I woke up this morning with a hard-on. A familiar morning sensation, however, when I looked down the sheets, I found a bruised penis. Yes, bruised – a little bit black…some blue…and even purple.
I was really freaking out until I googled, and found someone else with a similar problem. Here’s what Dr. Debby Herbenick, Ph. D., MPH, an American author, blogger, research scientist, sex advice columnist and human sexuality expert in the media, had to say about condom bruising.
Q I can’t believe you wrote in your column [In&Out, TOC 282] that a standard condom may bruise a man’s penis if he’s “quite large.” You have just lost all credibility because of that incredibly ignorant remark. I took a sex-ed class in college and the professor stretched a condom to fit over his head. Perhaps you should consult a man next time when you get a male-oriented question instead of making something up. What were you thinking?
A What was I thinking? To be honest, I was thinking of all the men who have told me about the bruises they have gotten on their penises. My primary job is as a research scientist and a sex educator. In this capacity, our team has worked on various condom studies, and one thing we have found is that (condom) size matters very much to some men. Standard condoms fit most men just fine. But some men find that standard-sized condoms are too large or small for them. We’ve heard from gay men who have only bottomed, even though they wanted to top, because they couldn’t find a condom that wouldn’t slip off their 2-, 3- or 4-inch erect penis. We’ve also heard from larger-sized men who find condoms to be very uncomfortable or to cause bruises at the base of their penis where the ring is too tight. Just because a condom can stretch and fit over a very large object does not mean that it is comfortable. Try slipping one over your arm or foot and leaving it there for an hour. And lest you think these guys are just bragging, let me assure you that most have approached me expressing embarrassment. We wouldn’t find it acceptable to tell a woman to just “deal with” pain during sex, and I don’t think that message is good enough for men, either. Does this affect most men? Of course not. Most guys can comfortably wear regular-sized condoms—but not everyone.