As soon as I get an erection, I begin to pre-cum, and if I am hard longer than five minutes, it flows out in a steady stream and makes a huge mess. If I'm out with friends, it gets very embarrassing. If I'm with a sexual partner, the person often asks if I'm cumming already. What can I do? My penis is also above average size. Are these two things related?
There have been a number of case reports of men, like you, who express larger than average amounts of pre-ejaculatory fluids (also called “pre-cum”) when sexually aroused. Not all men have noticeable amounts of pre-ejaculate leave their penis during arousal. Of those that do, it’s usually pretty minimal. However, the case reports of what’s been called “copious pre-ejaculate” often describe enough fluid to soak through clothing and be noticeable to others.
Anecdotally, I can tell you that some men have found that wearing thicker underwear (or even two pairs of underwear) has helped to make the fluids less noticeable to others. Some men are able to make peace with the fact that this is just how their body works, and when they’re in a relationship with someone, they let their partner know that, too.
Other men choose to seek medical treatment. Several doctors have noted that they’ve successfully treated patients with certain medications that have helped to decrease the amount of fluid released. A urologist may be the kind of doctor most likely to be familiar with ways of treating this issue, but if your doctor is unfamiliar with it, he or she can learn more from a 2007 article published in the Journal of Andrology called “Copious Pre-Ejaculation: Small Glands-Major Headaches.” You can learn more about this article on our Kinsey Confidential website.
Pre-ejaculatory fluids are made by small glands including the Cowper’s glands, which are toward the base of the penis, inside the body. I know of no research that has ever looked at whether the amount of pre-ejaculatory fluids is associated, or not, with a man’s penis size, so I can’t tell you if they are related or not. I hope this information is helpful to you, whether or not you decide to seek the advice or consultation with a urologist or other health care provider.
Kinsey Confidential is part of a joint partnership between the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington (IU SPH) and The Kinsey Institute. The column is written by Dr. Debby Herbenick, professor in the IU SPH. Read past Q&A or submit your own question at KinseyConfidential.org. Follow us on Twitter @KinseyCon
