After prostate cancer surgery, about 7 out of 10 men will have a slightly shorter penis. Usually the change in length is about 1 to 2 centimeters. Here’s what you should expect.
Hormone treatment for prostate cancer can also cause your testicles and penis to get smaller. The change in penis length may be about 2 centimeters. One study found that this change slowed down after about 15 months.
Here’s what you should expect.
Why does penis size change after prostate cancer surgery?
The main reason comes down to the tissues inside your penis.
Sometimes, the penis can shorten because of changes to the tissues inside the penis. If you go long periods without having erections, this can cause some scarring of the tissues in your penis, which can also lead to shortening.
Why does hormone treatment change the size of your genitals?
Hormone treatment for prostate cancer uses medicines to lower the amount of testosterone in your body. Testosterone is a normal male sex hormone but does help prostate cancer cells grow and spread.
When the level of testosterone in your body decreases, you may notice that your testicles or penis get smaller. Most people go back to their normal level of testosterone after stopping treatment.
What can you do about a shorter penis?
Get that blood flowing.
Try encouraging blood flow to your penis after surgery. This might improve erections over time and stop your penis from becoming smaller.
Try an erectile aid.
A vacuum pump (or penis pump) can be used on its own or with erection pills (like Viagra), which can encourage blood flow to the penis. This may stretch the tissue and help maintain your penis size. (Find more on erectile aids here.)
Hear from a guy who’s been there:
"My partner kept reassuring me that it doesn’t matter, but it did to me. I did try the pump. My penis felt cold and strange but it did help."
As always, if you’ve got questions about a change in your penis size and ways to improve, talk to your doctor or healthcare team for assistance.
