Bending and twisting of the penis

An absolutely straight penis is unusual – most have a slight curve when erect. But this should not be more than about 25° from straight, like a banana. If your penis bends more than this, you might have Peyronie’s disease.

 

It is also quite normal and harmless for the penis to have a slight twist (usually anticlockwise).

A condition called Peyronie's disease, in which the penis becomes crooked when it is erect, occasionally develops in men. This can make sexual intercourse difficult, if not impossible. The condition is named after Dr François Gigot de la Peyronie (physician to King Louis XV of France) who wrote about it in 1743, but it has probably been around for much longer; sculptures dating from the 6th century BC depict angulated erect penises. It is estimated that about 1 in 100 men has Peyronie’s disease.

 

Peyronie’s disease most commonly occurs in men aged 50–60, but it can occur in young men and in old age. The cause is thickening of the fibrous tissue in the penis on one side. This means that, during an erection, one side of the penis cannot lengthen, and the penis will bend. The direction of the bend depends on the position of the thickening (which can often be felt as a lump or lumps when the penis is limp).

• If the thickening is on the top of the penis, the erection tends to curve upwards; this is the most common type.
• If the thickening is on either side, the penis will bend towards the side that is thickened.

You may be able to feel the thickened area; it feels like a hard piece of toffee.

 

Will it get better? For the first 9–18 months after Peyronie’s disease starts, it is often quite painful, especially when the penis is erect. During this period, the thickened area increases in size. After this ‘active period’, it is unlikely to become worse. In 20% of cases, the penis will go back to normal without any treatment. Those who have had the condition for a long time feel no pain but sometimes have difficulty achieving an erection (perhaps because the lumpiness is obstructing blood flow in the penis).

 

What causes Peyronie's disease? No one knows why the thickening occurs, but it is not a cancerous condition, nor is it the result of sexually transmitted disease or of any odd previous sexual practices. It is more common in smokers. There seems to be a link with some other conditions. For example, men with Peyronie’s disease are quite likely to have Dupuytren’s contracture, a thickening of fibrous tissue in the palm of the hand. They are also quite likely to have raised blood pressure; some doctors think that the blood pressure itself might be responsible for the penis problem, while others blame the drugs used to treat blood pressure (particularly beta-blockers).

 

Treatments. There is no need to feel embarrassed about discussing the problem with your family doctor, because doctors are very familiar with the condition. It may be difficult for your doctor to assess how severe the problem is, because the curvature shows only when the penis is erect. If you have a digital or instant-picture camera, take a photograph of your erect penis and show it to your doctor. (You might wish to tell your doctor that you were advised to do this in a book written by a doctor.) If it is only mild and does not cause any inconvenience, no treatment is necessary.

Cocoa butter cream. Some men with mild Peyronie’s disease say that massaging cocoa butter cream (available from pharmacies) into the curved area is helpful.

Steroid injections. In the past, the most common treatment was steroid injection into the thickening, but this is now less popular.

Vitamin E tablets are sometimes recommended, but scientific evidence to show that they help is scanty. Do not take more than 250 mg of vitamin E a day, because higher doses may damage your health.

Tamoxifen is a medication that may reduce the thickened area. This medication is also used for breast cancer, but Peyronie’s disease is not related to breast cancer.

Sound waves are a new treatment for Peyronie’s disease. Preliminary research has shown that high energy sound waves reduce pain, and also decrease the size of the thickened area somewhat. More research is needed to see how effective this treatment really is.

Verapamil is a medication that is used to treat blood pressure. Injections of verapamil into the thickened area may help, but more research is needed.

Surgery to correct the deformity is the most effective treatment. In the usual operation, the surgeon cuts out some tissue from the opposite side to balance out the thickened area. After the operation the erect penis will be straight and 1–3 cm shorter than before when erect, but many men do not notice any difference. Studies have shown that only 58–88% of men are satisfied with the result of the operation, partly because it straightens the penis but leaves the thickened area in place so it may still be painful. Also, a few men have difficulty achieving an erection after the operation.

In another type of operation, the surgeon cuts a slit in the thickened area and inserts a piece of tissue (usually a piece of vein from the groin or ankle). This makes the area more flexible, and there is no shortening of the penis. However, 10–15% of men have difficulty in obtaining an erection after this operation.

Written by: Dr Margaret Stearn
Edited by: Dr Margaret Stearn
Last updated: Friday, February 26th 2010

Add a comment

A problem shared is a problem halved: help others by sharing your frustrations or successes at tackling your health problem.

