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What causes penis to change size after prostate surgery?

Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Apr 28 10:44am | Replies (22)
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@tomf

I beg to differ on the miniscule aspect of a prostate removal's affect. If a prostate is approximately the size of a walnut, and your urethra goes through the prostate, then you lose that much urethra after a prostatectomy. The reconnection doesn't add any artificial urethra where the prostate used to be. That walnut sized difference doesn't get made up for. My surgeon said the hope is that the bladder will drop towards the penis and not that the penis will draw up towards the bladder after the reconnection, but there are no guarantees. While I am sure you are correct about the atrophy and the nerve damage, I think we have to attribute more than a miniscule amount of penis shortening to the loss of the prostate.

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Replies to "I beg to differ on the miniscule aspect of a prostate removal's affect. If a prostate..."
trusam1 | @trusam1 | Dec 18, 2023

Retired MD here (not a urologist). Yes, my understanding is about 1.5 inches of the urethra comes out, as it travels thru the prostate. That's why men with enlarged prostate have difficulty peeing. When the urethra is sewn back together, the penis will be pulled inside a bit, as the urethra is firmly attached to the penis.

I found Australian sexologist Melissa Hadley Barrett to be very helpful in showing ways to get the penis on the road to working again when the nerves return some function. Headline: viagra drugs, vacuum pump and masturbation help during first year post-op.
https://melissahadleybarrett.com/penile-rehabilitation-program/

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CancerFree | @cancerfreekevin | Apr 26 6:05pm

I lost almost 2 inches in length as well as some sensitivity in my penis due losing one of the nerve bundles during my radical prostatectomy. So as with much of the tamped down research data on this form of cancer and the recovery it is fair to say much is under reported. That said, I'm two years post op, cancer free and have an active sex life. While the aforementioned is great, it pales in comparison to remaining on this side of the dirt...

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