Increased risk of penile fractures over Christmas, doctors warn
For many, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but doctors have warned the festive season is also associated with a significant increase in embarrassing injuries in the bedroom.
Warning: The story below contains descriptions of sexual injuries.
Penile fractures are considered a medical emergency and are “often heralded by an audible crack followed by severe pain,” according to urologists at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany.
They warn such injuries are caused by “a forceful bending of the erect penis during aggressive sexual intercourse featuring unusual sexual positions (eg ‘reverse cowgirl’)”.
In addition to the “audible crack” and “severe pain”, they are also followed by a rapid loss of erection, swelling and bruising, the doctors added.
The team investigated whether the incidence of penile fractures increased during Christmas using German hospital data for 3,421 men who sustained such injuries between 2005 and 2021.
They found penile fractures increased during the festive period, adding: “If every day was like Christmas, 43% more penile fractures would have occurred in Germany from 2005 onwards.”
The study, published in the British Journal of Urology International, also found penile fractures increased during weekends and over the summer, but not during New Year’s Eve.
The authors said that may be because New Year’s Eve is not as widely celebrated in Germany as Christmas.
Hospital admissions for the injury were unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, the researchers added.
The average age for penile fractures among men was 42.
‘Our findings ring the alarm bell (and not the jingle bells)’
The study also found penile fractures “occur most likely during sex in unconventional scenarios” such as in extramarital affairs or “unusual locations”.
“Based on our analyses, penile fractures occur in periods when couples are enjoying moments of relaxation such as Christmas, weekends, and summer,” the authors wrote.
“Even though we cannot, of course, recommend against having sex during these periods, our findings ring the alarm bell (and not the jingle bells).”
Clearly enjoying writing up their findings with festive puns, the authors conclude: “Therefore, ‘Home Alone’ during Christmas and vacation seems, in this case, a good idea.”