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Because it affects you both ... and you really don't want to be a b*tch about it.
By Jeena French — Written on Jan 12, 2017
Women may worry about a lot of things, but I bet most of us haven't given much thought to how a man's penis changes with age.
I first became aware that penises change with age when I was just 19 years old.
I was having lunch with my mother and a few of her nurse friends at the hospital where they worked. They were discussing a new surgical procedure that had come into town — a penile implant. The first guy to get one of these newfangled weiners at their hospital was ... a 90-year-old!
The idea of a man wanting a penile implant at the age of 90 seemed absurd to me.
The next day while I was at work — as a medical assistant in a cardiologist's office — a 70-something-year-old man was prescribed Viagra so he could enjoy a "successful" weekend with his new girlfriend. And I later learned that my 80-year-old grandfather was one of the first in line to get his script of the same (don't ask). Suddenly, it all made sense.
I already understood that most men love sex.
But what I didn't comprehend was just how much sex matters to a man no matter what age he is. He wants to enjoy life to the fullest and that includes full use of every part of his body — including his member.
The reality of the effects aging can have on a penis didn't fully hit home for me until I found myself in bed with a much older man a few years later. As much as we cared for each other and as hot as things got, there were moments when he just couldn't perform sexually, at least not for long, and there was nothing either of us could do about it (believe me, we tried!).
Thankfully, I was aware this can happen more frequently the older a man gets, so I didn't take his performance difficulties personally, I knew he was emotionally connected to me. Although I was disappointed, the sexual frustration was a bit easier to handle because I knew it wasn't about me or about "us."
Just because your man's penis changes with age, it doesn't mean you have to let that get in the way of enjoying life together.
There are no hard and fast rules as to exactly when and which changes will happen, but for most males, noticeable differences begin around the mid-40's mark. Some of these signs may cause one or both of you to worry that he might have a serious penile health condition. Just remember, when it doubt, check it out.
Here are 6 fast facts about what happens to a man's penis (and its surrounding parts) as he ages.
1. His boys start to sag.
Just like boobs, men's scrotum lose elasticity with age. As the skin loses its tightness, the sac softens and tends to sag. Some men experience volume loss as well. It doesn't matter whether he's been a long time fan of tighty-whiteys or if he's athletic. The droop does not discriminate from one scrotum to another, and there isn't much he can do about it unless he decides he wants to subject himself to a scrotum reduction surgery or a scrotal lift.
The good news is that this type of procedure has NOT been shown to create sexual dysfunction or to inhibit a man's ability to produce semen and have children later in life.
2. It changes size, for the good or for the ... not as good.
A man's penis size may become slightly smaller as he gets older. The size loss can be up to an inch in both length and girth. As his metabolism slows down and men gain weight around their abdomen, their prepubic fat pad also becomes thicker. This not only creates the visual appearance of a shorter length, but it can also make it feel as though there's less there during sexual intercourse. A man carrying excess weight can reverse this type of change in the penis size with weight loss.
As much as it might be tempting to test out random products claiming to help increase a man's penis size by making it longer or thicker, the truth is that they simply do not work. There's no way to avoid the fact that as a man ages his penis most definitely will shrink to at least some degree.
3. It may change color and become less sensitive.
As circulation changes with age, it affects not only blood pressure and cardiac health but also the appearance of a man's penis and his ability to become erect.
With less blood flowing through his penis, the tip or the glans may not appear as purplish-pink as it once did when he was younger. He may also feel less sensitivity, which means he may need a little more foreplay prior to intercourse in order to get fully "prepped" for entry.
4. His skin becomes smooth — and possibly even hairless.
As man's circulation changes so does his testosterone levels. As much as men often joke about hair loss, the fact of the matter is that in time, hair loss may happen down below as well. Hormonal hair loss occurs particularly around the base and the lower part of the penis.
Some men who experience hair loss will notice that their penis returns to a pre-pubertal state — complete hairlessness.
5. His member may start to curve.
As a man gets older the muscles in his penis change over time and, for some men, that may mean their once straight penis now curves more to the right or to the left. This change in the muscles may be caused by exercise or sexual activity.
A bent penis CAN be cause for concern, particularly if there's pain involved, and should definitely be checked out by a medical professional.
6. Erectile dysfunction becomes more and more common.
Erectile dysfunction affects young men as well as older men, but it does become more common with age. The vessels that bring blood in and out of the penis may not work as well as before. Since the penis is a highly vascularized muscle, the loss of blood flow can impact a man's ability to obtain and maintain a strong erection.
There are medications available to help with erectile dysfunction, but since some men who have circulation issues also have cardiac heart conditions as they get older, some males are not able to safely use medication, like Viagra to alleviate the problem.
