Information on Micropenis!!

Definition

Micropenis is defined as a very small penis which has more than 2.5 standard deviations below the normal or average penis length for the age of the individual. In adults, micropenis is considered to be less than 2.8 inches while in newborns it is around ¾ of an inch

Causes

The cause of micropenis is either chromosomal or hormonal. It occurs due to difference in fetal development. Studies reveled that there are two stages of penile development in fetuses:

Ist Stage: - It occurs early in fetus development. In this stage androgen stimulates the development of the penis and scrotum from its undifferentiated state

IInd Stage: - It occurs in later stage of fetus development in which androgen triggers the further growth of the penis.

Micropenis results due to the absence of second stage in an individual.

Some chromosomal abnormalities or syndromes also lead to micropenis such as Klinefelter’s Syndrome, Turner’s Syndrome or Down’s Syndrome. Another syndrome includes androgen insensitivity in which the fetus started as male but later on becomes insensitive to testosterone.

Treatments

Micropenis can be treated at the time of either puberty or child birth. It includes enhancing the penis size by using hormones.

Furthermore surgeries are also there to improve penis size. But these surgeries are not helpful in all the cases of micropenis because after surgery low satisfaction rate has been recorded.