'Tis the season to be jolly...and frisky too, but if you’re a man, you might want to reconsider after you've heard this doctor's warning.
When it comes to Christmas, everyone is feeling a little more loving and likely to give back; however, before you let someone tear into your package, you should heed this urologist’s warning.
According to Dr Nikolaos Pyrgides, there is something that can go very wrong when you get a little too excited with the Christmas spirit.
Of course, anyone who has had a mix of Baileys, Bing Crosby and David Bowie’s Drummer Boy anthem, and half a turkey, couldn’t be blamed for getting carried away. Except, it could lead to an increased risk of having your penis fractured.
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That’s right, rub your eyes all you want, but you’ve read that correctly. According to the urologist, more people suffer penile fractures over Christmas than any other time of the year, and it’s all due to the excitement. Well, also because of the position...and level of enthusiasm.
“This injury tends to occur during wild sex – particularly in positions where you’re not in direct eye contact [with your partner], such as the reverse cowgirl,” Dr Nikolaos Pyrgides, a urologist at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, said (per the Guardian)
The doc led the research into the matter, which noted that 3,421 men sustained penile fractures in Germany between 2005 and 2021. Mostly, it appeared that while the fractures happened all year round, it was more prevalent over the festive period.
Now, penile fractures are no joke, and they might be enough to send any person to the foetal position while they experience its symptoms. According to the National Library of Medicine, symptoms of a penile fracture are pretty hard to ignore.
The organisation wrote that a person would experience ‘pain, bruising, immediate significant swelling, angulation (bent), and rapid detumescence’ (losing the erection). It went on to share that people generally remember hearing a ‘sudden, audible snapping or cracking sound at the exact time of the injury’.
“When [patients] present to their doctor their penis often looks like an eggplant,” Dr Pyrgides shared.
He explained that the injury is so common that ‘if every day was like Christmas, 43 percent more penile fractures would have occurred in Germany from 2005 on’.
The study was published in the British Journal of Urology International and also found that Christmas wasn’t the only offender. In fact, weekends and the summer holidays are also times when the injury is more likely to occur. Oddly, New Year’s Eve did not present as a night where they could see an increase in fractures.
“It would be interesting to see data from other countries, but in Germany, Christmas week is widely celebrated, while New Year’s Eve tends to be a bit quieter,” Pyrgides said.
However, if you choose to have sex during these times, it’s probably best to do it while avoiding these two things.
As per the doctor: “Most penile fractures occur in unconventional scenarios, such as during extramarital affairs or when sex is performed in unusual locations.”
If it does happen, he suggests going to the emergency room as soon as possible, as it can cause long-term health issues if left untreated.
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Christmas, Health
Britt Jones