The body becomes sexually active within men and women through the various senses, including hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting and touching, Planned Parenthood explains. Fantasies, thoughts and real actions among couples can trigger sexual arousal. The sexual organs become aroused through contact, but other areas of the skin throughout the body can increase sexual arousal and pleasure. These erogenous zones may vary among people.
Male Hormone Production
During the teen years, the testes begin producing a steady supply of testosterone and other hormones in males. Testosterone promotes male characteristics that involve sexual and reproductive development, according to the American Cancer Society. The brain also encourages testosterone production through signals to the pituitary gland at the base of the brain when testosterone levels become low.
Desire
Healthy young men usually have an adequate supply of testosterone and fewer erection problems. Aging, anxiety or blood vessel problems may interfere with erectile function because of low levels of testosterone. Treatment or medication can reduce problems, especially for men as they age. In a normally functioning male body, sexual desire begins when the brain sends signals through the spinal cord and alerts nerves that travel throughout the body to the genital area.
Function
Sexual signals eventually cause the shaft of the penis to relax and expand blood vessels that carry blood into the penis faster than usual. An erection results with an increase in blood pressure in the penis. Various nerves provide pleasure when the penis makes contact through touch. Nerves also control the ejaculation process. When the prostate gland and tubes joining the testicles and seminal vesicles contract, a tube through the penis, called the urethra, fills with semen. An orgasm develops and ejaculation occurs.
Female Hormone Production
During childbearing years, a woman's ovaries produce eggs that travel through the fallopian tubes into the uterus. This is where sperm cells travel to during sex when the penis enters the vagina and releases sperm. If a sperm cell reaches and penetrates an egg, it impregnates the woman. Hormones provide women with sexual desire. The hormone estrogen keeps the vagina moist and flexible during sexual arousal. The vagina gets longer and wider, and cells secrete drops of fluid to make it slippery. As women age and reach menopause, estrogen levels may become low and slow down the vaginal and sexual process.
Arousal
Sexual excitement causes a woman's nervous system to send pleasurable signals to the brain. As the signals become stronger, the process results in muscles around the genitals contracting to release pleasure through the genital area and bring about orgasm.
Pleasure Signals
The reasons for orgasm vary among women and can include stimulation during intercourse and touching outside the genital area on or near the clitoris, a highly sensitive organ in the vulva, which is the outside part of the genital area. These areas of the genitals are the most sensitive to touch. The clitoris is similar to the penis in that it responds to touch by sending pleasurable signals to the brain.
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