dick.

One guy I know who got into chastity play stopped wearing his cock cage after he realized that it was interfering with his ability to get an erection when he wasn't wearing his cock cage. As you're no doubt aware by now, LOCKED, erections are painful when you're wearing a CB6000. (Imagine how much it hurst to get one wearing this.) My kinky friend realized, some months into playing around with his CB6000, that he was essentially training his cock not to get hard at all—with or without his chastity device on, his dick was erring on the side of not getting hurt.

My advice: wear your CB6000 when you're away from your girlfriend. She can keep you chaste by locking up your cock when you're not together and keeping an eye on you—and your cock—when you are together.