Penis is one of the most anxiety-causing body parts for men. Men associate their confidence and self esteem with the size of the penis. Let us learn some facts about penis and then find out why does penis size causes concern in men and sometimes in women.

About penis - The male sex organ

The penis is the male organ used for urination and sexual intercourse. It is located above the scrotum and contains urethra, through which urine and semen are discharged. Most of the penis is composed of erectile tissue (corpus cavernosum and corpus spongiosum), which becomes filled with blood due to sexual excitement and an erection occurs. The foreskin covers the head (glans) of the penis. During erection foreskin slides all the way back to reveal the rounded glans or head underneath. Erection of the penis facilitates vaginal intercourse but it is not essential for various other sexual activities.

During puberty, the testicles begin to develop and the penis size increases. The penis begins to grow between the ages of as early as 10 or as late as age 15. Growth is usually complete by age 18-21. During the process, pubic hair grows above and around the penis. The ability to ejaculate (sperm-containing fluid) begins around 12 to 14 years of age.

Importance of penis size

Men across the world give a lot of importance to the size of their penis and often associate it with virility. In various surveys it has been found that most men feel they have an inadequate penis size while it may just be normal and even their partner may consider it of satisfying size.

An internet based study found that only 55% of the men were satisfied with their penis size whereas 85% of women were satisfied with their partners' penis size. Studies show most men underestimate the size of their penis and overestimate what is average penis size. Men with smaller size penis often feel distressed because of a small size penis. Doctors however, feel that size of the penis does not affect masculinity or in anyway affect a man's sexual abilities.

What is the average penis size of a man?

Various surveys have been conducted to determine the average penis size of a man. Some men may have smaller penis and other may have big penises just as people have different shoe sizes but the size of the penis is not an index of virility. Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary that a tall man has a bigger penis.

An average non-erect penis usually measures between 8.5cm and 10.5cm (3-4inches) from tip to base. Various factors may temporarily affect the size of the penis. For instances, the size of the penis may shrink by up to 2inches or more during cold weather or while swimming.

During erection, the size of the penis increases and it has been found that most penises are very much the same size when erect. Men whose non-erect penis is smallish will usually achieve about a 100% increase in length during sexual excitement while men whose non-erect penis is on the largish size will probably manage about a 75% increase. Average length of erect penis varies from 5.1inches to 5.7inches (12.9cm to 14.5cm) while average penis girth of erect penis varies from 3.5inches to 3.9inches (8.8cm to 10cm).

Jelqing - Penile exercises to increase penis size

Jelqing refers to the various repetitive massage techniques used to achieve penis enlargement. The aim of jelqing is to exercising the smooth muscle and other tissues in the penis to permanently increase the maximum erect size of the penis. Jelqing involves wrapping the thumb and index finger around the semi-erect penis and repeatedly drawing them away from the body to force blood into the glans (head of the penis). This encourages more vascularity in the corpus cavernosa and associated tissues in the penis. If not conducted carefully jelqing may burst blood vessels and may even cause temporary or even permanent erectile dysfunction. Moreover, there is no scientific evidence that jelqing actually helps to increase penis size. If you are not satisfied with your pensi size, it is important to seek natural aids to increase the size of your penis instead of practicing unsafe methods.