Is this the most dangerous sex position? Perils of reverse cowgirl laid bare by eye-watering case
A man broke his penis after it snapped against his partner while having sex in a notoriously risky position.
The 37-year-old, from Indonesia, came to the hospital with a swollen, bloody and badly bruised penis, which doctors said looked like an eggplant.
The patient explained that he heard a “loud popping sound” while having sex a few hours earlier in the reverse cowgirl position – when the woman is on top and facing away from her partner.
Doctors discovered he had broken his penis and rushed him in for emergency surgery, where they repaired the damage.
The medics have now issued a warning that the injury could occur when an erect penis hits their partner’s perineum or pubic bone during “forceful” sex, causing it to buckle.
The unidentified 37-year-old came to an emergency department in the Southeast Asian country with a swollen, bloody and bruised penis (stock image)
Urologists from West Nusa Tenggara Province General Hospital explained how the patient appeared in the emergency department with a swollen penis, which he said had started three hours earlier.
The man explained that he was having sex in the reverse cowgirl position when he suddenly heard a bang.
The dangerous position – also known as “female superior” – is known for the risk of injury to an erect penis.
There are no bones in the penis, but the injury is still known as a “fracture.”
The anatomy of an erection is based on two spongy tubes that fill with blood and harden, and a firm, fibrous sheath that surrounds them called the tunica albuginea.
When the tunica albuginea, which is made up mostly of collagen, is put under extreme pressure, it can break and cause the penis to bend out of shape.
The man immediately felt severe pain, lost his erection and started bleeding from his penis. The patient was also unable to urinate.
Doctors said the patient suffered a significant hematoma – an injury to the blood vessel wall, causing blood to seep into surrounding tissue.
They noted that his penis had the “eggplant deformity” – when it swells and turns purple – which is a telltale sign of a broken penis.
The man was rushed into surgery, where doctors made an incision in the tip of his penis to ‘unclog’ it – when the top layers of skin and tissue are removed.
This showed a ‘wide and deep fracture of the penis’.
Medics noticed that the tissue around the penis – the tunica albuginea – was torn.
During the procedure, surgeons cleaned the injury site, repaired the two ruptured tubes, and stitched up his urethra.
Medics performed an “artificial erection test” to make sure there was no leakage from the wounds and that the penis did not bend abnormally.
The penis was then sewn back up and covered with a bandage.
The man’s member was still blue three days later when the bandage was removed.
Five days after surgery, he was sent home with a catheter – a tube inserted into the bladder for urination.
At an appointment a few weeks later, the doctors noted that the man’s penis was “in good shape,” he could get an erection and urinate normally.
Write in the journal Urology Case Reportsdoctors noted that, in addition to sex, penile fractures can also occur during masturbation or even by turning over at an odd angle in bed.
The urologists explained that the “very unusual urologic emergency” is easy to recognize and diagnose because they generally cause a cracking sound, sudden swelling, bruising and severe pain.
It may also be difficult to urinate and the penis may bleed.
They noted that surgery results in the fastest recovery.
Since 1925, there have been only about 16 documented injuries per year worldwide.
Men in their 40s are most likely to suffer a penile fracture.