Penis size: a male obsession
According to specialists, around 25% of men who seek advice for a sexual problem complain about the size of their penis. It's an anxiety that starts in childhood and as an adult obsession, can "ruin" your sex life.
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However, most of the men who seek help have a perfectly normal size penis, and there's nothing to worry about.
History and facts about about penis size
Having a large penis hasn't always been considered desirable. In fact, for the Greeks, a virile man was one who was rather modestly endowed. Aristotle thought that having a long penis was a sign of sterility. Even today, amongst the Desano-Tukano Indians in Colombia, only those men with a penis "the size of a humming bird," are considered socially acceptable. Today, however, in the western world, men often equate penis size with sexual potency, despite the lack of any evidence for this.
At what age does the penis stop growing?
The penis continues to grow throughout childhood so it's pointless panicking or making comparisons with friends; you need to wait until you're 17 or 18 to discover its final size. At birth, a baby's penis normally measures between 3.1 and 3.5 cms (Troshev, 1969-Flatau et al, 1975). This measurement is taken when the penis is flaccid and not extended. It reaches 4.7cm by the age of two, 5.3cm at ten years (Kleintich et al 1979) and 6 to 13 cm between the ages of 11 and 16 (Scholfeld et Beebe, 1942). According to Scholfeld and Beebe, by full adulthood, it is 13.3cm (measured in the same way).
When it rains, it pours
In 1687, Nicolas Venette, Professor to the King of France, published his work "A chart of conjugal happiness" in which he reported on the size of the "male member." And since then there have been no end of studies.
However, there is no agreed method of measuring the penis: in some studies the penis is flaccid; in others, flaccid but extended; and in others still, erect. As a result there is a marked variation in the results of these studies, causing considerable confusion and anxiety. But whatever the measurement standard used, repeated studies have revealed only slight variations in measurements.
Average penis size
Be that as it may, just as there are variations in the height and shoe size of adult men, so too are there variations in penis size and shape. Although the average length of a flaccid (un-erect) penis is estimated (very precisely) to be 10.84 cm (study carried out on 189 men in a centre for sexual dysfunction, published in "The male member" by Kit Schwartz, St Martins 1985), it is important not to view this figure in isolation.
You also need to consider the standard deviation that allows you to calculate the normal degree of variation in the size of the penis. In this study, the standard deviation is 1.32cm.
- This means that two thirds of flaccid penises are between 9.52cm (that is 10.84 - 1.32) and 12.16cm (that is 10.84-1.32).
- For erect penises (the same study), the average is 15.11cm, which means that two thirds of penises are between 13.33cm and 16.89cm (the remaining third are above or below).
- The average circumference of the penis is 12.8cm with a standard deviation of 2.5cm. In other words the circumference measurement of two thirds of penises is between 10.3cm and 15.2cm.
More vital measurements!
To sum up, some general points of reference, but do remember, these figures refer to the erect penis:
- 7cm: anything under 7cm and we really are talking "micropenis." This problem affects 3% of men and medical intervention can occur either before or after puberty to rectify this.
- 15cm: this is the average size of the European male (15.11cm exactly)
- 22cm: this is the official size of the rather well-endowed Italian porn actor, Rocco Siffredi
- 45cm: the "longest penis in the world" measured during the 70s, belonged to the Jamaican actor Long Dong Silver but it now seems that this was just a hoax.
Copyright © 2010 Doctissimo
Posted 30.06.2010
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