Does penis size matter?

Heather Little-White, PhD, Contributor

The debate as to whether penis size matters continues. It is believed that this is of no concern to women, while men feel that penis size is critical to keeping their women. While men continue to be obsessive about their penile measurements, the average woman fails to understand it. Penis size is often at the centre of social jokes. And if a woman ridicules her man's penis in bed, he may take it seriously and feel deeply hurt.

The case of Kevin highlights the point, in his letter to Outlook. Kevin has a girlfriend for the last two years, but he often feels inadequate during sexual intercourse. His girlfriend often ridicules him as having a small organ and he fears that she may be cheating on him. He is so stressed by feelings of inadequacy that he is having difficulty getting an erection and believes that, at age 28, he may soon be impotent.

Normal organ

Men have been known to develop problems after someone made unkind remarks about their penis dimensions. According to Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, "the penis is a pendulous organ suspended from the front and sides of the pubic arch and containing the greater part of the urethra. In the flaccid condition it is cylindrical in shape, but when erect assumes the form of a triangular prism with rounded angles, one side of the prism forming a dorsum. It is composed of three cylindrical masses of cavernous tissue bound together by fibrous tissue and covered with skin."

Although most men have a perfectly normal male organ, each one just thinks he is very small compared with other men.

Contrary to what is alleged, some women dislike the idea of a very large penis and may be frightened by a lengthy one. Further, some women are much more impressed by the thickness of a penis rather than its length, as they enjoy the feeling of being stretched round the entrance to the vagina during penetration. (www.netdoctor.co.uk)

A question of perspective

The average man, consciously or subconsciously, believes that his manhood hinges on his penis and its size. From very early, a young boy discovers his penis and becomes very fascinated with it. As size is linked to good sex, young men often fear that theirs may be too small, especially when compared with their father's, or older men they may observe in changing rooms or men's toilets. They may envy the size of others hoping for a little more length,

Small-penis syndrome

Small-penis syndrome is a proposed diagnosis for men who are anxious about their penis size, despite being shown that they do not have an unusually small one. Some men want to be like male porn stars, many of whom have larger than the average penis size. Camera techniques are also used to make penises in pornographic movies look bigger on camera.

Every man sees his own penis in a foreshortened view because of the angle at which he looks down, so it seems shorter than it actually is. He may spend his lifetime comparing his penis with others in his family, and in public spaces. He may feel inadequate, which could affect his performance in bed, or he may feel like a champion because he is heavily endowed.

Penis truths

The truth about penis size is that:

1. A non-erect penis usually measure between 8.5 cm and 10.5 cm (3-4 inches) in length, from tip to base.

2. Contrary to what is believed, the size of a man's penis is not an index of virility.

3. The size of a man's foot is not an indicator of the size of his penis, so small feet do not mean a small penis..

4. A man's height has no bearing on penis size - the common belief is that tall men usually have large penises.

5. There is no correlation between penis size and race.

6. Some men may get a little extra during an erection. The man whose flaccid penis is smallish will usually achieve about 100 per cent increase in length during sexual excitement. The man with a largish penis will probably manage about 75 per cent increase.

(www.netdoctor.co.uk)

The vagina

Men become so obsessed with the length or width of the penis, often forgetting that the vagina will accommodate any size penis. Biologically, the vagina of a woman who has not had a child is only three inches long when she is not sexually stimulated.

Childbearing hardly affects the length of the vagina; and, with sexual arousal, it might extend to four inches. This means that the average man's penis will fill the vagina completely. The vagina has a remarkable ability to lengthen to 200 per cent even if a six-inch erect penis is gradually inserted. So men with exceptional penis size will be able to slowly penetrate their partners with proper stimulation.

Increasing size?

If you feel inadequate, because of your concern about penis size, see your doctor or find one who specialises in sexuality issues. There are several treatments to increase size, at a cost. Penis enlargement is a profitable business as well as the basis for academic study. Despite their popularity in the media, there is little success rate with some methods.

Pills or patches for increasing penis size: a complete waste of time.

Penile enlargement surgery: of uncertain value and sometimes dangerous.

Penile enlargement exercises: probably futile.

Penile suction devices: probably of little use.

Penis stretchers

Penis stretchers, or extenders, are gaining popularity. Several European experts say that these relatively new devices may sometimes be of value in giving a man a little extra length. Penis stretchers are small rectangular extending frames used by some urologists and given to patients to wear on the penis for hours at a time daily. The penis is stretched to its maximum length with the belief that it will get longer over time.

Some researchers in Italy and Spain have reported modest successes in the use of this device, undetectable under the trousers and stretching the penis up to three quarters of an inch, but for some men this would be significant.

The debate on penis size is an unfortunate social phenomenon spanning cultures around the world. There is no medical reason for penis size to matter and men and women seem to differ on the subject. Sexual tastes are complicated; and men and the sex industry have become obsessed with size - that bigger is better.

However, the debate is stymied as 'bigger" is relative. In general, men are very bad at making accurate comparisons about penis size and medical researchers are not sure about the average size either. (About.com)

Send feedback/questions to heatherl@cwjamaica.com