CAIRO: As Hany counts down the final days before his wedding, the 26-year-old slowly slips into depression. But his are no typical pre wedding-night fears. The young man is convinced that the small size of his male organ may be detrimental to his sex life after marriage.
In Egypt, Hany is not alone in suffering such insecurities. With higher exposure to online pornography brandishing muscular models with super sizes, many young men are increasingly questioning the size of their own equipment.
“But the matter doesn’t end there, Ahmed Fadel, 45, told Daily News Egypt. “Email spam inviting recipients to buy sex toys and creams promising to increase the volume of the penis and polish its shape are a daily occurrence.
Although a man at Fadel’s age finds these ads mildly amusing, he warns that we must not underestimate their impact on young people of both sexes.
The taboo issue is certainly no material for coffee shop chats, which is all the more reason to take it seriously, andrologist Osama Shaeer told Daily News Egypt.
Shaeer is the winner of the 2005 National Prize for Excellence in the Medical Field granted by the Ministry of Scientific Research in appreciation for surgical techniques designed to save patients with male genital amputation. He holds a PhD. in andrology, an MA in Dermatology and Venereology, as well as a diploma in general surgery from Cairo University.
He says that penis extension or enlargement is only possible through plastic surgery.
“But we don’t operate on anybody who knocks on our door asking for penile reshaping surgery, says Shaeer. “We only accept cases where the problem is proven to have traumatized the patient in spite of the fact that his organ falls within the normal range.
He explains that most men who are under the impression that they have short or thin male organs are actually normal. “The vaginal space adapts to the size of any organ as long as the latter is within the normal range.
Scientific sources say that the majority of men have organs that range between 8 to13 cm upon erection, but specialists, including Shaeer, prefer not to answer questions about size because they say it’s all relative.
Shaeer also points out that surgery is only necessary in cases where the penis is disfigured as a result of serious accidents or faulty circumcision. “We also look into the complaints of patients with organs falling within the minimum normal range, he noted.
All you need to know and are not afraid to askPsychiatrists say that lack of awareness about such issues has resulted in the abundance of anonymous inquiries in men’s health magazines and online forums, all of which reflect more than a little anxiety.
Online inquiries range from asking for a magic recipe to enlarge the penis, to information on ideal sizes, creams and exercises to boost shape and functionality.
One 19-year-old wanted to find out whether his 11 cm long and 3 cm wide organ will continue growing, while a married 28-year-old man asks for exercise tips for enlargement and elongation.
“A decade ago none of our patients used to ask about the right size, Dr Ibrahim Fahmy, Professor of Andrology at Cairo University’s Faculty of Medicine told Daily News Egypt. “But today a lot of young men, some about to get married, come to my clinic to air size-related anxieties.
Echoing the same observation, Dr Ghada El Khouli, Psychiatry Consultant and board member of the Saudi Androloy Group and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Ain Shams University, told Daily News Egypt that more single young men and married couples frequent psychiatric clinics to voice questions about size.
“While some patients are referred to us by specialists, others come to us directly. We shouldn’t ignore the fact that women are also involved. Like men they also have access to the internet and their ideal image of a man’s physique and sexuality could be based on what they see online, says El Khouli.
She added that many young women have high expectations before they get married, thinking their partners would have the same super sizes they saw elsewhere.
“Although they don’t express their disappointment to their spouses, we get to know about it when we talk to each of them separately.
However El Khouli revealed that many young brides are ignorant of the fact that reaching the cervix does not enhance sexual pleasure and that a long male organ could actually injure it. “They don’t realize that other women come to us complaining from damage caused by a long penis, she says.
Obsessions and illusions
Fahmy explains that anatomically-speaking, the majority of patients are physically sound with penis sizes ideal for intercourse.
“Assessing size is not arbitrary, he says. “The male organ is measured upon erection and has to fall within the normal range.
He emphasized however his reluctance to mention ideal measurements for fear that the patients would try to undertake the measuring themselves and make mistakes. “We cannot ignore the psychological aspect of such issues.
“Since most patients are inexperienced, we explain to then that other factors like love, intimacy and foreplay are more important than size when it comes to sexual intercourse.
“Those who fail to overcome their anxiety are referred to a psychiatrist, for such cases usually turn out to be a kind of compulsive obsession. There is no connection whatsoever between size and performance, underlined Fahmy.
The surgery
Specialists say that only extreme cases go under the knife.
In Egypt many specialized surgeons are reluctant to dabble in plastic surgery intended to reshape the penis, especially since the slightest mistake could endanger both fertility and functionality.
“The penis is composed of two parts, explains Shaeer. “There’s the pendulous penis and there is the one hidden in the pubic fat and is attached to the pelvic bone by a ligament called the suspensory ligament. This is called the ‘reserve penis.’
The surgery, says Shaeer involves releasing the reserve penis from its attachment to the pelvis and from the surrounding fat, hence adding to the length of the pendulous penis.
“Surgery can add two to eight centimeters to the length of the penis, depending on the size of the reserve and the volume of fat. Those who benefit the most are men with excessive fat around their organ, he added. Speaking of enlargements, Shaeer explained that the diameter of the shaft can be enlarged surgically by inserting special tissues under the skin, all around the male organ. These tissues are preferably taken from other parts of the patients’ body since synthetic material could result in higher infection rates.But how does the andrologist decide that the magnitude of the patient’s trauma can only be cured through plastic surgery?
“When the psychiatrist confirms that the patient is suffering from a psychological handicap exhausting all his psychiatric tools, says Shaeer.
“But even then we don’t operate immediately, he is quick to note. “The patient must be made fully aware that there is always a possibility that the surgery might not fulfill all his expectations.
The curative approach, say andrology specialists, involves counseling young men on the importance of intimacy and love during intercourse and that this should take precedence over secondary issues of shape and size.
“All this should be part and parcel of sex education at high school, says El Khouli. “But teachers are not qualified to give such advice. Some of them probably spend time on the very same websites they warn their students against.
