That is true, but like I said earlier in this post, I think something biological is going on. To the young people in this world (the few of you that are around) you guys are going to have an interesting future, I wish you luck. Between the low birth rates and climate change earth maybe very hostile to all life in the near future
Human Penises Are Getting Bigger At A Fast Rate, But That Might Not Be A Good Thing
Abstract
Purpose
Normative male genital measurements are clinically useful and temporal changes would have important implications. The aim of the present study is to characterize
the trend of worldwide penile length over time.
Materials and Methods
A systematic review and meta-analysis using papers from PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library from inception to April 2022 was performed. PRISMA guidelines were used for abstracting data and assessing data quality and validity. Pooled means and standard deviations for flaccid, stretched, and erect length were obtained. Subgroup analyses were performed by looking at differences in the region of origin, population type, and the decade of publication. Metaregression analyses were to adjusted for potential confounders.
Results
Seventy-five studies published between 1942 and 2021 were evaluated including data from 55,761 men. The pooled mean length estimates were flaccid length: 8.70 cm (95% CI, 8.16–9.23), stretched length: 12.93 cm (95% CI, 12.48–13.39), and erect length: 13.93 cm (95% CI, 13.20–14.65). All measurements showed variation by geographic region. Erect length increased significantly over time (QM=4.49, df=2, p=0.04) in several regions of the world and across all age groups, while no trends were identified in other penile size measurements. After adjusting for geographic region, subject age, and subject population; erect penile length increased 24% over the past 29 years.
Conclusions
The average erect penis length has increased over the past three decades across the world. Given the significant implications, attention to potential causes should be investigated.
Keywords
Anatomy; Hormones; Meta-analysis; Penis
INTRODUCTION
As male sexual dysfunction diagnoses and treatments are common [
1,
2], penile size remains important [
3]. Penile size has been suggested to associate with sexual strength, virility, and vitality in men [
4], as well as a man’s self-esteem [
5].
The penis is formed during gestation under hormonal influences and continues to grow through puberty [
6].
Investigators have reported changes in normal male genital development over time as assessed by falling sperm counts, declines in serum testosterone levels, higher rates of testicular tumors, and increasing genital birth defects [7, 8, 9, 10]. While the etiology of reported changes is uncertain, many have hypothesized environmental changes as potential culprits [
7,
11].
Penile size has been measured in several studies but no comprehensive study exists to examine geographic variation or temporal trend [
12,
13,
14]. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to critically evaluate the literature to report the trend of penile length over time and in different geographic regions.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
1. Evidence acquisition
The protocol for this systematic review and meta-analysis was registered in PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42022335620). This meta-analysis was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The following research question was established based on the PICO criteria [
15]: Has penile length changed over time globally? We performed a systematic review of the literature in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane from inception to April 2022, to identify studies that evaluated penile size. Search terms included: “Penile Length” OR (“Width” OR “Circumference” OR “Dimension”) AND (“Erect” OR “Flaccid” OR “Stretched”). The reference lists of the included studies were also screened for relevant articles. Seventy-five original articles were included and critically evaluated.
2. Selection of the studies and criteria for inclusion
This analysis was restricted to data collected from original articles that examined men’s penile length. Studies were considered eligible if the quantitative measurement of penis size was measured by an investigator, the sample included ≥10 participants, participants were aged ≥17 years, and if they provided sample size, mean, and standard deviation (SD) of flaccid or erect length measured from the root (pubo-penile junction) of the penis to the tip of the glans (meatus) on the dorsal surface. Articles were excluded if they were based on a self-measurement and if they reported measurements done after major pelvic surgery. Abstracts and meeting reports were excluded from the analysis.
Two authors (FB and ME) independently screened the titles and abstracts of all articles. Abstracts and full-text articles were examined independently by five authors (FB, FDG, EM, ME, and FG) to determine whether or not they met the inclusion criteria. Final inclusion was determined by the consensus of all investigators. Selected articles meeting the inclusion criteria were then critically analyzed.
The following data were extracted from the included studies by using a standardized form: country and region of origin, publication year, sample size, participants' age, penile measurements, population description, and measurement technique.
"Erect length increased significantly over time in several regions of the world and across all age groups," the team wrote in the study. "After adjusting for geographic region, subject age, and subject population; erect penile length increased 24 percent over the past 29 years".
That's an increase from 12.3 centimeters (4.8 inches) to 15.2 centimeters (6 inches) in just under three decades.
The authors explained that they had been motivated to compare penis sizes over time because of other changes to men's reproductive health in recent years, such as
declining sperm count.
"Given the trends we'd seen in other measures of men's reproductive health, we thought there could be a decline in penile length due to the same environmental exposures," lead author Michael Eisenberg, professor of urology at Stanford Medicine, said in a
press release.
That wasn't the case, but Eisenberg believes that the increase seen could be the result of changes to environments.
"There could be a number of factors at play, such as chemical exposure, like pesticides or hygiene products, interacting with our hormonal systems. These endocrine-disrupting chemicals – there are many – exist in our environment and our diet," he said. "As we change our body's constitution that also affects our hormonal milieu. Chemical exposure has also been posited as a cause for boys and girls going into puberty earlier, which can affect genital development."
The team noted that other factors, such as techniques for measuring length, temperature, and arousal state of the participant, could affect the results. However, they believe that it warrants further study, given the implications it could have for male reproductive health.
"The increase happened over a relatively short period of time," Eisenberg added. "If we're seeing this fast of a change, it means that something powerful is happening to our bodies. We should try to confirm these findings and if confirmed, we must determine the cause of these changes."