What's a Micropenis?
- When a man is refused his right
By: Stefan Anitei, Science Editor
A man with a micropenis has an unusually small penis, of about 2 cm at birth, and 4 cm in adulthood (2.5 times smaller than the average penis size). The micropenis is discovered shortly after birth when all parts of the genitals have had a chance to fully evolve, when scrotum and perineum is well-developed, to discard ambiguity like hypospadias. Micropenis is very rare and only shows up in about 0.6 % of the entire male population.
The
micropenis is believed to be caused by low levels of the needed male sex hormones (testosterone and dihydrotestosterone) that allow the normal development of the genitals, penis included.
This is due to abnormal testicular development (testicular dysgenesis, Klinefelter syndrome, Leydig cell hypoplasia), specific defects of testosterone or dihydrotestosterone synthesis (17,20-lyase deficiency, 5á-reductase deficiency), androgen insensitivity syndromes, inadequate pituitary stimulation (gonadotropin deficiency) or other forms of congenital hypogonadism.
The micropenis can be also the result of genetic malformation syndromes not involving the sex hormones. It sometimes is the result of congenital growth hormone deficiency (congenital hypopituitarism), which also induces lower height.
Moreover, some genes have been identified affecting penis and digit size without shifting hormone levels. 81 Japanese patients with micropenis presented a mutation for the SRD5A2 gene, which encodes for the enzyme 5{alpha}-reductase-2 and plays a role in male sex differentiation.
This condition induces severe effects both mentally and physically for the patient. Micropenis can cause a severe self esteem and social-life problem, besides a physiological one. A man with a micropenis can father babies, but sexual pleasure is largely absent. Also urinating while standing is really difficult when you have a micropenis.
There are different treatments for micro penis. At birth, the baby can be supplemented with the hormones to induce the penis to fully form (gonadotropin or testosterone). There are also penis enlargement surgeries (phalloplasties) but these are not recommended by most physicians, as they can induce risky secondary effects (impotence, swelling, scars, infections, curbed penis) and only add 1-2 inch (2.5-5 cm) at most. There are also traction devices (penis stretchers) and exercises.
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