Small Penis Syndrome - The Only Size that Matters

Is apparently your own, and even then, it may be the size in your brain that matters, according to a recent survey of research on men and women’s attitudes about penis size. The survey was undertaken as part of a new proposed diagnostic term, small penis syndrome.

According to authors, who published their proposal in the urology journal BJU International, small penis syndrome:

is defined as an anxiety about the genitals being observed, directly or indirectly (when clothed) because of concern that the flaccid penis length and/or girth is less than the normal for an adult male, despite evidence from a clinical examination to counter this concern.

In an effort to outline the concept of small penis syndrome, the authors reviewed the results of twelve separate studies on penis size, and several studies on the effectiveness of penile lengthening surgery (which doesn’t fair well). Among the findings:

• They found an average penis size to be 3.5 to 3.9 inches for flaccid length, 5.5 to 6.3 inches for erect length, and 4.7 to 5.1 inches for the erect girth. These averages are slightly higher than earlier summaries, pointing once again to the difficulty in agreeing on average penis size.
• As defined by the authors, small penis syndrome is much more common in men with normal sized penises than those with a small micropenis with a flaccid length of less than 2.7 inches.
• An internet-based survey of over 50,000 heterosexual men and women found that while 85% of women were satisfied with their partner's penis size only 55% of men were satisfied.
• In the same study 66% of men said their penis was average sized, 22% said it was large and 12% said small.
• One study found that 63% of men complaining of small penises said their anxieties started with childhood comparisons and 37% blamed erotic images viewed in their teenage years.

The skeptic in me questions the motivation and utility of this diagnosis. If we call it like it is, men are consistently given the message that their value lies solely in their penis. So it’s hardly surprising that men want to increase the size of our one important asset. And a new “diagnosis” isn’t likely to help men think outside the confines of their cylindrical shaped box.

On the other hand, this paper is refreshing in its focus on psychological and social factors and treatments, and it offers a helpful review for anyone who works with men on what exactly is statistically average out there.