We have noticed that many of your queries are answered on the website, so please search for your problem before submitting a comment. As all comments are moderated, there will be a delay before your comment appears.

Display Name Age: 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899 100+ Sex: Male Female Country: Select Country United States United Kingdom Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, The Democratic Republic of The Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote D'ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and Mcdonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Comment:

Submit

Discussion content reflect the view of individual participants only. Health Press bear no responsibility for accuracy of participant comments and will bear no legal liability for discussion results. Comments will be moderated before posting and Health Press Ltd reserves the right to delete any material.

Comments on this article

Posted by Optional on 08/03/2010 at 08:45:53 pm

good for the information

Posted by Ankit on 04/02/2010 at 05:28:00 pm

I hav been masturbating since 7 years of age.now m 19.nd my penis is slightly bent towards right.moreover my penis attain erection very quickly,as i see or read anything about sex.and there is sperm discharge as d penis comes to its normal position.my question is that do i hav any sexual problem due to excess masturbation?or this is normal.

Posted by Anonymous on 30/01/2010 at 07:12:00 am

my porb is that my penis has the normal bend(upwards) but is twisted or slanted to one side what went wrong because it used to be fine and how do i fix it

Posted by Mley on 29/01/2010 at 06:30:00 am

when erect, my penis bends downwards please i need help.I neither smoke nor drink alcohol and I have never had sexual intercourse before except for thigh and oral sex.

Posted by Anonymous on 11/01/2010 at 10:11:00 am

i had a leftside bent penis and when erects goes upward and bends left and i had habit of mastrubation.

Posted by Anonymous on 10/01/2010 at 03:44:00 pm

I was first thinking that it is a cancer type of disease,but now i am relaxed having known about it.

Posted by Mr.man on 02/01/2010 at 10:38:00 pm

My penis is bent and twisted, and not long ago the foreskin was stuck to the head! can you tell me why?

Posted by CHARAN on 01/01/2010 at 11:40:00 am

Hi there.. I'm mastrubating since age 14 with downward bent penis. It totally points to downward. now I'm 23. from that day to today I noticed my penis bents downward on erection. like much bent banana. till now i didn't had sex, jst scared if i get ashamed before women. wat to do? plz hlp!!!

Posted by Anonymous on 10/12/2009 at 01:19:00 am

When my penis is erected it gos straight up. Is that right

Posted by john lamb on 09/12/2009 at 09:11:00 am

my penis is tight and thinner at the base as well as bent to one side as if ther is something tight around it thanx

Posted by Anonymous on 01/11/2009 at 12:17:00 am

had the problem described above (bending of the penis) after a systoscpy, not as a result of disease

Posted by coolman on 28/10/2009 at 09:36:00 am

i am 23 & have the same problem my penis is bend down wards when erect i used to musturbate 1-2 times a week. i have enjoyed sex with girls

Posted by Anonymous on 26/10/2009 at 12:15:00 pm

hi dude! i have been seeing my penis for a long time, mostly i've seen that a normal penis curves upwards but mine curves downwards.... is it a problem???? suggest anything,please....

Posted by Santosh Kumar Sahu on 21/10/2009 at 10:04:00 am

My penis is twisting from right side. Whenever i inserts in vagina then this goes right side in the vagina. So my wife feels a big pain in her vagina. Please give me advise about my panis

Posted by Anonymous on 26/09/2009 at 06:05:00 pm

Hi, I have had a fue girlfriends but scared to have sex with any of them invade I hurt them becase a normal penis curves up, but mine curves down. Help!! is this normal?

Posted by randomer on 27/07/2009 at 10:30:00 am

Hey , if my penis has too much foreskin over the bellend and i cant get it out , what shall i do?

Posted by stranger on 07/07/2009 at 08:56:00 pm

Hi if the penis is not in the erected form and usually it is slighttly crooked left, will that make any difference?? if it is not in erected form, what will be the direction of urine(passage)??

Posted by Anonymous on 28/02/2009 at 10:00:00 pm

Penis loses it's power for sex.it is not enough hard.

Posted by John on 07/01/2009 at 10:48:00 am

Hi There, My name is John and recently I was with a girl and she performed oral sex with toothpaste on me. Later couple of days I was masturbating and since then I have pain when erection and there is also yellowish pus coming from the penis. Currently if there is an erection it will be painful. I have not seen any sign of skin disorder. The pus is quite smelly. Please help!