Male fertility related to the size of the genitals

Penis size has been linked to infertility in one study.

Scientists from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City have been trying to determine if penis size affects a man's fertility. They also found that men whose organs measured 12.5 centimeters on average had difficulty conceiving compared to those who measured 13.4 centimeters. It is thought that this is the first study to establish a link between fertility and penis length.

According to the US Department of Health, infertility is defined as a couple who can conceive after one year of unprotected sex. The causes of infertility can be varied and cumulative, but testicular problems are the most common cause in men, followed by hormonal problems and blockages. In half of the cases, no definitive cause can be identified.

To conduct this study, researchers analyzed data from 815 men aged 18 to 59 who attended a clinic between 2014 and 2017.

Participants underwent a test called "stretched penis length" (SPL), which is used to estimate the length of the organ when erected. The age, weight and race of a man were also taken into account by the team.

One study suggested that the size of a man's penis could affect his fertility. Getty Images

Read more: Men may be predisposed to erectile dysfunction via genetics

Of the total number of volunteers, 219 men visited the center for help with fertility problems, while the rest sought to solve problems such as erectile dysfunction and testicular pain.

The authors wrote that the apparent difference in fertility may lie in genetic, congenital factors, such as testicular dysgenesis syndrome, a condition that may affect reproductive capacity, or hormonal imbalances.

The study was presented as a poster at the conference of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Colorado. It has not been peer reviewed or published in a medical journal.

Lead author of the study, Dr. Austen Slade, of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, urged men whose genitals are smaller than average not to worry about their fertility and explained that the study "raises more questions to which she responds".

There was a clear statistical correlation between men with penis size and below-average infertility, he said. However, he pointed out: "There are many men with below average penis lengths who have normal fertility, and many with above average lengths who have been confronted with infertility . "

Ryan P. Terlecki, male health expert and associate professor of urology, obstetrics and gynecology at Wake Forest Baptist Health, North Carolina, said Newsweek although the document is currently only in abstract form, the results are "interesting".

The study raises several questions, such as the definition of infertility and the hormone levels in each group.

"It would be interesting to know if men with a shorter penis had less testosterone," he said.

Dr. Sheena Lewis, Fertility Expert and Center for Public Health at Queen's University, Belfast, UK Newsweek"In a larger population, we might find that many fertile men have a shorter SPL than infertile men."

The research also lacks important information in the research: "Were the female partners sterile?" In this case, the results would be confused. "The men in the" fertile "group attended clinics for other reproductive problems, which which was an additional confounding factor: had all these men recently fathered children? Otherwise, they were not an ideal control group. "

Terlecki added, "If this data is verified when a full article is reviewed and if other centers confirm these findings, this may suggest a value in penis length assessments for men suffering from pain." 39; infertility. "

The study follows an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that suggested genetics may play a role in erectile dysfunction.

Scientists have discovered that some men with the disease were carriers of a genetic variant that could inhibit the production of a protein related to the ability to get an erection.