Physicians in the field of urology, have warned men against engaging in ‘marathon’ sex, noting that it could lead to permanent impotence.
A sexual marathon is usually a prolonged sexual activity over hours and even days.
![](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_662,h_463/https://nigeriaus.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/images-5.jpeg)
The experts noted that marathon sex complicated by penile fracture and persistent erection also known as priapism that is not treated promptly can cause permanent impotence.
Urology is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary-tract system and the reproductive organs.
The urologists also cautioned against the use of sex-enhancing drugs without a doctor’s prescription, warning that it could lead to erectile dysfunction.
According to Cleveland Clinic, priapism develops when blood in the penis becomes trapped and unable to drain.
It noted that if the condition is not treated immediately, it can lead to scarring and permanent erectile dysfunction.
The medical experts disclose this during separate exclusive interviews with PUNCH HealthWise, stressing that engaging in marathon sex and use of unprescribed sex-enhancing drugs are associated with lots of health problems.
A Consultant Urologist, Dr. Gabriel Ogah, told our correspondent that engaging in ‘marathon’ sex might even lead to death.
Giving insight into the risk of marathon sex and the use of sex-enhancing drugs, Ogah, Managing Director, Ogah Hospital and Urology Centre, Fugar, Edo State, explained, “Of course, marathon sex can cause death and ill health. It can worsen your heart disease if you are not fit for it.
“Marathon sex can lead to priapism especially when you are taking drugs, it can lead to penile fracture. And both of them can lead to permanent impotence.
“Marathon sex can cause permanent impotence if it is complicated by penile fracture and priapism which are not treated expeditiously.
“Priapism is the excessive erection of the penis which does not come down. It is defined as the inappropriate election of the penis. If someone takes drugs to have marathon sex, the penis may refuse to go down thereafter.”
According to him, a lot of young people are now taking sex-enhancing drugs.
“That is not advisable. Nowadays, I see a lot of young people who take sex enhancers, they get priapism.
“This year alone, I have operated on four people who were having sex and their joysticks refused to come down.
“The penis becomes long, about 12 inches long, it doesn’t come down at all. You have to operate on them before they can come down. Then in the past two years, I have treated people who when they are having sex because of the way and manner, the position, they had a penile fracture”, he said.
Calling for caution during sexual intercourse, the urologist states that when the penis is erect, it can break like a stick.
He noted, “I operated on one four months ago, and not only that the penis break into two, but the urethra also broke into two. I have to first of all repair the urethra before I repair the penis.
“Marathon sex can lead to penile fracture, especially if the lady is on top and is intoxicated by the sex and she is wiggling buttocks around.
“The penis will just break into two, it will bend. That one needs surgery. If the surgery is not done within 24 hours, the person will never have an erection for life.”
Ogah frowned at the rate at which young people get involved in marathon sex and are coming down with penile fractures.
“We are not having this problem with mature people. Young people are the ones having this problem. Those between the ages of 18 to 30 years are the most affected”, he noted
He counselled, “Don’t take sex-enhancing drugs which are not medically prescribed. Don’t take any sex-enhancing drugs without a doctor’s prescription.”
Another urologist, Dr. Bakare Hamzat said the side effects of sex-enhancing drugs could lead to erectile dysfunction.
Hamzat who works at the Urology Unit, Department of Surgery, Alimosho General Hospital, Igando, Lagos, said the use of overdose of sex-enhancing drugs is dangerous and comes with a lot of risks.
“Chances are high that they will have erectile dysfunction. The side effects of sex-enhancing drugs can lead to priapism,” he said.
The urologist said people with priapism may not be able to get sustained erections anymore after surgery due to penile fractures.
According to Mayo Clinic, a penis fracture differs from other fractures in the body because the penis has no bones.
“During an erection, the penis is engorged with blood that fills two cylinders (corpora cavernosa). If an engorged penis is bent suddenly or forcefully, the trauma can rupture the outer lining of one of the two cylinders (tunica albuginea). This can result in a penis fracture.
“The trauma is most often caused by sexual intercourse, such as when the penis slips out of the vagina and is accidentally thrust against the pelvis,” the clinic noted.