I just came across this thread and it doesn't look like the problem was adequately addressed so I'm bumping it to try and help anyone with this condition.
The condion is called "Hyperactive Penile Retraction Syndrome". Most doctors have never heard of it because it's not (or didn't used to be) considered a pathologic condition, just a hyperactive normal physiological response. I'll explain the physiology. The penis and scrotum are covered by what's called the Dartos fascia just under the skin. This is composed of connective tissue and muscle fibers that respond to adrenergic stimuli (adrenaline). When stimulated the muscle fibers contract. Sometimes the contraction can be so strong as to shrink the penis to the size of a button. In the past this was beneficial to protect the genitals during combat, getting chased by a tiger or being exposed to frigid temperatures. It's not really necessary today but the response remains. Any type of physical (exertion, cold temp) or mental stress (anxiety) can cause it. Also chemical factors such as stimulants (caffeine, nicotine, etc.). Why it becomes hyperactive in some men is unknown. How to treat it? Remove all sources of stress. Of course that's not possible. There are some drugs called alpha blockers that can help. One of these is Flomax that is used to treat weak urine flow caused by enlarged prostate. There is also an herb called ashwagandha that can decrease adrenaline release by decreasing cortisol levels. There has been at least one study using botox injections to the base of the penis which were successful with few side effects. Botox injections are expensive though and need to be repeated every 4-6 months. I don't know if there are many (or any) docs that do botox to the penis. Botox to the scrotum has become trendy lately to make the testicles hang lower. You could probably find a doc who does that and ask about penile injection.
Sorry for the long post but I felt the condition needed to be fully explained. Yes I'm an MD.
so, im 39 now. the first time this happened to me was at age 33 while lifting weights, and continues to do it every time i work out with decent weights, especially bending over to grab them. i wasnt on any meds or anything. it doesnt happen often, but i take Adderall once in a while and it does it as soon as it kicks in for the entirety. i dont have any problems really besides having to fish it out to pee. sexually no problems. but it freaked me the hell out when it happened for like the first month, it still does because im always like "what if?", what if its shrinking, lol, but seriously. anyways, it happens and havent had any real problems yet. i just make sure to go in the bathroom before heading to bed to make sure that we are all good before she sees anything lol
I woke up one morning with a hydrocele my right testicle was size of an orange and my penis was retracting when I stood like I was uncircumcised it was very uncomfortable eventually had surgery and it stopped after a few months after surgery for the most part even though 4 years later my testicule is hard as a rock and now it’s starting to retract again trying to hold off a year until I can get health insurance again to see urologist
Yes this can happen, this is real! He should start meditating and doing yoga. He should not do things that get his adrenaline going. Adrenaline can cause muscle contraction, and when the penis is too contracted it can affect erections too as blood cannot fill into the chamber as his muscles are not sponge like, and he would need to have them relax. Adrenaline causes muscle contraction.
If his problem is severe he could take Terazosin 1mg or 2mg. This is an anti-adrenaline and allows his muscles to release, as adrenaline causes muscles to contract. It is often prescribed for BPH. I recently started this medicine and it made a world of difference on contraction from adrenaline. Who would have thought this medicine could help with this problem so much.
This is different than anxiety and not to be confused if one is anxious than that is just anxiety. A lot of people are anxious about penis issues. If he is actually very contracted, blood cannot fill into the penis correctly too, (bad spongylike tissue in the penis), and this medicine will fight the contractedness of the penis, and allow the muscles to relax. I started it and it made a world of difference. Best wishes. It is best to not use this medicine long term but manage symptoms through yoga, and meditation etc. to control adrenaline.
I was worried about my condition too. I've just gotten use to it. It does appear that yours is pretty sever though. Have you been back to the VA? I know they're a pain, but with your 0% rating you can at least keep them busy until they get off there butts and try to help. (I hate how they always throw "weight" into their clinical analysis. It feels like they just want to find an answer they can write down so they can get to the next patient)
Are you still married?
I'm 37 years old, a Disabled Vet of the US Army, and I can tell you that this penile retraction thing ended my military career. I was n peak physical condition, not fat pad, no jelly roll, none of the BS that doctors claim to cause this condition. I've been to the M. clinic, and about a dozen urologists. None of them have any idea how it is caused.
