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
