Brace yourself, boys…winter penis is a thing and it’s NOT good news
Don't worry...feeling a little chilly down there won't damage your sex life
IT'S just because it's cold...and this time, that really is the reason.
Shrinkage is something that all men are familiar with but would rather do without.
But there is a time of year that you simple cannot escape it, no matter how hard you try to keep your crotch warm.
We all remember the phenomenon that was summer penis - the, ahem, ego boost that men didn't know they needed.
Now, as the weather cools down, comes winter penis.
Sorry boys, this news isn't so good for your manhood.
Yes, it's essentially the opposite of a summer penis (cue horrified gasps)...during the winter months, your penis looks smaller.
It doesn't stop there...winter penis is even more obvious than summer penis so you're almost definitely going to see a difference.
It happens because the blood vessels in our extremities contract when we are cold, it's our body's way of directing heat to the vital areas like our internal organs.
"Technically winter penis is a thing," Dr Sarah Jarvis GP and clinical director of , told The Sun Online.
"Basically, in winter your body retains heat by shutting down blood vessels on the surface.
"We know that one of the most obvious places, because it has a very large surface area, is the penis.
"We also know that testicles tend to get smaller in cold whether and may well be drawn higher up into the scrotum."
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Now, we know you're probably thinking "but my penis is a vital area, it needs blood", but it's well equipped to handle this blood loss so no damage will come to your member.
"It is not a physical permanent change, if you warm up then it will go back to normal," Sarah added.
"Do not panic, it may well look smaller, just go into a warm room or have a nice warm bath and you will be fine."
And, the question you're probably dreading to ask...will it affect your sex life?
Breathe easy, your sex life will be fine.
There's nothing being cold will physically do to your penis to make getting or maintaining erections harder (pardon the pun), Sarah explained.
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But the cold, dark winter months can affect your mental health, which can reduce your sex drive.
"In winter it's quite common to get seasonal affective disorder and this can definitely affect your sex drive, but not your ability to have sex," she added.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder.
People who suffer from the condition display normal mental health throw most of the year but become depressed during a specific season - most commonly winter.
People are typically most severely affected in December, January and February.
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