Rough sex sending men to ER

One of the country's leading urologists, Dr Elon Thompson, is warning Jamaican men that aggressive and high-risk sexual behaviour could leave them with a fractured penis.

"A lot of men didn't know that the penis can be fractured, but it can be," Thompson said.

"It can break, not like a bone, but it can rupture a sheath that is in the penis that contains the blood when it is erect. And that sheath can tear, and the blood can leak out into the penis and cause swelling to the penis," he explained.

Thompson told THE STAR that dancehall music, which glorifies hardcore sexual behaviour, appear to be a contributing factor to penis fractures.

"And in the past, we as urologists, we noticed that when those songs that were promoting hard intercourse came out, we noticed that there was an increase, actually, in penile fractures," he said.

The doctor said more men normally turn up to emergency rooms with fractured penises during colder periods.

"We had a cold front recently, twice. And in these times, we noticed that we may have an increase in persons who present with penile fractures," he said.

Some men, he revealed, have suffered the injury more than once. In more severe situations, however, the damage can be irreversible.

"They have to be careful, because it can lead to erectile dysfunction down the road. It can lead to problems with urination if it affects the passage that you pass urine through. And it can lead to curvature of the penis as well."

Thompson said he has seen extreme cases resulting in amputation, particularly among patients struggling with mental illness.

"They put different rings around the penis, and to the point where sometimes it actually cuts off the blood supply and it dies," he said.