Medical experts have issued a warning that injury can occur when an erect penis hits the perineum or pubic bone of their partner during ‘vigorous’ sex — causing it to buckle.
Urologists at General Hospital of West Nusa Tenggara Province detailed how a patient showed up at the emergency department after he fractured his penis which buckled against his partner while having sex in a notoriously risky position.
The 37-year-old, from Indonesia, showed up to hospital with a swollen, bloody and severely bruised penis, which doctors said resembled an aubergine.
The patient explained that he heard a ‘loud popping sound’ while having sex a few hours earlier in the reverse cowgirl position — when the woman is on top and faces away from her partner. The perilous position — also called ‘female superior’ — is known for its risk of injuring an erect penis.
Doctors found he had fractured his penis and rushed him in for emergency surgery, where they repaired the damage.
There are no bones in the penis, but the injury is still known as a ‘fracture’.
The anatomy of an erection is based around two spongy tubes which fill up with blood and harden, and a firm, fibrous sheath which surrounds them, called the tunica albuginea
When the tunica albuginea, which is made mostly of collagen, comes under extreme pressure it can snap and cause the penis to bend out of shape.
The man immediately felt severe pain, lost his erection and began bleeding out of his penis. The patient was also unable to pass urine.
Doctors said the patient had suffered a significant hematoma — an injury to the wall of the blood vessel, which causes blood to seep out into the surrounding tissue.
They noted that his penis was left with the ‘eggplant deformity’ — when it swells and turns purple — which is a tell-tale sign of a fractured penis.
The man was rushed into surgery, where doctors made an incision into the tip of his penis to ‘deglove’ it — when the top layers of skin and tissue are removed.
This revealed a ‘wide and deep fracture to the penis’.
Medics noted that the tissue around the penis — the tunica albuginea — was ruptured.
The procedure saw surgeons clean the site of the injury, repair the two ruptured tubes and stitch up his urethra.
Medics performed an ‘artificial erection test’ to ensure there was no leakage from the wounds and that the penis did not bend abnormally.
The penis was then stitched back up and covered with a bandage.
The man’s member was still blue three days later, when the bandage was removed.
He was sent home with a catheter — a tube inserted into the bladder to pass urine — five days after the operation.
At an appointment a few weeks later, doctors noted that the man’s penis was ‘in good shape’, he could get an erection and pass urine normally.
Writing in the journal Urology Case Reports, doctors noted that, as well as during sex, penis fractures can also happen during masturbation or even by turning over in bed at a funny angle.
The urologists explained that the ‘very uncommon urological emergency’ is easy to recognise and diagnose, as they generally cause a cracking sound, sudden swelling, bruising and severe pain.
It may also be difficult to pass urine and the penis may bleed.
They noted that surgery results in the fastest recovery.
There have only been around 16 documented cases of the injury per year worldwide since 1925.
Men in their 40s are most likely to experience a penis fracture.
How Does A Penis Fracture?
A penile fracture occurs when the appendage is subject to a sharp, blunt force trauma, which can occur during vigorous intercourse or masturbation.
Since 1924, 1,600 cases have been recorded worldwide – roughly 16 instances per year, the Telegraph reported in 2017.
Researchers noted that in 50 per cent of cases, a gruesome cracking sound can be heard. Four in five male victims lost their erection.
Those who have already been traumatised from breaking their penis are often left with erectile dysfunction problems and a lifetime of painful sex.
A report in 2017 revealed a man from southern China who was left in agony after breaking his penis during sex with his wife.
Doctors found that his penis was at an odd angle and was in a swollen shape that made it look like an eggplant.
He was diagnosed with a penile fracture after tearing a sponge-like erectile tissue called corpora cavernosa.
Blood flows into the corpora cavernosa that runs along the penis and makes it hard during an erection.
The trick to stopping penile injuries is to thrust quite shallowly, according to sex expert Tracey Cox.
Holding your partner close to you using a grinding rather than thrusting motion will also reduce the risk, she said.
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