OBESITY CAN MAKE YOUR PENIS LOOK SMALLER… 

We live in a society where obese people are routinely made fun of and termed as ‘lazy’, ‘stupid’, ‘dumb’ or ‘slow’. This kind of segregation starts when a person is very young and obesity becomes the defining characteristic of an individual irrespective of his/her other qualities. With 1.5 billion people around the world in the overweight category, sex-related concerns of obesity is a situation various healthcare services will have to deal with sooner than later. Obesity not only leads to lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer but also can dampen your sex life. It can lead to lack of sexual stamina, sexual dysfunction and hormonal imbalance. Also the medicines you take for various diseases that go hand-in-hand with obesity like diabetes, heart disease and hypertension can lead to lack of libido and erectile dysfunction among other sex-related problems. This labelling sticks for life and anyone who has faced childhood obesity is likely to develop very low self-esteem. This promotes a negative body image which makes obese people uncomfortable in their skins. How can you be comfortable having sex, if all your life you’ve been told you’re ugly? Also various studies have shown obese people are far likelier to suffer from depression and other mental health problems which reduce libido and are likely to cause sexual dysfunction. Lack of stamina Obesity is often associated with laziness and a sedentary lifestyle. And this may often percolate into their sex lives as well. In men, it will also significantly decrease the time they can maintain an erection. Here are the top some ways obesity can harm your sex life: Erectile dysfunction Did you know that obese men are far likelier to suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotency? Problems associated with obesity like high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes prevent efficient blood flow to all parts of the body including the penis, thus causing issues with erection. This study has shown that even losing a little amount of weight can help beat the condition. Hormonal imbalance leading to low libido Obesity is directly linked to hormonal imbalance and lower testosterone levels, which in turn can inhibit sexual desires in both men and women. Another issue is that increased body fat leads to more sex hormone binding globulins (SHBG) in the system. SHBG is a natural chemical that binds to testosterone, which means that there is less of the sex hormone left to handle the demands of a normal sex life. There has also been evidence to suggest that obesity in young boys can lead to fatigue and development of male breasts. In young girls it can lead to PCOD, irregular menstrual cycle and thyroid problems. Infertility In women, obesity leads to abnormalities in their eggs that make them harder to fertilise. Sannidhya Hospital infertility department examined nearly 300 eggs that failed to fertilise during IVF and found obese women’s eggs were likelier to have chromosomal abnormalities. It also causes excess insulin production and PCOD (a condition where the periods are irregular and ovaries produce small, immature eggs instead of healthy mature ones). Obese women are also likely to suffer from failed pregnancies and miscarriages than regular weighing ones. Here is how to combat vaginal dryness naturally to have pleasurable sex. In men, obesity is directly linked to infertility because of the way it affects sperm. Research has found that men who consume a fatty diet have lower quality of sperm. Men consuming more saturated fats had 35 percent lower total sperm count and 38 percent lower sperm concentration than men who ate healthier. Obesity-related diseases that hinder sex People who are heavy, particularly in the central abdomen area tend to suffer from a host of diseases which can affect their sex lives in various ways. This can be due to physiological or psychological reasons or due to medicines taken for the disease. Diabetes, heart disease, cancer, hypertension, depression, dementia and other ailments all affect your sexual functioning. In fact, one of the most tell-tale symptoms of diabetes is erectile dysfunction. Medicines too, ranging from anti-depressants to those used to treat heart conditions, high blood pressure and cholesterol can lead to sexual issues like impotence, decreased sex drive, ejaculation problems and even delayed or no orgasms. Fewer sex positions possible Sadly, the sheer logistics of sex can change when one or both partners are fat and can make coitus in some positions particularly hard. The popular missionary position is out-of-bounds if the male partner is too heavy. And if both partners are obese, then the central abdominal area can prevent proper penetration. The rear entry style which is more popular among the obese can also cause problems because the woman usually has to spend a long amount of time on her knees. Spooning, a sex position where partners lie side by side is also hard for fat people. However, fat people shouldn’t fret and there are multitudes of positions that they can try with their partners. Less likely to have sex Let’s face it – we live in a society that judges us by our looks and obese people are always going to find it harder looking for a partner. The problem is even graver in a country like ours where it is okay for a man to be obese if he has a high-paying job or is from a rich family whereas it is almost impossible to find a groom for a ‘fat girl’. To sum it up, I don’t want to seem harsh pointing out how being fat or obese can harm your sex life. I was grossly obese myself and still continue to face multiple body image issues. But the fact remains that you can improve your sex life by simply losing a few kgs. And this will not only benefit your sex life but your overall health and well-being as well. What you’ve to realise is that the entire situation is in your own hand; you’re in control of your weight and you can choose to lose it whenever your heart desires Buried penis syndrome Folds of abdominal fat and skin in obese men make the penis look rather small or even ‘buried’ at times. Called the ‘buried penis syndrome’, it can seriously hamper sex lives. This however, should not be confused with the ‘micropenis’ which is a condition where the erect penis measures less than 3 inches. This is