What to do if your penis is curved

A slight curve in your penis is nothing to worry about if it’s not causing you pain or problems when urinating or having sex. A more severe bend or kink could be a sign of Peyronie’s disease and there are options available to treat it and straighten your penis.

What is Peyronie’s disease?

Peyronie’s disease causes plaques (abnormal, fibrous scar tissue) to form around the erectile tissue of the penis. These plaques cause the penis to curve —upwards, downwards or sideways. In a small percentage of cases, plaques grow on both the upper and lower sides, which shortens and distorts the penis.

Peyronie’s disease usually has an acute phase, during which the bending increases and your penis might be painful. You might notice a lump form at the site of the ache and erections might become uncomfortable, painful or softer than usual. The acute phase is followed by a chronic phase when the bend stops changing, and pain becomes less or goes away.

Peyronie's disease is the result of a problem in the way the body heals wounds. The condition is usually caused by an injury to the penis — most often during sex — although many men don’t recall any event before noticing the disease.

Peyronie’s disease can have a significant impact on your mental health. For some people, the bend in their penis can be so severe that they can’t have sex. The bend might be a source of embarrassment, but the effect on your sex life and relationship can have a much bigger psychological impact.

How is Peyronie’s disease treated?

In a small number of cases, Peyronie’s disease will go away on its own. Treatment options to straighten your penis include medicines you can take or have injected into your penis, traction devices and surgery. Men with small plaques, minimal curving of the penis, no pain and no problems with sex may not need to be treated.

If you’ve noticed symptoms of Peyronie’s disease, chat with your doctor. They will take a medical history and do a genital examination. You don’t need to be erect for a genital examination, but it can help to take a photo at home to show your doctor during your appointment. Your doctor will probably refer you to a urologist, who will have experience in treating Peyronie’s disease.