Christmas sex can be extra dangerous for men: penis study

Be careful if you’re feeling festive and frisky.

Men are being warned against engaging in energetic Christmas romps, as chances of suffering a painful penile fracture dramatically rise during the holiday week.

Scientists studied 3,421 German men between 2005 an 2021 and found that chances of sustaining the painful goin injury, especially among those in middle age, rose significantly between Dec. 24 and Dec. 26.

“If every day was like Christmas, 43% more penile fractures would have occurred in Germany from 2005 on,” the authors wrote in the study, published in the British Journal of Urology International.

Men aiming to be more exploratory in the bedroom should delay their lovemaking until New Year’s Eve, according to the study, as by then there is a significant reduction in the risk of penile fractures — with only 28 cases recorded during the 16-year period.

Penile fractures usually occur during “wild sex,” according to research leader Dr. Nikolaos Pyrgides, a urologist at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.

He added the risk of injury increases especially in “positions where you’re not in direct eye contact [with your partner], such as the reverse cowgirl.”

Pyrgides said the post-Christmas slowdown in friskiness may be due to the fact that Germans more enthusiastically celebrate the week leading up to Santa arriving, over ringing in the New Year.

“New Year’s Eve tends to be a bit quieter,” he said, according to the Guardian.

Scientist also found upticks in the risk of penile fractures on weekends and during the summer holidays.

Victims of the injury can usually identify the fracture by hearing an audible crack, followed by pain and losing their erection quickly. The penis also usually looks similar to an eggplant after the injury occurs, Pyrgides said.

The injury typically requires a hospital stay and surgery, and in around 25% of cases, also causes urethral injuries, affecting the man’s ability to urinate.

Study scientists found the average age for the injury was 42 and 2,605 required surgery for the injury.

The average cost of treating the injury in Germany was 2,358 euros, equivalent to around $2,600.