Last updated on October 8, 2020
Question:
Hello sir,
I have a question regarding my penis. I have always had a slight bend in my penis. However, recently I noticed that when I am aroused and I’m becoming erect, the middle of my shaft seems to “squeeze”. The lower part of my shaft gets bigger and it’s an effort for my entire penis to become erect. I usually have to use physical stimulation to complete the erection. It usually only happens if I’m cold or after working out. This is very unsettling for me. I did search your site but couldn’t find any questions like mine. Erections don’t hurt, and usually, once I’m aroused, I can have a very long erection. I’m not obese nor do I have any health problems. I don’t have insurance currently, so going to a doctor right now is out of the question. I’d greatly appreciate any knowledge and advice you have. Maybe there is something I can do that would make this stop?
I’d greatly appreciate your feedback.
Answer:
Erections occur when muscles at the base of your penis clamp down on the veins that send the blood from your penis back to your heart. This causes blood to back up in your penis, causing it to inflate like a balloon.
Both the fact that you have a slight bend and that you see the bottom portion of your penis inflate before the top portion tells me that you have a slight blockage somewhere in your penis. It happens more often when you are cold because the blood vessels contract to keep you warm.
When you stimulate yourself, you are increasing your blood pressure. Eventually, the pressure expands the narrowed spot and blood flows past it to inflate the rest of your penis.
The only solution to fix this problem would be to have surgery to remove the partial blockage. But since you are still able to have full erections, there is really no need to have the surgery. If it does become a problem later in life, then you can then have it looked at.
The cause of the partial blockage are plaques that form in the chambers of the penis. There can be a number of cause of the plaques:
- Physical trauma, such as bending the penis when it is erect
- Genetics — some men are just prone to getting plaques
- High blood pressure and hardening of the arteries — though these tend to be problems in older men
- Diabetes
Thus, it would mean that you should have yourself check for diabetes and circulatory ailments at some point, just in case this problem is an early warning sign of bigger problems.
Question:
Thank you for responding. Since I can still achieve full erections, I know that I don’t have a full blockage. However, will it not get worse? I searched my symptoms and found something called “Peyronies hourglass” deformity, which is some type of Peyronies and it has me really worried. I don’t think my condition has worsened. My penile curvature has stayed the same for several years. But this “narrowing” or “hourglass” condition has just started.
Answer:
Unfortunately, the answer is “no one knows.” Peyronies seems to go in spurts. There is an acute phase when the plaques form, which typically last up to a year. It is then followed by a chronic phase where nothing changes for a long time. Thus, there is no way currently to predict when or if you’ll experience another acute phase. There are treatments to remove the plaques, but you will need to see your doctor about those.
Response:
Thank you very much for that bit of information. I think I am a little bit more at ease now that I know there are phases. I will just pray that it heals by itself until I am able to see a doctor, then I will definitely know my condition.