Penis Size Increases In The Last 30 Years, Researchers Unload Factors

Male illustration closing penis (Photo: Freepik/krakenimages.com)

JAKARTA - In the last 30 years, the size of a man's penis when an erection has increased quite strikingly. This finding was revealed through a large-scale study that traced data from 1942 to 2021. Although it was heard as encouraging news, experts warned that this change could not be a complete good thing.

The study published by the World Journal of Men's Health team analyzed data from 55,761 men around the world, and relied solely on measurements made directly by researchers, not based on independent reports from participants. As a result, although there was no significant change in penis length in flaccid or stretched conditions, the size at the time of the erection actually showed a stable increase.

"The length of the penis during an erection increases significantly over time in various regions of the world and in all age groups," the team wrote in their report, quoted from the IFL Science page.

"After adjusting to age factors, geographic areas, and the subject population, penis length during an erection increased 24 percent over the last 29 years," he added.

In terms of numbers, the average length of the penis as the erection rose from 12.3 cm (4.8 inches) to 15.2 cm (6 inches), in less than three decades.

Professor Michael Eisenberg, an urologist from Stanford Medicine and lead author of the study, explained that their motivation for doing this research stems from concerns about men's deteriorating reproductive health trends, such as declining sperm number globally.

"Seeing the trend we found in other indicators in male reproductive health, we suspect there is a possibility of a decrease in penis length due to the same environmental exposure," said Eisenberg in a press release.

But instead of shrinking, the size of the penis actually increases. Eisenberg suspects this increase is not something natural, but influenced by external factors.

"There are many factors that can be the cause, such as exposure to chemicals such as pesticides or hygiene products that interact with our hormone system," he said.

This large amount of endocrine disruptive chemical ingredients is in our environment and in our diet. Changes in body composition also have an impact on the hormonal system. Exposure to this chemical is also suspected to cause boys and girls to experience early eclipse, which can affect the development of genital organs," he added.

The research team also acknowledged that other factors such as room temperature, measurement methods, and the condition of participants when measuring (responsible or not) could affect the results. Even so, they considered the increase in penis size that occurred in a relatively short time should be a concern.

"The increase is happening in a relatively short time," said Eisenberg.

"If changes as soon as this can happen, it means something strong is affecting the body. We need to confirm these findings. If that's true, we have to find out what the cause is." he added.