Living With a Curve – What Is Peyronie’s Disease

What is Peyronies Disease?

Peyronie — say that again, but this time, add a French touch. The “R” rolls off your tongue and it sounds as if it could be a name said in passing somewhere throughout one of your favorite French films, which proves especially true when considering that the word “Peyronie” actually stems from Francois Gigot de la Peyronie, a personal physician to King Louis XV of France. But that’s where the fun begins and ends, and what Peyronie’s namesake now signifies could quite literally get you bent out of shape.

Penises come in all sorts of sizes, but bent? That’s certainly not the norm, but it does occur, and centuries ago in the mid-1700s, de la Peyronie wrote an authoritative description detailing the disorder, which we know today to be Peyronie’s Disease. If you’re reading this right now, odds are your little member fits the description, but worry not — your package is far from the exception and there are many other men walking around with a penile curvature similar to, if not worse than the one you’re suffering through.

In fact, recent demographic surveys have discovered that up to 9% of men suffer from Peyronie’s Disease, and that’s likely a cautious estimate given that many men may simply avoid a diagnosis due to embarrassment. Considering that figure and recent consensus data, there are upwards of a half a million other men walking around America plagued by the same painful, hard plaque that’s preventing your penis from staying on the straight and narrow. 

Has your sex life taken a turn for the worst?

Speaking of straight and narrow, when exactly did your penis decide to carve out its own path? Though the exact cause of the plague-prompted, connective tissue disorder isn’t entirely clear, most scientists believe the root to be penile trauma; often times suffered through vigorous sexual activity. You and your partner get a little too rough in the bedroom and suddenly, your sex life has taken a turn — or curve — for the worst.

That rough sex has since caused even rougher symptoms, and now not only is there a hard, lump-like plaque seemingly giving your penis a mind of its own, but erections aren’t quite as erect, and even then, getting hard is, well, hard because it often times hurts. As if that alone wasn’t enough salt on the wound, that penile curvature is now making sexual penetration rather difficult. More likely than not, your sexual confidence is shot, and unlike something such as heartburn or high blood pressure, you surely aren’t going to seek guidance during a casual conversation on poker night. There is guidance to be given, though, and more notably, treatments to Peyronie’s disease that’ll get your penis back on a straight path.

Stay ahead of the curve

For most men, a bent penis, or scientifically speaking, Peyronie’s Disease, can quite easily be the worst of their worries, and understandably so. When things are working well, a straightforward shaft can be a key to a happy, healthy relationship, and furthermore, a man’s general confidence. But when your penis is leaning abnormally to the left, right, or upwards — often times with a bend as significant as 30 degrees — said sex life and confidence could be curving in the wrong direction (sound familiar?).

In about 13% of cases, the plaques that cause Peyronie’s Disease go away without treatment, but for the other 87%, there’s Dr. Shaw and the Austin Urology Institute. In most cases, a simple physical exam is enough to diagnose Peyronie’s Disease, though some instances may require an ultrasound or an x-ray of the penis; procedures that can be conducted in-house at the Austin Urology Institute. If it comes to pass that your curved penis is, in fact, Peyronie’s Disease, a licensed physician such as Dr. Shaw is likely to recommend conservative, non-surgical treatment throughout a 12-month period.

With one comforting call to Dr. Shaw at the Austin Urology Institute (512-694-8888), that clock will begin ticking, and within a matter of months, your sex life, confidence, and of course, your penis, will be back on the straight and narrow. 

Ask us about our newest treatment solution, PulseWave low-intensity shockwave therapy. The noninvasive, surgery-free solution to Peyronie’s disease and Erectile Dysfucntion.