Curved, crooked, bent, contorted, wonky, bowed, and wonderful. Penises aren't always straight. Some curve.

This episode is sponsored by adamandeve.com, a sex toy store that values curvy.

[intro]

I remember seeing a curved penis for the first time in college. It was very dramatic, almost a 90 degree angle pointing down and similar in size to my finger. (A little bigger.) The person it was attached to, I'll call him Shepard, was really confident, so I thought nothing of it. We put a condom on and had sex. I don't remember anything outstanding like it blowing my mind or hurting my vagina, but... someone else did. A year later, a woman ran up to me and said "did you used to hook up with Shepard?" I told her I did, and she continued "I used to hook up with Shepard! Wasn't it amazing? He's the only person I've been able to come with because his dick hits all the right spots."

It's not uncommon for penises to curve in all directions. Some of this curvature is from birth, called congenital curvature; some is natural asymmetry of the body as we develop; and some is thought to be connected to how much of the penis is internal relative to what's external.

Shepard's almost 90 degree angle was caused by a connective tissue disorder called Peyronie's Disease. It's named after François Gigot de la Peyronie, an 18th century French surgeon who identified that more fibrous tissue on some penises made them bend rigidly. Researchers since then have looked into why, because there's 200,000 new cases each year.

An estimated 8% of penises are affected by Peyronie's Disease. They've found that diabetes, high blood pressure, heredity, age, smoking, prostate surgery, vitamin E deficiency, beta blocking drugs, and elevated serotonin levels contribute to Peyronie's disease but the cause is usually... trauma. Peyronie's is often the result a severe or repeat injury to the penis. Kicked, punched, sat on, or rubbed hard: something does damage and scar tissue or plaque builds up in the tunica albuginea making that part of the penis taut and the rest of the penis bent to accommodate it.

Let's use this blown-up condom as an example of a penis. Since scars aren't as pliable as other tissue, they don't stretch or change shape, like me pinching this latex. So when a penis becomes erect, or even when it's flaccid, it can't match the elasticity of the rest of the penis, so the rest of the penis has to adjust to it. Shepard's penis curved downward because of plaque on the ventral side. If a penis curves to the right, there's likely plaque on the right. To the left, left. And so on.

Peyronie's Disease is pretty easy to identify. You've got the curvature, which usually makes the penis shorter, scar tissue visible or not, maybe erectile difficulties, and maybe pain. To my knowledge Shepard didn't have pain or difficulty. Peyronie's didn't seem to bother him. If it had, though, there weren't many options.

Now there are many, many options: There are oral medications like Interferon, Verapamil, and Collagenase. Collagenase, which can also be injected into the scar tissue to break up the plaque. There's modeling that bends the penis in the other direction, and suturing, which uses stitches to mirror the tight scar tissue on one side to straighten out things on the other. Then there are more intense surgical options like cutting the scar, grafting new tissue in its place, and using penile prosthetics. There's iontophoresis, which applies electric current. And there's penile traction, a non-invasive method that stretches the scar tissue out.

A urologist, a doctor who specializes in penises, will be able to determine the health of your penis and what options you have to take care of it. Most won't take any corrective action for a year or more unless symptoms require it because they want to give your body time to heal on its own. If it does heal –with or without a curve – that's perfectly normal. And more than likely if the curve in your penis isn't a problem for you, then it isn't a problem. That curve can be an expression of your individuality, an amazing pleasure seeking vessel, and a one-of-a-kind sex solution.

Stay curious.



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This is Maia, who's usually behind the camera. And she's going to do level 43 juggling and juggle vibrators. Uh, level 69 because I'm going to turn this one on.

Maia (juggling 3 vibrators): Oh god, it's so hard!

Lindsey: That's what she said!

[credits]

Maia: Is it working at all?

Lindsey (trying to juggle): Nope!