A medical expert has finally answered the question that has plagued “most men”: can your penis actually shrink?
Sure, there are arguably bigger things in the world to worry about, but apparently that hasn’t stopped the male species from fretting about their manhoods for far too long.
While it’s not technically possible for penises to dramatically reduce, it turns out there are a string of different factors that can affects a man’s erection result, making it smaller than it once was during times of performance.
Mary Samplaski, MD, urologist and the director of male infertility at the University of Southern California, said warned a man’s age and lifestyle choices could have a negative effect on a penis’ ability to maintain a consistent level of tumescence.
Tumescence is the medical term that refers to the normal engorgement with blood of the erectile tissues, marking sexual excitation, and possible readiness for sexual activity.
“There’s not really a medical tool for measuring penis shrinkage,” says Dr. Samplaski told Men’s Health.
“What we do know is that smoking and age can cause a decline in testosterone production.”
Studies show smoking can damage the blood vessels and hinder proper blood flow – which in turn can have a knock-on effect on erections.
While doctors don’t fully understand the connection between testosterone and erectile dysfunction, research suggests that a decline in testosterone can affect the strength of erections.
Dr. Samplaski also said that conditions such as cardiac disease, diabetes, or thyroid issues can cause changes in erectile strength.
Obesity can be another culprit. Dr. Samplaski explained that fat contains an enzyme that converts testosterone into oestrogen, which can cause erectile issues and testicular shrinkage.
“Exercise is a natural means of achieving a rise in a man’s testosterone. Testosterone is important for the health and wellbeing of the male functional organs,” she told the publication.
Bizarrely, having “too much” sex is also cited as being able to decrease the size of a man’s junk over time as excessive sexual activity can lead to injuries, which could cause a build-up of scar tissue.
However, despite the potential for loss in size, penis shrinkage is incredibly rare, medical experts warn.
It comes 18 months after it was found that the average penis length has increased by 24 per cent over the past 30 years.
This may sound like good news, but researchers behind the study published in the World Journal of Men’s Health last year warned it’s actually a “concerning” discovery.
“Any overall change in development is concerning, because our reproductive system is one of the most important pieces of human biology,” Dr. Michael Eisenberg, the study’s author, told Stanford Medicine’s blog Scope at the time.
“If we’re seeing this fast of a change, it means that something powerful is happening to our bodies.”
The alarming data was obtained from 75 studies conducted with over 55,000 men between 1992 to 2021 which analysed the length of an erect penis.
“Erect penile length is getting longer, from an average of 4.8 inches (12.1cm) to 6 inches (15.2cm), over the past 29 years,” Dr. Eisenberg said.
More research is needed to confirm the findings and “determine the cause” of the changes.
