Does Yours Turn to the Right, or the Left?
Looking at Genital Asymmetry in Men
By Kiki Tan
PUBLISHED: JANUARY 2009

A. Muñoz, who swears “it doesn’t bother me in any way whatsoever at all,” noted, anyway, how his penis “curves to the left and a bit upwards.”  “Had it been any more bent (either way – to the left or upwards), it could be mistaken for a fishing hook,” he says, followed by a hearty laugh.  “Or the one side of an anchor.”
The insistence, as stated, is in the curvature’s “non-effect to my use of my penis,” Muñoz says.  “I use it the way other men use theirs, I guess.  And no sexual partner (women and men) have yet to complain about it.”

The latter observation (lack of ill effect whatsoever) is, in actuality, the most noteworthy point in cases of genital asymmetry in men – after all, a certain degree of curvature of the penis (slight or prominent) is actually considered normal (many, if not most men, are born with this benign condition, also commonly referred to as congenital curvature, among others), what with the “little man” possibly curving to the left, right, upwards, downwards, combinations of the four, or, for that matter, in various other directions and angles.  It is only when there is discomfort that the bend should be a worry.

UNIQUENESS DEFINED

Romanticising crookedness in penises, it can actually be a sign of difference from others, of uniqueness.  Much like the person with the penis, no penis is alike another.  Thus, whatever curve a man’s penis ends up having is, well, unique to him.

In Genital Asymmetry in Men (Human Reproduction, Vol.12 No.1, pp.68to 72, 1997), Anthony F. Bogaert of the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto, Canada, notes that “genital asymmetry has been reported in lower animals, including the gonads of horseshoe bats (Mathews, 1937), oxen (Jost et al., 1972) and chicks (Mittwoch, 1975) and the penises of certain flies, i.e. Drosophila melanogaster (Morgan, 1977).”  But while, in human studies, reports have been restricted largely to the gonads [e.g. Chang et al. (1960) found that while the left testicle generally hangs lower than the right, the right testicle is larger than the left; and recent reports have confirmed this testicular size difference (Short, 1984; Mittwoch, 1988; Kimura, 1993)].

But what little research existing on penile deviation in normal human populations (e.g. Correa, 1971; Gavrell, 1974; Cutjar, 1979; Cendron and Melin, 1981; Yachia et al., 1993) reveal pathological curvature of the penis.  In fact, “when such curvature does occur as result of, for example, congenital penile curvature, the lateral curvature is predominantly to the left. This curvature may occur because of the right corpus cavernosum — the spongy erectile tissue of the penis — being larger than the left, which forces a leftward lateral inclination of the penis (Fitzpatrick, 1976). In addition, Ben-Ari et al. (1985) observed that normal male newborns, when they have some lateral asymmetry of the shaft of their penis, are more likely to have a left rather than a right inclination,” Bogaert states, quoting various sources.

Interestingly, “with regard to genital asymmetry, Chang et al. (1960) found that the left testicle is lower in right-handers, whereas the opposite pattern occurs in left-handers. No published reports have assessed whether penile asymmetry varies as a function of handedness.”  Still, the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction has information on male genital asymmetry (particularly with testicles), pointing out its commonality.

According to Go Ask Alice (goaskalice.columbia.edu), Columbia University’s health question and answer Internet service, there is “no need to be bothered by your bending boner.  It is quite normal for men to have a slight or even prominent penis curve. Penises can curve left, right, or in any number of directions and angles. Sometimes the curve may be especially pronounced when it's erect. The development of the muscles in the base of the penis, connective tissue, and skin create certain unique shapes and curves that vary in men. Sometimes, the curve straightens out on its own over time. Others may never be perfectly straight, and that's okay, too.”

Yet again, “only if your erection is painful, has a severe bend, or causes discomfort during intercourse need you be concerned.”

CAUSE OF CONCERN

For problematic bent penises, the condition is called Peyronie's Disease (PD, named after French surgeon Francois Gigot de la Peyronie, who first described the case in 1743), which is basically a connective tissue disorder that involves “scarred tissue or calcium deposits around the cavernous bodies of the penis (particularly in the tunica albuguinea, the fibrous envelope surrounding the penile corpora cavernosa),” as stated by Wikipedia.org.

Also known as Induratio Penis Plastica (IPP), penile induration, and bent nail syndrome, PD “may cause pain, hardened, cord-like lesions (scar tissue known as ‘plaques’), or abnormal curvature of the penis, (particularly) when erect.  In addition, narrowing and or shortening of the penis may occur.  Pain felt in the early stages of the disease often resolves in twelve to eighteen months. Erectile dysfunction, in varying degrees, often accompanies these symptoms in the later stages of the disease process (thus concerns on sexual performances),” elaborates Wikipedia.org.

While oral treatments have been studied, results have, thus far, been mixed.  Thus, just as the curvature is individually different, treatments are, too.  So a consultation with a doctor is necessary when the bent starts to be a disturbance.

A. Muñoz has actually established a name as the “Duck Fuck” – a title supposed to refer to his bent penis, “much like the dick of a duck,” he says, laughing loudly.  “I don’t mind it.  It makes me... different.  Actually someone now who is wanted to be had by many (for the novelty of experiencing my dick).”

And with this, genital asymmetry in men is, indeed, worth a closer look – if not for what it could mean to the health of those who have some bent, but for the effect on self-perception of the “little man” turning to the right, or the left, or upwards, or downwards, or whatever.