When Does a Penis Stop Growing?

Oftentimes, men find themselves wondering: when does a penis stop growing?

The question of penis growth is one that is often misunderstood or misrepresented in the media and scientific circles.

With that, let’s take the time to explore the topic of penis growth while trying to answer the golden question:

When does a mans penis stop growing?

That’s a great question in and of itself, and as with almost everything in the human body, it begins in the womb.

Penis Growth In The Womb.

Like most things in the earliest stages of growth, human body development is highly influenced by prenatal hormone exposure.

With men, the production and exposure of hormones known as androgens plays a key role in the early development of the penis.

This includes both length, size, and distance from the anus. It can also play a massive role in penile malformations and dysfunctions very early on.

In 2008, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation found that by observing the development of rats, they could see how the reproductive organs in males develop during what is known as the ‘Masculinization Programming Window (MPW)’.

The ‘MPW’ is the time in which it is most important that a baby male receives the proper exposure to androgens in order to fully develop their reproductive organs.

This correlates to the first 8-12 weeks of pregnancy.

The study concluded that the exposure and levels of androgens within the MPW period was the key determining factor in penis size, health, and growth.

In simpler terms:

Low androgen exposure = smaller penis size
High androgen exposure = larger penis size

While androgens play a major role in how male reproductive organs develop through puberty, the first 8-12 weeks of the intrauterine phase will determine the ultimate size and health of the penis once fully matured into adulthood.

This leads us to our next topic of conversation:

Penis Growth During Puberty.

It’s safe to assume that if you are reading this, you already know what puberty is in concept.

However, it is far more than just voice changes and sporadic hair growth.

There are dozens of hormonal and physical changes that occur during this period.

Moreover, bone mineral density increases, height and lean muscle mass skyrocket and the reproductive male system grows larger in size and volume.

Puberty is the time in life where the bulk of penile growth will occur.

This is generally a period of about 5 years, and most often manifests between the ages of 9 – 14.

According to a study published by the National Library of Medicine, the growth of the penis is something that happens gradually from the time you are born until the end of puberty.

While the testicles will experience almost no growth until puberty begins, the penis will grow and strengthen gradually throughout early life.

When Does The Penis Stop Growing Entirely?

Despite starting from early childhood, most of the penile growth will occur during puberty. This does not mean that the penis will suddenly stop growing after puberty winds down.

Some growth can be seen as late as 15-19 years old!

However, the rate of growth between the ages of 15 – 19 is extremely slow, and virtually impossible after the ages of 20 – 21 without some sort of enlargement program.

So, with this in mind, it becomes pretty evident that after the age of 21, the penis you have is the one you will keep unless you’re willing to do some work.

It is also important to take the time to discuss what the average penis size is.

Far too often, men will find themselves comparing their size and girth to unrealistic standards (male body shaming exists too).

You might actually be surprised to find that the average size of a penis is much smaller than you have been led to believe.

The average length of a flaccid penis is between 3.4 – 3.7 inches. When erect, that size comes to about 5.1 – 5.7 inches.

As far as circumference, an erect penis will be 3.5 – 3.9 inches on average. This is a far cry from the massive sizes that some men will try and say that they have.

Now that we have taken the time to fully explore how a penis grows, and when you can expect it to stop growing, let’s see what happens next:

When A Penis Stops Growing, Does It Shrink?

The harsh reality is that as men age, things don’t work like they used to.

Muscles begin to atrophy, bones become more brittle, hair starts to fall out, and yes, the penis can indeed shrink.

‘Penile atrophy’ is the term used to describe the shrinkage of the penis throughout the aging process.

The human body pumps men with hormones throughout their ‘prime’ to promote reproduction and the passing on of genes.

This typically happens from puberty up until the age of 40 (or thereabouts).

Once a man has passed this age threshold, the body begins to pay less and less attention to the nether regions.

This is simply because reproduction becomes less important to the natural processes of the body.

This is also the result of lower levels of testosterone, which can lead to erectile dysfunction, incomplete erections, and eventually, penile and testicular atrophy.

Unfortunately, penile atrophy is likely something that all of us can expect in our future unless we take action to prevent it.

Here are the things we need to address as we approach middle age:

Plaque and excess buildup of junk and fatty deposits within the arteries makes it harder for blood flow to reach the penis.

Consequently, tissues will decrease in size and penile atrophy occurs.

Stress can also contribute to penile atrophy…

This is because the body under stress produces a hormone known as cortisol, which is known to reduce testosterone production.

Smoking is another factor that damages penile tissue and leads to atrophy.

Smoking itself can hamper blood flow. This, in turn, hampers the erectile function of the penis and reduces erection size.

Belly fat and being overweight, in general, is another risk factor of penile atrophy.

Belly fat contributes to the production of an agent called aromatase, which actively takes your testosterone and converts it into estrogen.