This one is for Adrian Albert Mole and all other males, young and old, who worry incessantly about the size of their members...
1. A study by urologists Kevan R. Wylie of Royal Hallemshire Hospital and Ian Eardley of St. James Hospital, Leeds, England found that although 85% of women are happy with the size of their partner's penis, 45% of men want a bigger one.
2. The 'average' erect penis ranges from about 5.5 to 6.2 inches long and 4.7 to 5.1 inches in circumference at midshaft.
3. But... research on penis size may be skewed, because men who are happy to volunteer for measurement studies tend to have bigger penises anyway. It is thought that laboratory averages could be about one inch larger than true population size.
4. There is no precise definition of what constitutes an abnormally small penis, but guidelines recommend that only those with an erection length of less than 2.75 to 3 inches should be considered for penis enlargement surgery.
5. Surgery to increase the length of the penis involves cutting the suspensory ligament which joins the penis to the pelvic area. When the ligament is cut, the penis hangs lower, which gives it an average increase of 1.3cm in length, however it also causes the penis to point downwards when erect. Surgery to increase the girth of the penis involves injecting fat taken from elsewhere in the body. This can leave the penis looking uneven or lumpy, and the injected fat can disappear over time. Losing weight and trimming your pubic hair is a safer and cheaper way of making your penis look longer.
6. Penis anxiety is much more common in younger, or sexually inexperienced men. Blame porn. Wylie and Eardley found that 37% of men who worried about penis size said that their problems began in adolescence after they had seen erotic images for the first time.
7. Because it is risky and the evidence of benefit is limited, you can only get enlargement surgery on the NHS if your penis has been damaged by illness or injury. If your motive is entirely cosmetic expect to pay around £5000 to have the procedure done privately.
8. And you probably don't need it anyway. A seven year study of men who had undergone penis-lengthening surgery by St. Peter's Andrology Centre and the Institute of Urology revealed that most of the men had normal-sized penises to start with and actually were suffering from penile dysmorphic disorder, a preoccupation with penis size.
9. In the study only 27% of men with penile dysmorphic disorder reported being content with the surgery's outcome, and overall, only 35% of the patients were satisfied with the outcome of surgery.
10. So if you are seriously considering penis enlargement you'd be better off - physically, mentally and financially - having psychosexual therapy first. Your GP can refer you, but it is quicker to refer yourself through the 'find a therapist' feature on the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists website