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What you really want to know about what's going on down there
As a urologist, Ryan Berglund, MD, regularly fields difficult — and often embarrassing — questions from his patients and from callers on a local radio show on Friday evenings.
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Here are the 10 most common urology-related questions he gets and his answers to each.
There are a lot of normal structures outside the testicle in the scrotum.
Some abnormal things:
If you feel an actual lump inside the testicle, there is a concern of testicular cancer.
A man should examine his testicles once a month in the shower, supporting the testicle with one hand and feeling with the other hand. If you feel a hardness or irregularity inside the testicle, it’s important to contact your doctor.
Yes. There is no bone in the penis, but it has a very strong layer around it called the tunica albuginea that allows for rigidity during an erection.
A penile fracture occurs when that fibrous connective tissue “breaks” during intercourse.
When the erectile bodies fill with blood at high pressure, this strong layer keeps the blood inside and allows for an erection. When it breaks, that layer tears and you bleed through it.
There’s usually a very loud, painful snap followed by detumescence (the erection subsides). The result is bruising and swelling, and it is a surgical emergency.
Normal semen is thick and white, but it can have different consistencies.
The risk of having severe erectile dysfunction under the age of 50 is less than 5 percent, so it’s worthwhile to chat with your primary physician if you encounter that problem.
Erectile dysfunction at a young age may relate to:
Some prescription drugs, illegal drugs, and smoking can also cause erectile dysfunction.
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The normal range is about 3.5 to 7.5 inches, with the average about 5.5 inches. For a normal-sized penis, there’s no safe way to make it larger.
People can get infections or irritation of the hair follicles on the penis, and that is not unusual. But if you notice the following, see your doctor:
In general, we don’t consider urinary tract infections (UTIs) as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). There are some STDs, though, that can cause symptoms similar to a UTI. A standard e coli UTI — the most common type — is not sexually transmitted, as e coli is a ubiquitous bacteria in that area.
Women who are prone to UTIs may get one after intercourse, but it doesn’t mean that her partner is carrying an STD.
No, the woman cannot transmit a UTI to you.
While it is feasible to contract an infection from an unclean toilet seat, this would be an unusual mode of transmission.
The use of circumcision for medical or health reasons continues to be debated. This is a very personal decision that no doctor can make on behalf of his patient.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the overall health benefits outweigh the risks. However, AAP does not recommend routine circumcision for newborn males. The procedure might be recommended in older boys and men to treat phimosis (the inability to retract the foreskin) or to treat an infection of the penis.
That’s Peyronie’s disease, and curvatures up to about 30 degrees don’t cause any functional problems.
Curvatures greater than 30 degrees may affect intercourse. To fix this problem:
Most urinary problems from the prostate are benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Medications can help in some cases, but if problems are so severe that the patient is unable to empty his bladder, there are surgical interventions.
Some people worry that this symptom could signal prostate cancer, but most urinary problems are not related. Those problems that are, show up at a very late phase of advanced disease.
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