A USER’S GUIDE TO…
Your penis
If your tackle lets you down when you need it, these fixes can bring the action back
WORDS: KEVIN DUPZYK.
In a way, your penis is very much like the starter motor in your car: it’s crucial, but you don’t really think about it until something goes wrong. But you should because it – and the associated testicles, prostate and bladder – has two main jobs: peeing and sex. Each task uses different hardware and different things can malfunction. Fortunately, there are ways to fix stuff that goes awry.
The function: taking a leak
Urine, you may remember from biology class, is made in your kidneys, stored in your bladder and released through a tube called the urethra. But ageing can mess with all that.
What goes wrong
Under 40 You pee and (yikes) blood or (sorry) a snot-like discharge comes out. These are signs of infection. STIs are common causes, but blood usually means a bladder infection (or, possibly, bladder cancer); pain in the perineum (the skin from your scrotum to your anus) can mean a prostate infection. See a doctor for a urinalysis to identify the culprit, which antibiotics can probably defeat.