Most males undergo a phase in their teens or early adulthood when they chase myths and facts about the penis and its functions related to sexual reproduction.

Despite the presence of several authoritative books on sexual health and discovery, teenagers and impressionable adults often discuss these aspects within their peer group and end up chasing myths in the absence of facts about the penis. We list out five of the lesser known facts about the penis:

1) The penis does not have a mind of its own though one may sometimes get that impression from the occasional erection that seems inappropriate to you from the perspective of time and place. Though the penis sometimes acts involuntarily, this is so because of its link with a part of the nervous system that is not always under your conscious control. Other areas like heart beat and blood pressure are regulated by this part of your brain too. You could have erections during sleep or even during straining for bowel movement.

2) If you observe the penis going flaccid once in a while, do not panic and believe that you have erectile dysfunction. The tendency of the penis to shrink without reason is also caused by the very same part of the brain that causes its sudden erection. For example, exposure to cold water and air can cause the penis to go flaccid all of a sudden.

3) The size of the penis is often a matter where myth gains precedence over fact. Medical experts suggest that there is no consistent link between the size of a flaccid penis and an erect one. So, there is no conclusive proof that a bigger flaccid penis gets much bigger when erect or the other way round.

4) The penis is not ramrod straight. In fact, it is shaped like a boomerang and its roots are actually tucked inside the pelvis and attached to the pelvic bone. Researchers who studied sexual intercourse within an MRI scanner have confirmed the shape of the penis. In fact, one form of penis enlargement surgery actually cuts the ligament holding the penis root to the pelvis to give some extra length to men. Scientists say that this surgery is fraught with the danger of the penis base wobbling during an erection.

5) The penis maybe boneless but you can still end up with a fracture. The problem is limited to young men whose erections are quite rigid and who tend to use it rather roughly. Violent thrusts during sexual intercourse are a known cause of such fractures. Women moving rapidly on top of a man during sex can also break the penis.

6) Circumcision has nothing to do with religious sentiments as is often believed. While almost all Jewish and Muslim males have circumcised penises where the foreskin is surgically removed, there is an increasing feeling among healthcare professionals that removing the foreskin actually curtails the risk of HIV among men.