Does your Penis Shrink with Age?

By Andrew Kline MD Medical Consultant
June 8, 2017

As a man matures in age, his health may decline as well. A man's sexual function can also decline with age. Men experience decreases in testosterone and as testosterone level falls (low T), it may take more time or action to get him aroused. Once aroused, it can take longer to get an erection and to achieve orgasm. Most common is that more than one “round” may be very difficult. After an orgasm, it may be much more difficult to become aroused again. Age also brings marked declines in semen volume and sperm quality. Erectile dysfunction (ED), or impotence, has been shown to be associated to advancing years; between the ages of 40 and 70, the percentage of ED increases dramatically.

And that's not all. Recent research by Irwin Goldstein confirms what men have long suspected and, in some cases, feared: that the penis itself undergoes significant changes as a man ages. These changes can include appearance, penis size, curvature and sensitivity.

Appearance- There are two major changes in the appearance of an older man’s penis. The head of the penis gradually looses it’s darker, somewhat purple color (due to the reduced blood flow) and the loss of pubic hair. As the level of testosterone decreases, the hair thins and sometimes completely disappears.

Penis Size- The penis appears to shrink. The common cause of the phenomenon is weight gain. Weight gain is common in older men, particularly in the lower abdomen. When this fat accumulates, it makes the penis appear to be shorted. If you want to look longer, it is good incentive to lose some weight. In addition to shrinkage (reversible) the penis tends to undergo an actual (irreversible) reduction in size. The reduction, in both length and thickness, typically isn't dramatic but may be noticeable. For example if your erect penis is 6 inches long when you are in his 30s, it might be 5 or 5-and-a-half inches when you are sixty or seventy. As the penis changes in size, the testicles do too.

Curvature- When you become sexually aroused, the blood flows into open, sponge-like areas inside the penis. This causes the penis to expand and stiffen. When you have a curved penis, generally what occurs is that the spaces don’t expand evenly. The majority of the time, this related to changes in human anatomy due to aging. Sometimes this is due to plaque (scar tissue). As you get older, you grow things that aren’t normally there and one of those things can be plaque. This plaque can affect your penis just as it does your arteries (atherosclerosis). A relatively small number of men will develop a condition called Peyronie’s Disease. With Peyronie’s disease, areas of plaque (scars) develop in the layers of connective tissue. These plaques prevent the normal blood flow to that area of the penis and it causes the penis to bend while experiencing an erection. Though this disorder may be quite painful at first, the discomfort does subside gradually on its own. Sometimes it may require surgery.

Sensitivity- Numerous studies have shown that the sensitivity of the penis decreases over time. This can make it more difficult to achieve an erection or even have an orgasm. It is uncertain at this time whether this decrease in sensitivity makes ejaculation less pleasurable.

A recent study found that even though these unwelcomed changes occur with age, they don’t need to affect your sex life. The study involved men with decreases in erectile function that included desire, arousal, erection and ejaculatory function. The majority of the men did not perceive these decreases as a problem and were still satisfied with their sexual abilities. If you think about it, the most important thing is that you and your partner are sexually fulfilled.