My condition started during a 10 mile run on a Military post "fun run". I doubled over in pain, and couldn't pull it back out. That was in 2007. Needless to say it got worse the more physical exercise I did. It seemed that the better shape I got in, the worse it was. I was med boarded in 2008.
I couldn't run, swim, bike, or lift/carry anything over 20 lbs for more than 30 seconds without it happening. Today, I am now 50 lbs heavier due to the lack of exercise. Now the doctors are back to telling me that it has to do with my weight.
Because the Army didn't have any clue what or how it was, I got a 0% disability rating for it. My life has been negatively impacted in ways I cannot even begin to tell. Sex life, marriage, stress, anxiety, and depression. My physical life is all but over. I can't do anything like I used to.
I'm glad that finally, there is a group of people who experience the same thing. Up till 2009, I thought I was the only one in the world with this condition.
Let's pray for a fix - before I'm too old to do what I already miss.
Hi, I googled penis retraction and found this thread, this started happening to me probably about 8 yrs ago. I am 51, While most of the time its just a neausance...but it has stopped me from doing some things in life that i enjoy doing...Did Dr.Lue have anything else to say about it? Its easy to say just dont think about it.....just wondering if theres anything else to do...? thanks
Hi, I googled penis retraction and found this thread, this started happening to me probably about 8 yrs ago. I am 51, While most of the time its just a neausance...but it has stopped me from doing some things in life that i enjoy doing...Did Dr.Lue have anything else to say about it? Its easy to say just dont think about it.....just wondering if theres anything else to do...? thanks
I have had this problem since childhood. My **** doesn't seem to enjoy being "outdoors". This ****** is very happy being inside me more than I care to say. And I don't have the slightest idea of what to do about it.
Until I got here, I thought that it was just "me", or "that's normal". Kinda like George on Seinfeld...
Thanks in advance for listening. I know how you feel. I too have shrinking penis. I am 62 and overweight. Have lost 14 lbs so far. Hypertension cholesterol, sleeping issues etc. I finally got tired of popping all those pills twice a day. Went to an accupuncturist/herbalist and decided to try the herbal approach to weight loss figuring that losing the weight to a proper weight will help if not completely rectify the shrinking penis and ED. I picked up the herbal on Friday and it is now Tuesday and lost 4 pounds. Also got rid of all carbonated drinks (goodby Diet Coke) and all processed foods.
I used to have a respectable size of 6" many years ago. Now I am lucky to get 2 3/4 inches erect. but soon as I penetrate I lose the erection. Seem erection is a lot about blood flow. Also have Pyronies (bent penis) in a spot.
Here is what I do.
Place a heating pad over the genitals for 5 or more minutes. Then give myself a Lingham Massage (used in Tantra) using quite a bit of Essential Oil of Japanese Mint mixed into the grapeseed oil. Look up Tantra and Lingham Massage (male genital massage) on the internet and give him one. The goal of Lingham massage is to relax the penis and increase blood flow. The goal is not to orgasm and ejaculate but if it happens that is fine too. Then you can ask your hubby to give you a Yoni massage (female genital massage) and you can have a fun intimate time together.
My wife doesn't really get motivated to help so I do it myself. You could do it for him.
Here is my herb mixture:
Dandelion 7 grams
Codonopsis 7 grams
Astragalus (root) 7 grams
Piora Five herb formula
These are put in gelcaps take 3 pills - 3 times a day about 3 hours before or after food.
I have the penis that retracts into the body and the foreskin covers it. I too need to adjust. When i go to the bathroom I need to remember to pull the penis out and stretch so head is past foreskin so I don't go all over the place.
I experience this as well. I can go from 6"flacid one moment to 1" the next. It is very uncomfortable when small and requires frequent adjusting. Over the years I have tried strech exercises I have read about online but they never worked. The only solution I have found for this is to use a silicone **** ring around my testicles which pulls some of the flacid penis material down and keeps my penis is from retracting to an uncomfortable size.
After doing this for a year and a half I rarely find it retracting to a painfully small size but it does retract. I use the ring now only when needed and found I could only wear it for a short time in the beginning as it was painful after a short time period until my body because accustomed to the ring.
