Lost Penis Syndrome

The Lost Penis Syndrome is a term often used in non-clinical settings to describe the subjective perception of the loss of cutaneous and proprioceptive feelings of the male organ during vaginal penetration. In other words: you don't feel that your penis feels anything that it should be feeling. Your penis feels lost.

Although deserving clinical attention, this syndrome did not receive any consideration in the medical literature. Notwithstanding, it represents a relatively unexceptional condition, and it is often reported together with other sexual dysfunctions, especially delayed ejaculation, anejaculation, male anorgasmia and inability to maintain a full erection.

Time for researchers to closely look at the problem[1].

Efficient penile erection and sensitivity, optimal vaginal lubrication and trophism (vaginal pH) contribute to penovaginal friction. Whenever one of these processes does not occur, loss of penile sensation defined as Lost Penis Syndrome can occur.

Sociocultural, psychopathological and age-related factors are also implicated in the etiology.

The researcher unearthed four types of Lost Penis Syndrome from the literature review: anatomical and/or functional, behavioral, psychopathological and iatrogenic.

According to the subtype, a wide variety of treatments can be employed, including the vasodilating drug PDE5i, testosterone replacement therapy and vaginal cosmetic surgery, as well as targeted therapy for concomitant sexual comorbidity.

[1] Elena Colonnello et al: The Lost Penis Syndrome: A New Clinical Entity in Sexual Medicine in Sexual Medicine Reviews – 2022. See here.