What You Need to Know About Penile Curvature

Not All Cruves Are Great

Introduction & background

One of the many things that could cause a man to have a problematic sex life is the presence of a bent penis, or what is medically known as penile curvature. This health condition is actually quite common with about 3% of the male population suffering from a severe form.

However, one has to keep in mind that a bend is not necessarily one and the same thing as a penile curvature. A bend is typically used to describe the severe form where a scar tissue is already involved. Such is the case in a Peyronie’s Disease.

Defining A Curved Penis

During erection, one would notice an abnormal curving of the penis. This is what is known as the penile curvature.

Signs and Symptoms of A Curved Penis:

• Noticeable curvature of the penis when erect
• Erection that tends to be painful and uncomfortable
• Pain during intercourse or difficulty penetrating

Causes of Penile Curvature

In most cases, the following are the reasons why there is a penile curvature:

1. Congenital: This condition takes place at birth although there are some cases where the curvature starts to become apparent during the first few weeks after birth. In its mild form, the curvature tends to fade with very little need for treatment. In serious cases, however, it could become more pronounced as the person hits adolescence. One of the reasons behind the latter is the fact that it is during puberty that there is an increase in the amount of testosterone being released by the glands causing a much faster growth of the male sexual organ.

   Mild cases might cause some slight discomfort but serious cases would most likely lead to painful sexual intercourse.

2. Injury or Forceful Trauma: Penile curvature can become apparent later in life especially when trauma or force is inflicted on the organ. Although there are no bones in the penis that can become fractured, such infliction of force or trauma can cause irreparable damage. Even simple sex-related accidents can lead to ruptures within the penis that may, later on, affect the growth of the said organ. What usually happens is that one side of the penis grows normally while the other side may not grow at all, or might have a slower development pace.
3. Tight clothes: A man who is wearing tight underwear or pants could face some problems when he gets an erection. This is because the restricted space can cause the penis to become erect at an awkward angle. What happens now is the blood circulates properly on one side while the other side might have insufficient blood supply. Of course, this would lead to oxygen deprivation as well as insufficient nutrition supply.
4. Prone Sleeping Position: Although there is no definite support frm the scientific community yet on this one, some experts believe that sleeping on the stomach can compress the blood vessels in the penis leading to insufficient blood and oxygen supply to surrounding tissues. This, in turn, causes a stunted growth of the penis on one side.
5. Peyronie’s disease: When it comes to penile curvature, the most common cause is Peyronie’s disease. This is a degenerative type of disease which means that, as time passes, the condition tends to worsen in the sense that sexual intercourse could already become impossible.
6. Other causes: Aside from those listed above, there are other medical conditions that, in one way or another, can lead to penile curvature. Some of these are:

   Dupuytren’s contracture: Although this medical condition typically involves the palm of both hands, there are some cases where this medical condition can cause penile curvature. The most likely ”victims” of this condition are white men who are passed the age of 50.

   Stricture in the Urethra: If an object gets dislodged in this small tube, urine as well as semen might have a hard time getting out.

   Hypospadias: This medical abnormality is genetic in nature.

The Development of Penile Curvature

Typically, the different growth rates of the two sides of the penis are what causes penile curvature with the penis bending towards the side with a slower growth rate. Although there are procedures to correct this condition, there is currently no way for medical professionals to predict the risk for developing this condition or for preventing it.

Where the Penis Would Point

An erect penis should curve upward. In some cases, it could curve to the side. There are also instances when an erect penis would point downward as though it is attached with some kind of a hinge at the base part. This can be quite apparent and might cause difficulties as well as pain during sexual intercourse. A penis could also assume the shape of an hourglass or may curve to either the left or the right.

Erection and Penile Curvature

Penile curvature only becomes apparent when erect. Some of the reasons for this include:

• The side where the penis curves to typically possess a lesser area of skin when compared to the other parts of the penis
• Scar tissue, usually present in a curved penis, does not stretch well compared to normal skin
• The skin which can be found on the other side of the curve is already stretched out.

Penile Curvature and Its Complications

A penile curvature that does not get medical attention could become more serious leading to the inability to engage in a sexual intercourse. If the person, however, is able to engage, he might find it quite painful. Penile curvature left on its own can also lead to impotence.

Treatment for Penile Curvature

If you are uncomfortable with how your penis looks or are having problems when it comes to sexual intercourse due to your condition, one of the solutions that you might want to consider is penis traction.

A penis traction works by stretching the side of the penis containing the scar tissue so that it becomes at the same length as the other side. You can also make use of cream containing verpamil.

Verapamil is a drug that acts as a calcium channel blocker. It helps to destroy the scar tissue allowing both sides of the penis to be of equal length. As a last resort, you can also try undergoing a surgery.

As simple as it may seem, a curved penis might actually lead to further complications. At its worst, a man might not be even get to enjoy the satisfaction when gets from sex. That said, if you think you have this condition, you should act now and have it corrected before you serious medical conditions haunt you.