Prostate surgery may shorten penis.

DoubleDigitDick: Here are some clips from this article as Yahoo News:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...state_penis_dc

"Researchers ... found that men who underwent prostate-removal surgery, known as prostatectomy, experienced a slight decrease in the size of their flaccid and stretched penis."

" ... in 20 percent of the study participants, penile length decreased by at least 15 percent. "

"Many study participants also reported a marked decrease in sexual functioning after prostatectomy."

"While 92 percent of patients prior to surgery reported being able to achieve an erection, only 33 percent retained that ability three months later."

"This marked impotence following surgery may, in part, explain the concurrent decrease in penis size, Soloway suggested -- with lack of use, the penis may shorten."

"Could knowing that prostatectomy may decrease penis size inspire some men to forgo the potentially life-saving operation?"

Hey DoubleDigit,

After almost a week now with absolutely NO response or commentary to the interesting info you shared (I'm surprised NO ONE has responded as yet!).
I'll offer one idea. --Maybe more will follow.

BTW--thanks for taking the time to lift all those quotes.
It was the last one that caught my attention, though:


[quote author=DoubleDigitDick link=board=health;num=1048746184;start=0#0 date=03/26/03 at 2203]


"...Could knowing that prostatectomy may decrease penis size inspire some men to forgo the potentially life-saving operation?"


[/quote]


Sadly....around here, I believe some men WOULD forego
life-saving surgery to preserve the length of their penis.

--While I'm not proud I said that, I think it's true.

I'll admit to being concerned most of my life about "measuring up" to other guys and I know the impact emotionally that this whole issue has to men...I can and DO relate to it first-hand. --No debate from me.

In this forum, I have read posts-after-posts-after posts from men of ALL sizes. I have especially followed with keen interest the views expressed by those men who fall average in size (or below average); who fret and agonize over the whole concept of size to where their lives are often "impaired" emotionally and psychologically it would seem. The large guys boast.
The smaller guys express their woes. So it goes in life.

I'm afraid there are men from ALL size catagories out there in the world who would (and, perhaps HAVE already!) elected to risk dying first before sacrificing one fraction of an inch of their penis. I'm serious. Retaining what size they do have now WOULD be THAT important to them, I am convinced.

Mind you, I'm not here to argue with, condemn, or judge others. Strangely, (for the record) I could even wind up someday being a man who must make a difficult health choice decision myself! Who knows? I shudder to think of it!

--makes me almost ashamed HOW I might would decide, in fact.

I can logically make no predictions at this point.

Penis size is SO important to us as men and to our egos. But, having to decide between saving our penis or ultimately dying? What's wrong with this picture?

It's a sad commentary not so much on the intrinsic core of "being a man" but instead about the pressures that our current culture and society place upon "size" ...that penis-size is ranked so unrealistically high within our already troubled, pre-conceived set of values in life.

In more ways than one....it's quite tragic.
So far though, no need to try to tell us men differently.
Our minds seem made up when it come to size....
size matters--yes, BIG-time, too.

Perhaps more forums (like this one) and opportunities to discuss men's sexual issues can change all that way down the road. I can only hope so.

H8Monga: I hadn't replied or read the article because it just makes me shudder. I could never be a medical doctor... *shivers*

DoubleDigitDick: Hi Benderten,

I noticed this thread was not getting much response. I guessed the topic makes people uncomfortable. (I admit I find the thought unpleasant.)

Like you, I shudder at the thought of needing a prostatectomy. Loss of length, and more importantly loss of erection. Sounds like the end of sexual joy as I know it. If the surgery has the side effect of shortening my cock by half an inch or an inch, then I can live with that if I can still use my penis for sex.

However, we may have to face this sad reality as we age.

A family member of mine is a doctor, and I asked him about prostate cancer. He says it is "inevitable" - meaning if a man lives long enough, he eventually gets it. Some get it at 50 years, others at 70 years, and some not until they're 90. In previous centuries, people died of other problems long before they even had a chance of getting prostate cancer.

Now that men are living longer, more men are getting prostate cancer. As lifespans increase, the number of prostatectomies will also increase. Hopefully, modern medicine will come up with a better treatment someday.

I would still choose to live with a shorter and inactive penis than to die. I guess my thinking is that by age 90, I may not get much action anyway. (Any venerable men here want to comment?)

Lastly, I do agree with you that our culture places too much emphasis on whether or not a man "measures up". Or whether or not a man can get it up. Just look at all those viagra sales!

As I read the messages on LPSG, I find it interesting that well-endowed men are the ones to mention all the problems (and pleasures) of being oversized. Perhaps our average- and modest-sized brothers need not feel so unlucky.

Hey there DoubleDigit....

Maybe you and I WILL BE the only ones to "exchange" any info on this topic. It sure is a sobering one!

Since posting my first response, I have thought considerably about "how" I would decide should prostate surgery become necessary.

I believe it would depend (perhaps) at the AGE that it struck me as to "which way" I would indeed go.
--Now, isn't THAT terrible!

Naturally, I would want to remain "sexually capable" for as much of my life as possible. But, like you, after I (HOPEFULLY!) would come to reason over what IS really important, I would more than likely opt to "go on living" with a somewhat reduced sexual capacity--whatever that entails, than to decide to not fight prostate disease and thus, "give up." I don't think I am THAT vain just yet! --I would certainly hope not. :-[

As I said, this matter of prostate problems is a sobering subject for men...particulary those of us over age 40 or so. I believe those comments, too of your MD family member. According to statistics I have seen, prostate trouble is something virtually all of us men will perhaps encounter someday--directly or indirectly.
If we don't have problems ourselves, someone we know more than likely will.

No use in worrying about it, though.

But, on the other hand, it's not wise to ignore it either.

Regular prostate exams (after age 40) and lifestyle choices (diet and supplements promoting good prostate health) are very much in order for every man to consider BEFORE problems actually begin.

We take our prostate gland for granted, really I believe. We put so much focus on the "other equipment" when it's the prostate that is serving such an important role "behind the scenes". Without it, our sexual function is greatly impaired! Our penis size suddenly DOESN'T matter as much because then we could lose our ability to "perform" as we once knew it. It's poses such a psychological adjustment for us as men.

DoubleDigit, maybe you and I can encourage others within this community (especially those who are "older" -- who may be "lurking" and not participating up to now--) maybe we can entice them to speak up and share their experiences, views, and comments....

Some man "somewhere out there" might just be helped
(or encouraged) by all this discussion somehow.
As difficult a subject as it is for us to have to consider at all (now or later), it really IS serious.

It would be especially great to hear from those men who have faced prostate probs. and/ or surgery and who could share some POSITIVE ideas which might even "play-down" what so many of us secretly are fearing on the subject itself. Modern medicine has made tremendous progress in combating prostate cancer and there might indeed be better prognosis rationale and encouragement from the "fields of experience" which could only help ease our minds as men.

DoubleDigitDick: This Yahoo News article says that men can still have erections after prostate surgery by using Viagra. So, they can still get it up even after losing half an inch in the surgery.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...a_erections_dc

biggun9991:
Hi!

I had prostate surgery at the ripe old age of 31 (!) and now some years later I can still pop an erection just as well as I could before the op.

Of course, I can't produce any appreciable quantity of semen, but I still orgasm well and have the added bonus of being able to piss like a racehorse ;)

biggun9991