by director Chris Steidle, MD
Penis anatomy is complex. The penis is comprised primarily of two cylinders of sponge-like vascular tissue that fill with blood to create an erection.
Blood is pumped from the heart into the penis under great pressure and a series of valves keep it in the penis to maintain the erection.
A third cylinder is the urethra, a tube that carries the urine and the ejaculate. The knobby head of the penis is called the glans.
Blood flows to the penis by two very small arteries that come from the heart and then the aorta. These arteries are the same size as the arteries to your finger.
The main problem that causes impotence (erectile dysfunction or ED) is that the lining of these blood vessels becomes dysfunctional and the blood can not get to the penis. This is known as Endothelial Dysfunction, or the real “ED.”
The other major problem is leakage of blood from the penis into the veins around the penis, which is called a venous leak. This is very common and is similar to a hole in a tire. The larger the hole, the more air that needs to be pumped into the tire to keep it hard!
Penis Size
An adequate penis is defined as one that allows the ability to stand upright to urinate and allows penetration of the vagina sufficent enough to permit fertilization. Folklore to the contrary, studies show that the typical erection is roughly 5 inches in length.
When a man is overweight, his penis will appear smaller, so losing weight is one way to enlarge the penis. A rough rule of thumb is that for every 30 pounds over ideal body weight, one inch of penis length is lost.
Penile Enlargement
The enlargement of the penis by surgery (the only successful method) is twofold. The procedure to lengthen the penis is done by cutting the suspensory ligament. This procedure gives the appearance of a longer penis but does not actually increase its length. It also makes the penis more unstable during intercourse and, in due course, more susceptible to injury. The other method of enlargement is by liposuction of tissue from one part of the body and injecting it into and around the penis to create a fatter penis. This gives the appearance of a fat, wide penis but not longer. These procedures are not recommended and have very high complication rates.
References
Steidle, CP. The Impotence Sourcebook. Lowell House. 1998.
Posted January 2002
Last updated August 2009
