True underdevelopment of male genitalia is rare
DEAR DR. ROACH: Can you give any reason why a penis wouldn’t grow or form like it is supposed to? My penis is undersize. It is not regular size for a man. I’d just like to know what could cause this. — V.P.
ANSWER: I hear this question frequently, and most of the time when I perform an exam, the penis size is in the normal range (I examine a lot of men, and have a better appreciation of normal variation than most). However, there are medical conditions that can cause male sexual organs not to develop properly. The most important is failure of male hormones to work at the time of puberty, so in that case, many male characteristics are decreased or absent, including facial and body hair and deep voice. Both the penis and testes will be small. However, it is very unusual for this to go unrecognized and untreated into adulthood.
Many men are embarrassed to ask about this, but please do see your medical provider and get an exam. Let me just add that you should ignore advertising about penile enlargement, as there are no treatments I know of that are both safe and effective.
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 60 years old, and for years have had trouble with a Bartholin cyst on one side. It is sore in that gland again, after taking turmeric for two months. It would bother me whenever I took hormone replacement a few years ago. Is it normal to still have trouble at this age? It doesn’t get big anymore, just sore sometimes. — M.L.R.