They shrink with age, there’s a correct way to measure and bigger IS better: Everything you wanted to know about penises (but were too afraid to ask)
PENISES can be a mystery to many people, especially if you only glimpse them at crucial intimate moments.
Many myths and old wives tales exist about both gender’s privates, and it can be hard to separate fact from fiction.
have delved in to all things penis-related, and we've picked out the answers to the most burning questions - and added a few of our own.
To find out what happens to your penis when you get old to what size women prefer and if you really can "stretch" your penis, read on.
Anxiety
If you’re a man – stop worrying about how big your penis is.
Unsurprisingly, most men worry about the size of their penis no matter how big it is.
It turns out blokes with average or above-average penises spend as much time fretting over it’s length than men with smaller manhoods, a 2013 study found.
Urologist James Elist, who works in Beverley Hills, told : “Many men who come to see me with concerns about their size are average—sometimes, larger than average.”
Making it bigger
Most men have wondered if they can increase the size of their penis.
And it turns out you can – if you’re willing to have your penis pulled for hours a day.
It’s called the ‘traction method’, and a penile extender stretches the shaft.
The bizarre contraption resembles a water-pistol, with extendable parts.
But it has been shown to work, with an Italian study noting an increase of 0.67 inches when erect.
How to measure
If you’re a man then at some point, possibly in your teens, you’ve measured your penis.
Flaccid and erect, and using a variety of rulers and tape measures, you’ve got your measurements noted in your head.
But as it turns out, there is a proper way to measure a penis.
So if you’re desperate to know how you measure up, this is the method to use.
It’s called the Bone Pressed Erect Length (BPEL). BPEL and Bone Pressed Flaccid Length (BPFL), and you need a transparent ruler which you place on the top side of the penis.
You need to press the ruler into the pubic bone as much as possible, as the more fat you carry in this area the more your penis is buried, effectively making it shorter.
For flaccid pensises, stretch it out and measure it, and an erect penis should be pretty straightforward to measure.
When measuring disregard the foreskin.
For girth, take anything which can wrap around the penis, such as a piece of string, and wrap it around the shaft at the widest point, disregarding the head.
Then measure that piece of string to get your girth measurement.
Shrinkage
There are many jokes which reference old or saggy testicles, but it turns out there is truth in the tale.
As you get older you shrink and develop wrinkles, and the penis is no different.
Fellow urologist Irwin Goldstein, based in Philadelphia, also told : "If a man's erect penis is six inches long when he is in his 30s, it might be five or five-and-a-half inches when he reaches his 60s or 70s.”
Penis shrinkage isn’t just due to old age though, as the build-up of fatty tissue in your arteries over time can reduce blood flow where it’s needed most.
Not only that, but sex-related injuries can cause scar tissue to build-up in the sheath, reducing the size of the erection.
Size matters
Sadly, the myth that big penises are preferred is true.
A 2015 study gave 75 women aged 18-65 33 models of penises of varying size.
They asked them to select which one represented their ideal size in a long-term partner.
The average was 6.3 inches long and 4.8 inches in girth.
And when asked what size they would prefer for a one-night-stand, it was even bigger.
The average for a fling was 6.4 inches long and 5 inches in girth.
Porn
If you need reminding, the majority of penises in porn are very big.
It seems that the display of bigger than average penises has given people a complex over the size of penises.
For some men, they may not encounter other penises so films and TV may be their only point of comparison.
Being shown these large penises has led to a distortion over what is seen as normal or average, with men feeling inferior when comparing themselves to what they see.
But remember they're chosen specifically for their extra-large willies, and they are definitely not a reflection of the "norm".
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