Penis

What is the penis?

The penis is an essential part of male anatomy. It’s an external sex organ in the male reproductive and urinary systems that mostly consists of blood vessels and spongy tissue. External sex organs are body parts that you can touch and see. Your penis allows you to remove pee (urine) from your body, experience sexual pleasure and get a female partner pregnant.

What does it do?

In most people, your penis plays a role in:

• Peeing: Pee exits your body through your urethra. Your urethra connects to your urinary bladder and runs through your prostate gland and down the length of your penis. Pee empties from an opening at the tip of your penis (meatus).
• Reproduction: Your urethra also transports semen out of your body. Semen contains male reproductive cells (sperm). Semen leaves your erect penis when you ejaculate, usually after orgasm.
• Sexual pleasure: Your penis has many sensitive nerve endings, especially in the head of your penis. Stimulating these nerve endings by touching or rubbing can feel good and cause an orgasm and ejaculation. Sexual pleasure can occur by yourself (masturbation) or during sexual intercourse with a partner.

Where is your penis located?

In most males, the penis hangs in between their legs. It’s just above the thick pouch of skin (scrotum) that typically holds your testicles, and below your pubic bone.

What are the parts of your penis?

Your penis consists of:

• Corpus cavernosa: Two long chambers (singular: corpus cavernosum) that sit side by side and on the top of your penis and extend the length of your penis. These chambers contain elastic or spongy tissue that fills with blood and expands to make your penis hard. Each chamber has a very tiny artery that brings blood into your penis.
• Corpus spongiosum: A long chamber that runs the length of the bottom of your shaft. This chamber contains the urethra and additional spongy tissue that fills with blood to create an erection. It connects with the head of your penis.
• Foreskin: A layer of skin that extends from the shaft of your penis and covers the head of your penis. Some people undergo a procedure that removes their foreskin (circumcision), usually shortly after birth. But healthcare providers may also perform a circumcision in adulthood.
• Head (glans): This is the tip of your penis. It’s at the end of the shaft. It fills with blood when stimulated.
• Meatus: The opening at the end of your urethra, usually at the tip of the head of your penis. This is where pee and semen come out.
• Shaft: This is the longest part of your penis. It extends from your pelvis to the head of your penis.
• Urethra: This is a tube that carries pee and semen out of your body.

What does a penis look like?

It’s common for many people to wonder about their penis size and general function. But the size and shape vary from person to person, and they’re all normal. Your penis may:

• Be a different color from skin on other areas of your body
• Be straight
• Curve up, down or to the left or right
• Get larger when you have an erection or stay about the same size
• Have a larger head with a skinnier shaft
• Have a larger shaft with a skinnier head
• Have a lot of visible blood vessels

The average penis size is about 3.5 inches (8-9 centimeters) while soft (flaccid). On average, it’s about 5 to 5.5 in (13-14 cm) when you have an erection.

What are the common conditions and disorders that affect it?

Medical conditions can affect all parts of your penis, from the skin and the meatus to the three inner chambers. They can make it difficult to pee, feel pleasure, get an erection and get a female partner pregnant. Some common conditions include:

• Erectile dysfunction (ED): This is when your penis doesn’t become hard or can’t stay hard enough to complete sexual intercourse with your partner.
• Skin conditions: Skin conditions that can affect your penis may include an infection like herpes or syphilis. They can also develop from long-lasting (chronic) conditions like psoriasis or eczema. They cause rashes, ulcers, skin discoloration and itchiness.
• Paraphimosis: This is when your foreskin is very tight and gets stuck around the head of your penis. It can cut off blood flow to your penis. Paraphimosis is a medical emergency.
• Penile cancer: Sometimes, cancer can form in your penis. It can form anywhere, but most commonly starts on your foreskin or the head of your penis.
• Penile fracture: A penile fracture happens when your penis is hard and bends suddenly. This causes a tear in the tissue that holds blood in your penis. A penile fracture is a medical emergency.
• Peyronie’s disease: This is a buildup of scar tissue (plaque or nodule) in the shaft of your penis. It causes pain and a bend in your erect penis.
• Phimosis: This is when your foreskin is stiff and tight, and you can’t pull it back from the head of your penis.
• Priapism: Your penis is hard for longer than four hours. This is very painful and a medical emergency.
• Trauma: An injury to your penis can occur from contact sports, vigorous sex or masturbation. It can cause pain or loss of sensitivity in your penis.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are also a common condition that can affect your penis. There are more than 20 known STIs, including:

• Chlamydia
• Genital warts
• Gonorrhea
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C
• Herpes
• HIV
• Syphilis
• Trichomonas
• Yeast infection

How do I know if there’s something wrong with my penis?

