Prostate Treatment and Loss of Penis Length

What Causes Loss of Penis Length?

Many men are surprised to learn that their penis has “shrunk” after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer or straightening procedures for Peyronie’s disease (otherwise known as a bent or curved penis). This is a side effect of surgery that is often not mentioned before the fact, but one that affects about 70 percent of men who undergo prostate surgery, according to some studies.
The actual amount of length “lost” after surgery varies from study to study, but the average is about 1 centimeter. For example, in a 2007 study published in the Journal of Urology, penile measurements were taken before and three times after prostatectomy in 126 men. The researchers found that penile shortening after radical prostatectomy peaked when the catheter was removed and continued to a lesser but still significant extent for at least 12 months. The average amount of penile shortening in a flaccid state was 1.3 cm (0.5 in) and 2.3 cm (about 1 in) when the penis was stretched.
Another study of 31 men found that three months after surgery, 71 percent said they had a decrease in penile length, with 35 percent reporting a 1 to 2 cm decrease and 13 percent with a greater than 2 cm decline.

Why Does Penile Length Change?

The penis may reduce in length for two main reasons. One reason is damage to the erection nerves can cause the contraction portion of these nerves to dominate and the penis to essentially “shrink” into the body during the first few months after surgery. This is the same type of action that occurs when the penis is exposed to cold. Over time, this type of penile shortening improves as the nerves heal from the trauma of surgery.
The second type of penile shrinkage is permanent. It usually becomes apparent about six or months after surgery, when men do not see an improvement in penile length. This type of reduction in penile length is related to damage to the erection tissue as well as nerve injury, compounded by a prolonged period without an erection, including nighttime erections that help men maintain penis length. Basically, all men with normal erectile function achieve an erection during normal sleep known as a “nocturnal erection” which helps maintain penis length through constant stretching of the penile tissue. Here, more then ever, the phrase “use it or lose it” applies so the more erections you have, the better long term prospects of maintaining your penile length.