HMM: Is an increase in penile length cause for concern?

According to trends in male reproductive health data, sperm quality and testosterone levels have declined over the last few decades, sounding alarm bells for Michael Eisenberg, MD, a professor of urology at Stanford Medicine. It’s made him wonder: Should we be concerned about other differences in men’s reproductive health? Surmising that there may be more to uncover, Eisenberg set out to determine if physical anatomy has changed.

In a study published Feb. 14 in The World Journal of Men’s Health, Eisenberg and his colleagues compiled data from 75 studies, conducted between 1942 and 2021, that reported on the penile length of 55,761 men. The team found that the average erect penis length increased by 24% over 29 years, a trend they saw around the world.

Eisenberg said that the increase may be another indicator that environmental exposures — such as environmental pollutants or increasing sedentary lifestyles — are causing reproductive-related changes.

Hmm. An off-the-wall hypothesis: When women have had more sexual partners before giving birth to male offspring, this produces epigenetic changes that result in longer penises. Basically, it signals a sperm-competition environment and there is a genetically programmed response. It’s already thought that humans evolved in such an environment — essentially lots of promiscuity within bands of cavepeople — to the point that the human penis is shaped to scoop out competitors’ sperm. With women having children later, and having more partners before doing so, maybe it’s producing new sub-species of larger-penised humans. Let’s call it Homo Sapiens Biggusdickus.

Science!