Dear Dr. Sex,
Can you break a penis? There was this one video I watched recently. The guy was having sex with the girl on top, and then it was rough, and suddenly, it seemed like the penis got “bent.” The video was supposed to be “funny,” but as a guy, I’m telling you, it isn’t. I’ve been having crazy visions about it. Like I’m having sex with my girl, and then the image of that broken penis comes to mind, and I just lose my erection. I was kind of traumatized? So I really want to know, is it possible to break a penis? Thanks.
Yours,
J
Dear J,
Well, your question is a tricky one. Technically, you can’t “break” a penis like how you can break your ankle or arm because there is no bone there. As much as it’s called a “boner,” the penis is all muscles, tissues, and blood. However, you can fracture it. Note that this happens very rarely, though. The penis is a tough and resilient body part, so you really don’t have to get anxious about it.
But for the sake of it, that injury is called “penile fracture,” and it’s a severe form of bending injury to a fully-erect penis. So how does it happen? Unfortunately, any situation during intercourse that involves thrusting can fracture your penis. But don’t swear off sex just yet. It’s more common in positions such as cowgirl (woman on top). What happens is when the sex is too rough, and the thrusting penis hits some solid structure and not the hole, say, for example, the perineum, a membrane called tunica albuginea tears. Think of your penis like a balloon. You fill it with air, just like how the penis fills up with blood during an erection. Then if suddenly, there’s a hole in that balloon (you tear the membrane), you’re not going to inflate it.
When you experience a real penile fracture, you’ll hear a “popping” sound and then lose the erection right away, just like how the balloon pops. Then the blood, instead of going through the veins and arteries, is going to be sitting out under the skin. So you’re gonna get bruising and swelling. And possibly, extreme pain. Yikes!
So if you experience this, you should seek emergency care immediately.
But as I’ve said, penile fractures are very rare and can be prevented easily by practicing common sense and speaking out. If something hurts, just say so. And always be careful when having sex in limited spaces.
Yours,
Dr. Sex
