If you don’t want to cause permanent damage to your penis you might want to read on.
If you’ve never heard of sounding – basically it where you stick a metal or glass rod down the opening of the penis into the urethra. However, doctors have warned that the practice of sounding could cause irreparable damage to the penis.
Doctors at International Andrology, a central London clinic focusing exclusively on male urogenital health have seen a dramatic increase in the number of men presenting with urethral issues and infections in line with the rise in this sexual practice.
The urethra sometimes referred to as the water-pipe, is the tube running along the penis, through which urine and sperm pass. A stricture, described as ‘a kink in a hose’, develops when the urethra is damaged leading to severe urination problems, pain and recurrent infections. It’s a dilapidating condition, that usually requires surgical intervention.
Incontinence issues and reduced bladder control
“Sounding” can also lead to incontinence since loosening or damaging of the urethra can result in reduced bladder control.
“Urethral strictures are more common in older men, especially after the insertion of a catheter following prostate surgery, however, we have been seeing an increased number of younger patients suffering from strictures, which we attribute to the popularity of practices like sounding,” Mr Giulio Garaffa, a surgeon at International Andrology London comments.
“Men should be really careful with such practices – only a few urologists have experience treating urethral strictures and in some cases, multiple operations might be required to fix the problem,” Mr Garaffa warns.
Men interested in this activity should first understand the issues with introducing objects into the urethral and embrace clean practices such as cleaning items regularly and using lubrications specially designed for sensitive areas.