mostly a congenital disorder in children and can affect around 0.6% of the male population. The most common cause of penises to look like they’re shrinking, or to appear small is obesity. When a man is overweight, he collects fat in his pubic mound, which encases his penis making it look smaller. A large pubic fat pad makes the penile shaft look shorter. In some cases, abdominal fat all but buries the penis. One way I motivate my overweight patients is by telling them that they can appear to gain up to an inch in size simply by losing weight. Just as with average sized men, obesity will greatly reduce the size of your soft/flaccid penis, and can make your erect penis a little shorter too. Men less than 5 inches erect can appear to have very small penises as a result of obesity. In cases of extreme morbid obesity, some men can even look like they have a micropenis. When in fact medically they don’t have a micropenis, it’s just the obesity that makes it so. That’s how much of an impact obesity can have on your penis size. If the erect penis is measured correctly when overweight, the erect size should not be too different from what it always was. Correct measurement involves pushing the ruler hard into the fat pad, squashing it down as far as it goes. Average Size men and Obesity Many men mistakenly judge their penis size based on their soft/flaccid penis. If their soft/flaccid penis is in fact encased by pubic fat, then it can look very small in some cases, depending on the extent of the obesity. Some men have reported being average sized (5-7 inches erect) in their late teens, but due to morbid obesity later in life their penises can appear half that size (3-5 inches erect). You may have read the comment that fat men always have little dicks, and while this is true in some cases, most of the time the shorter penises are caused by the obesity. If theses men were to lose the weight they’d revert to looking like most other guys. Being fat makes your dick shorter. This man lost 15 Kg and the difference to his flaccid/soft penis size was remarkable. Note the large pubic fat pad when he was obese, and how it swallowed up much of his soft penis making it look small. In these extreme cases the penis hasn’t shrunk necessarily, although it’s common for penises to shrink a little as men get older. It’s mostly due to the fat deposits around their pubic and groin areas that make their once average sized penises look smaller. The average sized penis is still there, it’s just their bodies have gotten much bigger. The penis does not get larger with obesity, unlike male breasts for example. Your penis usually stays pretty much the same size. So losing weight can restore the appearance of your penis back to what it was. More importantly for many men, it can make your soft/flaccid penis look much larger which can help restore your confidence. Obesity also comes with many other health risks, but getting a small penis is not often mentioned when discussing it. Small Penis Men & Obesity Obesity can make the penis disappear when soft/flaccid One of the most common side effects of obesity for men who have very small penises to begin with is that their penises can become fully encased in the pubic fat pad when flaccid/soft. This creates what is colloquially referred to as a flaccid-inny or a mangina. This can be very embarrassing for these men. One man consulted me and told us that in his late teens his penis was 4.5 inches erect and he had a difficult time coming to terms with his small penis even back then. Now he is in his forties and weighs 110Kg’s, his erect penis now measures 3 inches erect. When his penis is soft/flaccid it is completely swallowed by his pubic mound like in the image above. This scenario is not uncommon amongst obese men. Having a soft/flaccid penis fully encased in pubic fat can create other problems too: • Urinating can become problematic, and create instances of incontinence. Some men may be required to sit when urinating. • Having a soft/flaccid penis that is always encased in the pubic fat pad can lead to fungal infections if the penis is not kept clean and dry. • Rashes from poor hygiene, heat, and sweat. • Odour problems. A hidden penis can cause severe self-esteem issues. These boys or men may not have a visible penis while standing and may have to sit to urinate. A boy or young adult can be ridiculed and made to feel inadequate by siblings or friends. It is not uncommon for concerned parents of a young boy to go to the pediatrician or pediatric urologist. Unfortunately, there is tremendous misinformation and lack of education even amongst these physicians. The parents are usually told that their son will outgrow the deformity if he loses weight or when he reaches puberty. Unfortunately, this is untrue in most instances especially if the boy has a moderate or severe buried penis. The boy is then lives with this psychologically traumatic deformity that could be corrected with a relatively non-invasive procedure. Adult males are also told that nothing can be done or that weight loss will correct the situation. Unfortunately, these men and boys often avoid social interactions that may require undressing, thus, severely affecting their lives. They may not participate in team sports or even date in order to avoid embarrassment and rejection. Social isolation can occur. The surgical correction of a buried penis depends on the abnormality. However, marked improvement can be achieved in almost all patients. The correction is based on re-establishing the connection of the erectile chambers of the penis to the penile skin along with the removal of excess pubic fat and/or skin. In severe cases of buried penis in which the patient has inadequate penis skin resulting from an overly aggressive circumcision or chronic inflammation, then the penis must be freed and covered with a skin graft. The surgery is usually performed as an outpatient unless a skin graft is needed. The improvement in penile and pubic appearance can be dramatic. Equally impressive is the patient’s positive personality and self-esteem improvement leading to more self-confidence and social interaction.
Dr Paras Shah IS BEST SEXOLOGIST OF THE TOWN and Chief Consultant Sexologist & Fertility Specialist SANNIDHYA MULTI SPEICLITY HOSPITAL SAL HOSPITAL Ahmedabad, gujarat, India
Email : dr9157504000@shospital.org