It’s important to be familiar with your penis so you can understand how it typically looks and feels. This allows you to more easily notice changes or potential problems. To examine your penis, you should:

• Visually inspect it from the tip to the base. Look for any blisters, bruising, discoloration, thick white matter around the head or green or yellow discharge from the tip.
• Use your fingers to gently feel along your shaft and the head of your penis for any firm or tender areas.
• Lightly squeeze your shaft and the head of your penis to feel for any lumps.
• If you have foreskin, pull it back and inspect the area underneath.

It’s a good idea to perform a self-exam at least once a month starting around puberty.

Other signs that something may be affecting your penis or overall health include:

• Blood in your pee (hematuria)
• Blood in your semen (hematospermia)
• Pain or a burning feeling when you pee (dysuria)
• Pain when you get an erection or during sexual intercourse
• Pain when you orgasm
• When your penis won’t get hard or stay hard
• When your penis has a curve or bend when it gets hard

What doctor should I call if I have a problem with my penis?

If you have a problem with your penis, you should first reach out to a primary care physician (PCP). They’ll review your health and sexual history, ask questions about your symptoms and perform a physical exam. During the physical exam, they may check your penis and testicles. They may also recommend checking your anus, rectum and prostate (digital rectal exam).

A PCP may also refer you to a urologist or a sex therapist. A urologist specializes in diagnosing and treating conditions that affect your urinary and reproductive systems. A sex therapist can help you address any mental or emotional problems that affect your sex life.

What should I do if I have a problem with my penis?

Some problems need medical attention right away — when your erection won’t go down after more than a couple of hours, when your foreskin gets stuck around the head of your penis, or when you have sudden pain or hear snapping sound in your penis during sex. Call a healthcare provider as soon as you can or go straight to the emergency room (ER).

Other penis problems happen over time. Schedule an appointment with a primary care physician if you notice any changes during a routine self-exam of your penis.

How can I keep my penis healthy?

The following tips can help keep your penis healthy:

• Avoid risky substances: Substances like tobacco, alcohol, opiates and cocaine can all have a negative effect on your sexual function.
• Limit your sexual partners: Having sexual intercourse with multiple partners increases your risk of getting or spreading STIs. Use a condom every time you have sex and get an STI test before you have sex with any new partners.
• Manage any medical problems you have: Common medical conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease can affect how your penis works. Certain medications that treat these conditions and other disorders (like depression and anxiety) can as well.
• Perform monthly penis and testicular self-exams: Schedule an appointment with a healthcare provider if you notice something that wasn’t there the last time you checked.
• Protect your penis: Contact sports like baseball, hockey, soccer and football can damage your penis. It’s a good idea to wear a protective cup.
• Wash your penis every day: Use mild soap and water. Rinse your penis thoroughly to remove all soap, especially if you have foreskin. Gently pat it dry with a clean towel. If you have foreskin, be sure to clean underneath it as well.

How can I increase blood flow to my penis?

Increasing blood flow to your penis can help you get stronger erections. You can help increase blood flow to your penis by:

• Eating healthy food every day to help improve your blood circulation, including lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes
• Getting regular exercise, including cardio exercise (brisk walking, cycling, running and swimming) on most days and doing muscle-building exercises a least two days per week
• Taking steps to manage stress, including breathing exercises, yoga and meditation and spending time in nature
• Making sleep a priority and trying to get at least seven hours of restful sleep each day
• Cutting back on alcohol
• Quitting smoking
• Performing Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles
• Talking to a provider about medications that help increase blood flow to your penis, like sildenafil (Viagra®) and tadalafil (Cialis®), or a vacuum constriction device (penis pump)
• Asking your provider if a supplement like l-arginine/l-citrulline, ginseng or zinc may be helpful

Which foods are best for penis health?

Eating lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains may help promote penis health. Some examples include:

• Spinach and kale
• Berries
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Walnuts
• Flax seeds
• Watermelon
• Beets
• Pumpkin seeds

At what age does penis size increase?

Your penis size typically increases during puberty. During puberty, your testicles make more testosterone. Testosterone helps your penis increase in size. Puberty for boys usually starts between 9 and 14.

Does the penis get smaller with age?

Yes. Your penis can get smaller because of poor circulation from conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes. Smoking can also cause poor circulation. Weight gain, low testosterone and Peyronie’s disease can cause your penis to look smaller, too.