Most men worry about it.
While there isn’t much they can do naturally to make their penis bigger, there are several health conditions and lifestyle factors that can cause them to become smaller.
The length of a man’s penis can decrease by up to 2.5 centimeters for various reasons.
For example, smoking can contribute to shrinkage by damaging the blood vessels that are essential for maintaining an erection. This means that men become less large during sex.
But too much sex can also cause the penis to become smaller over time, due to the formation of scar tissue.
Experts have discovered that certain health conditions, such as heart disease and obesity, can reduce blood flow to the penis, making it appear smaller.
Dr. Mary Samplaski, urologist and director of male infertility at the University of Southern California, told Men’s Health that age and chronic illness can cause the penis to lose a consistent level of swelling.
Tumescence is the ability of the penis to swell and become erect when a man is aroused.
Over time, this can lead to a loss of about an inch, but it is difficult to measure.
She said: ‘There is no real medical tool to measure penis shrinkage. What we do know is that smoking and age can cause a decline in testosterone production.’
Testosterone, a male sex hormone, is essential for maintaining sex drive and erections.
Smoking, for example, has been shown to damage blood vessels throughout the body, causing them to narrow and prevent blood from flowing to the penis. This can lead to weaker erections or the inability to maintain an erection.
Shrinking penis and erectile dysfunction could also be a sign of the leading cause of death in America: heart disease.
Like smoking, heart disease can lead to narrowing of the blood vessels and reduced blood flow to the penis, which can eventually lead to shrinkage.
Heart disease also causes plaque to build up in the arteries, reducing blood flow to the penis.
Dr. Samplaski also pointed to obesity as a culprit in penis shrinkage. This is because fat contains enzymes that convert testosterone into estrogen, a female sex hormone.
Without enough testosterone, the penis can shrink or shrivel.
In some cases where the penis appears smaller, there is no shrinkage.
Fat in the lower abdomen can pull the organ inward or envelop the shaft, making it appear smaller.
By losing weight you can pull the penis further forward and make it appear larger.
And oddly enough, too much sex can lead to little shrinkages, just as sex can lead to little injuries around the penis. It’s hard to quantify how much is too much, though.
This creates scar tissue, which reduces the elasticity of the penile tissue and makes both the flaccid and erect penis smaller.
Additionally, exposure to cold temperatures can divert blood flow from the penis to vital organs, causing it to shrink. This is called “winter penis,” which experts say is just a “normal physiological response to the cold.”
However, once temperatures rise, the magnitude returns to normal.
While lifestyle factors can play a role in penis size, shrinkage is inevitable for some men as they age.
The penis and testicles become smaller with age, largely because the blood vessels naturally become stiffer and there is poor blood flow.
Age also increases the risk of erectile dysfunction, a condition that affects half of men between the ages of 40 and 70 at some point and as many as one in six chronically.
Long-term bouts of erectile dysfunction have been shown to slightly reduce penis size, as tissues in the penis gradually weaken and lose elasticity. This means that the penis may not stretch as far during an erection, making it appear shorter.
Not all shrinkage is preventable, but Dr. Leslie Deane, professor and chief of urology at Howard University, told Men’s Health that regular exercise can help boost the testosterone levels needed to maintain erections and prevent size loss.