lower, providing an illusion of greater length, but this leads to a floppier penis when erect, so I rarely recommend this be done. Instead, I explain that a man’s penis is as unique to him as the shape of his eyebrows or the color of his hair (or, depending on his age, however much hair he still has!).
However, the width of a penis can be increased by increasing the blood flow to it (which is what Viagra and other drugs do)—and this is what women really want. A small penis that is fully engorged tends to be much more satisfying, as most of the sensory nerve fibers in the vagina are found right as you enter the vagina or about an inch inward. A well-rounded penis is going to provide more stimulation there than a long, skinny penis (or whatone female friend referred to as a “pencil dick”). The other thing a man can do, of course, is become such a skillful lover—making it clear that he knows that sex is not just about the penis and the vagina—that size is not even thought of as an issue.
Dear Dr. Fisch: What about Equipment Compatibility? Is There Such a Thing?
Dear Dr. Fisch,
Is there such a thing as equipment compatibility, or more like non-compatibility? What I mean is, could there be a penis that just can’t fit in a vagina no matter how much chemistry exists out of bed?
Signed, In and Out
Dear In and Out,
Yes, there is such a thing, because of the large range of both penis and vagina sizes. Some fits are simply better than others. If the penis is relatively too big for a small vagina—even if the penis is a perfectly normal size—that’s equipment non-compatibility.
This becomes more common as women grow older and develop a condition called atrophic vaginitis. It’s caused by a lack of estrogen, making the vagina less elastic and therefore essentially “smaller.” This can often be helped with increased use of lubricants. Conversely, some women find that their vaginas become “larger” or more stretched out after childbirth(as famously described in The Godfather ). This can be fixed by reconstructive surgery called vaginoplasty.
In general, however, most vaginas are very accommodating, especially when women are highly aroused, and most can handle all sizes—but only when lubricated. I can’t stress enough that if foreplay is too short and the lubrication is lacking, a vagina will not accommodate a penis of any size without pain. So, foreplay will be your best move for ensuring sexual compatibility with your partner, no matter what equipment you have to play with.
Getting Spunky: The Semen Section
Men don’t just worry about size. They can worry about everything having to do with their penis, including what comes out of it. Yes, semen. It can seem fairly innocuous when it’s ejaculated, just a small amount of cloudy white fluid. But it is teeming with sperm, so a tiny drop can have a lifetime of consequences for a fertile woman when she is not planning a pregnancy.
In case you were wondering, semen is only about 3 percent sperm. The rest is primarily composed of water, with a mixture of citric acid, amino acids, fructose, enzymes, and a few other minerals. The average volume of a normal ejaculation is between 2 and 5 milliliters, about a teaspoon. (For those of you wondering the age-old question about oral sex and swallowing, semen only has 36 calories!)
Pity the poor sperm, only a few microns long. Its epic journey to the egg of its dreams is a long one because the sperm needs to swim the equivalent of about 100,000 times its own length to get there.
Semen normally tastes fairly sweet and a little bit salty. The fructose in the semen helps power the sperm and keeps themalive on their journey from a man to a woman. But the flavor of semen can be affected by what a man eats or smokes. A bitter taste or pungent smell could be due to smoking (cigarettes or marijuana) or drinking a lot of coffee or alcohol. Some foods, such as asparagus and garlic, can give semen an odd flavor because they
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