This condition continues to happen if I am anxious, angry, cold or enter water. However it rarely is a big issue anymore, other than cold water. I have found that the retraction has no effect on the size of the erect penis but can be embarrasing when flacid. Hopefully my experience will help.
It has been happening to me since I was a skinny 18 year old kid, and it only used to happen when I was lifting. But now it happens constantly (I am 40) when I am lifting, running, etc. and especially when I am stressed.
After so many years, I have concluded that it has to do with different factors; overall penis length being the single biggest factor. This problem probably won't happen to a guy with a 7-8" ****. But my **** is like 3" soft, not to mention that I am 50 pounds overweight, so it practically disappears into the abyss of belly fat. Which I guess I just have to live with it.
My sex drive is **** these days but I can still perform and have an organism, and I have 2 children. But walking around it's basically a turtle's head 1/2 the time.
I can't say it hasn't affected my self esteem. I'd be lying if I said it didn't.
Shazel1989's comment makes me wonder how many of the folks with retracted penises are circumcised. I am and I read an anti-circumcision post on Facebook that claimed that retracted penis is unique to circumcised males, but it sounds like Shazel1989's husband is uncircumcised.
I never had this problem till I contracted prostate cancer about a decade ago. It has left me impotent and I've noticed that my penis seems very small. It's never been huge, but since the prostectomy, it seems tiny. When I wear very tight underwear, the penis retracts and my testicles seem to go into my body as well. When I look at my crotch, it could pass for a woman's crotch and it even feels like a woman's crotch (through the cloth of the underwear). Is this something I have to worry about? Should I get it out right away each time it retracts, or is it OK to wait for a convenient time. The tight underwear is something I seem to enjoy.
I was surprised to discover that Even though I haven't had an erection for a decade, I can still have an orgasm, but there is no ejaculation.
I am so glad I found this board, my husband has complained about this problem for the past year and half while he exercised and more recently he says it's now more often. He feels like his penis is poking forward because it becomes swallowed by his foreskin And rests on the top of his testicles. I was trying to just Google for underwear that will keep him down so he doesn't have anxiety over it. He just told me today that he felt like he was left too much foreskin as a child and he thought that was the cause of the issue. He has no erection problems or changes.
Have your testosterone checked. I had to stop because of thickening of my blood when it started for me also I'm very over weight in the belly this could be a contributing factor. I'm also just below average in length
I am an ex-GI. I have the same thing and it is caused by anxiety which causes the muscles in the pelvic floor to tighten up. I have been going to pelvic floor physical therapy for a month and a half and see improvement. Mine started 2 years ago with my pelvic tightening problem. If I have a panic attack it really affects this. Deep abdominal breathing seems to help because it relaxes all that anatomy down in the pelvic floor. Something for stress or PTSD may also help..
A related discussion,
Retracting Penis Problem was started.
I did this same thing with the **** ring as well
"Vasoconstriction" - the constriction of blood vessels.
Medications that cause vasoconstriction include: antihistamines, decongestants, and stimulants.
Looks to be the cause of my problem? which seems to have started after going onto stimulant meds for ADD.
One remedy that sounds promising is a shot of alcohol :)
Good luck yall.
Oh, and I have had depression and am currently taking Lexapro and Alprazolam(Xanax).
I have lived with the all of my life. It seems as though it happens when I'm hot and sweaty in that area, and when I am feeling anxiety. Stress situations and also tobacco use. Nicotine contributes to this and at least for me causes anxiety. The only thing that seems to help is a little Goldbond powder or even baby powder.
This disorder is uncomfortable and yes embarrassing. I am constantly adjusting my junk and hate it. I believe it is part psychological and part chemical. Well it is good to know that others have this.
I am now 40, and did not have this problem until just recently. I have had shrinkage while exercising, etc, but never experienced my penis collapsing in on itself until a couple months ago. I am depressed, on a new medication (just started taking something for the depression, but this was going on before that med), take multiple supplements and eat a wide variety of good and bad foods. I have several stomach/intestinal maladies, and was wondering if that had something to do with it. One very common trait I've read about on here is depression... how many guys were depressed BEFORE this started? (I'm presumming all are afterwards!) I'd very much like a resolution to this uncomfortable and embarrassing condition!