As men, we’re pretty well acquainted with our penises. But despite the regular contact with your member, there is a lot you probably don’t know about it. Here are 6 things you never knew about your penis:
Don’t use it? You might lose it
You’ll be happy to know that the penis is like any other part of the body, and needs to be exercised to remain healthy and functioning well. It needs the rush of blood that occurs when erect to keep its muscle tone and needs the oxygen provided by the blood.
If you are able to have erections but find yourself having long periods where you don’t, don’t worry too much. The penis has an automatic system to exercise itself, and it’s for this reason that most men wake up with an erection, as the penis exercises itself whilst asleep.
However, if you have trouble getting erections, it could eventually lead to a shortening of the penis, as the penile tissue can become less elastic and make the penis 1-2cm shorter. So, next time you get caught by your girlfriend having a bit of ‘me time’, just tell her straight. You’re exercising!
You’re either a grower or a shower
Embarrassed by your penis size in the gym changing rooms? Well, there may not be any need to be. Scientific studies have found that men who have large flaccid penises don’t actually gain much size when erect, whereas small penises can enlarge greatly.
Probably best not to test this theory next time you’re in the gym changing rooms though.
Your penis will lose sensitivity as you get older
Scientific studies have proven that penises get less sensitive with age. Basically, this happens from the age of 25 with the sharpest decline in sensitivity occurring between the ages of 65 and 75. However, is this really a problem? Probably not, as GPs report that statistically, very, very few men complain about this. So, whilst it may lose sensitivity, it might be so small that you may not notice. It is, however, a great excuse to have more sex.
Vibrators can work on the penis
Think vibrators are only for women? Well, they actually work on penises too. Men who have had spinal cord injuries can use special medical vibrators to stimulate the underside of their organ and cause ejaculation. These special medical grade vibrators are more powerful and are specially designed to stimulate in this way. However, normal vibrators work for most men in this way.
Your penis is double the length you think it is
That’s right, double the length. Half of it is in your body. Think of it like a tree, you don’t see all the roots do you? And you know what? If you look at it on an MRI scan it’s shaped like a boomerang.
Your penis is home to quite a lot of things….
However clean you are, did you know your penis is home to over 40 types of bacteria? Researchers at the Genomics Research Institute tested men and found a total of 42 types of bacteria making the penis their home. What was interesting though was the fact that circumcised penises had far less bacteria. It’s one of the reasons why there seems to be a link between circumcised men having a lower risk of contracting HIV.