Penis lengths are apparently changing worldwide. A research team looks at several studies on this, compares them and comes to a surprising conclusion: the trend found is worrying for urologists. What's behind it?
A research team from Stanford University in the United States has found in a large review that the average length of the erect penis has increased by 24 percent over the past 30 years. A trend recognized by researchers around the world. What could superficially be interpreted as a positive development has alarm bells ringing for the urologist Professor Michael Eisenberg, who led the study. The reason: "Any general change in development is worrying because our reproductive system is one of the most important parts of human biology. When we see a change that rapid, it means that something big is happening to our body," writes Stanford University in their communication.
For the study on penis length, Eisenberg's team evaluated the data from 75 studies published between 1942 and 2021. The information on the penis lengths of 55,761 men was collected in three categories, flaccid, elongated and erect, and later average lengths were calculated from them. The data were collected worldwide, the men were in different age groups.
According to the research team's calculations, the average flaccid penis is 8.70 centimeters long, when stretched it is 12.93 centimeters and the average erect penis is 13.93 centimeters. In comparative evaluations of the data, Eisenberg's team saw that the length of the average erect penis had increased, particularly in the last three decades. From the approximately 12.3 centimeters in 1990, almost three centimeters will be added by 2020 (15.2 centimeters). According to the study, the length of the average erect penis has changed significantly in all age groups over the past few decades.
The trend "was not limited to any particular demographic," says the research team, who published the results of the comparative study in The World Journal of Men's Health. Other dimensions, such as circumference or length in the normal state, have remained largely unchanged. The researchers concede that these results were due in part to differences in standards and procedures for measuring a flaccid penis, the authors said.
The increase in length of penises over the years surprised Eisenberg's team. Due to falling testosterone levels and reduced sperm count and quality in men in recent decades, the researchers assumed that these factors would also be reflected in a reduced penis length. But exactly the opposite is the case.
So far, one can only speculate about the reasons for the increased growth in length. A number of factors are conceivable as the cause: exposure to chemicals, for example, but also pesticides or hygiene products that interact with the human endocrine system. Such endocrine disrupting chemicals are found in the environment and diet. "As we change our body constitution, this also affects our hormonal milieu. Chemical exposure has also been postulated as a cause of boys and girls reaching puberty earlier, which can affect genital development," the researchers write, according to the university. Another reason could be the earlier onset of puberty in boys and girls. This would simply give the body and the genitals more time to grow.
However, whether and how these factors are related remains to be investigated. In a next step, the researchers want to examine younger people to determine whether there are similar changes in adolescent boys. According to the university statement, it is also important to clarify the question of whether there are comparable changes in the reproductive organs of women.
