The majority of men worry about it.
And while there’s not much they can do naturally to make their penises bigger, there are several health conditions and lifestyle factors that can make them smaller.
In fact, the length of a man’s penis can decrease by up to an inch or so for various reasons.
Smoking, for example, may contribute to shrinkage by damaging blood vessels crucial for maintaining an erection, meaning men get less big during sex.
But having too much sex can also decrease the size of one’s member over time due to a build-up of scar tissue.
Experts have revealed that certain health conditions like heart disease and obesity can reduce blood flow to the penis, making it appear smaller
Dr Mary Samplaski, a urologist and director of male infertility at the University of Southern California, told Men’s Health that age and chronic disease could cause the penis to lose a consistent level of tumescence.
Tumescence is the penis’ ability to swell and become erect when a man is aroused.
Over time, this can lead to about an inch of loss. However, it’s difficult to measure.
She said: ‘There’s not really a medical tool for measuring penis shrinkage. What we do know is that smoking and age can cause a decline in testosterone production.’
Testosterone, a male sex hormone, is essential for maintaining sex drive and erections.
Smoking, for example, has been shown to damage blood vessels throughout the body, causing them to narrow and prevent blood from flowing to the penis. This can lead to weaker erections or the inability to hold an erection.
Penile shrinkage and erectile dysfunction may also be a sign of America’s number one killer – heart disease.
Similar to smoking, heart disease leads to narrow blood vessels and reduced blood flow to the penis, which can lead to shrinkage over time.
Heart disease also causes plaque to build up in the arteries, reducing blood flow to the penis.
Dr Samplaski also pointed to obesity as a culprit of penile shrinkage. This is because fat contains enzymes that convert testosterone to estrogen – a female sex hormone.
Without enough testosterone, the penis may shrink or shrivel up.
In some cases where the penis appears smaller, it might not actually be shrinking.
LowER abdominal fat can pull the organ inward or envelope the shaft, which makes it look smaller.
Therefore, losing weight can help pull the penis out more and make it seem larger.
And oddly enough, having too much sex could lead to small amounts of shrinkage, as sex could lead to small injuries around the penis. However, it’s difficult to quantify how much is too much.
This causes scar tissue to build up, decreasing elasticity of the penile tissues and reducing the size of both a flaccid and erect penis.
Additionally, exposure to cold temperatures could divert blood flow away from the penis to vital organs, leading to shrinkage. This has been dubbed ‘winter penis,’ which experts note is just a ‘normal physiological response to the cold.’
However, the size goes back to normal once temperatures warm up.
While lifestyle factors can play a role in penis size, shrinkage can be inevitable for some men as they age.
The penis and testicles tend to get smaller with age, largely due to poor blood flow from blood vessels naturally stiffening.
Age also increases the risk of erectile dysfunction, which affects half of men ages 40 to 70 at some point and as many as one in six chronically.
Sustained periods of erectile dysfunction have been shown to slightly reduce penis size, as tissues in the penis gradually become weaker and lose elasticity. This means that during an erection, the penis might not stretch out as far, making it look shorter.
Not all shrinkage may be preventable, but Dr Leslie Deane, professor and chief of urology at Howard University, told Men’s Health that consistent exercise can help boost testosterone levels needed to sustain erections and prevent size losses.
