When The Penis Fractures

Many years ago, a gentleman who was in his early forties presented to the emergency with what he described as ‘a broken penis’. He was having sex with his wife when suddenly he heard a ‘pop’ sound. This was followed by sudden pain and immediate loss of erection. When I asked what sex position he was in when this happened, he said ‘his wife was on top’. That was my suspicion all along. Penile fractures occur more during sex with the woman on top position.

Other signs could include swelling of the penis and hematoma- a situation where blood accumulated underneath the skin.

Aggressive masturbation is another potential cause of penile fracture. Bending, twisting and aggressive handling of the penis could cause a fracture.

Furthermore, an aggressive, blind and careless approach towards the woman’s perineum may mean that the penis is thrust against female perineum rather that the vagina hence increasing the chances of a fracture.

Also, a semi-rigid penis inside the vagina is more at risk for a fracture that a rigid one.

The woman on top position causes the greatest risk because that leaves the woman bearing her entire weight on the penis and also leaves the man without control as the woman dictates the pace and movement of the sex. A penis that is caught in a misaligned position is then likely to fracture with this sexual position.

A penile fracture is a medical emergency and often requires immediate surgery. If a repair is not done quickly, the man may lose the ability to have sex again or even have problems passing urine. However, if surgical repair is done quickly, the man has a very good chance of having a full recovery.