It may be a taboo subject, but this is actually the average penis size in America, reveals DR MAX PEMBERTON

There’s a playground song British children sung when I was growing up in the 1980s, and presumably by generations before me. It started something like this:

‘Hitler has only got one ball…’

I won’t go any further, but you can imagine. It was, I suppose, a way of cutting the monster down to size, by attacking his manhood.  

Except that, recently, the joke took a strange turn towards reality. 

In a documentary last year, geneticist Dr Turi King, famous for identifying the remains of 15th century British monarch Richard III, revealed that DNA analysis of blood taken from the couch where Hitler shot himself showed he almost certainly had Kallmann syndrome.

This is a rare genetic condition that disrupts hormonal development. 

Among its effects: incomplete puberty, undescended testicles, and in some cases, a micropenis. Meanwhile, court documents in the Jeffrey Epstein case included claims about his small anatomy.

While the stories made gripping reading, it’s important to be clear there is no proven link between having a small penis and being a monster.

Hitler was defined by his choices and his evil, not his hormones. Epstein was a predator because of what he did, not what he looked like undressed.

To suggest otherwise would be to stigmatize thousands of innocent men who already carry a burden of shame they don’t deserve. 

If anything, as a doctor I’d say the men I’ve treated with unusually small genitalia are more likely to retreat from the world than to seek power over it.

Yet the salacious headlines have done something valuable, in opening up the conversation.

Because having a genuinely small penis is taboo, buried under cruel jokes, and missing the compassion we extend to other physical differences.

Over the years, I’ve spoken to a number of men affected and what strikes me most is how alone each feels: they have no idea that others share their suffering, because nobody talks about it.

First, an important distinction. A micropenis is a specific medical diagnosis: for an adult man, it means an erect length of less than approximately 2.95 in (7.5 cm).

The average length of a man’s penis, erect, is around 5.6 in (14 cm).

Being smaller than average is not uncommon, yet many men worried about their size are well within the normal range.

Regardless of whether someone meets the clinical criteria, the psychological impact can be devastating.

The loneliness they experience can be crushing, but the fear of exposure is worse. The effect is heartbreakingly common. Research shows that men with a micropenis experience higher rates of depression, anxiety and social withdrawal.

Even thinking you’re poorly endowed can affect men’s mental wellbeing. 

Research by King’s College London in 2015 found that those with body dysmorphic disorder (characterized by being excessively preoccupied with perceived physical flaws which are often unnoticeable to others) that focused on their penis had reduced erectile function and less satisfaction with intercourse compared to controls, even though their anatomy was normal.

It would be remiss not to mention online pornography, which has given an entire generation of young men a deeply distorted sense of what is normal.

Porn performers are selected for their unusually large endowments, much as fashion models are selected for unusual height. Comparing oneself to them is absurd, yet countless men do so.

This is fueling anxiety: in my clinic there’s been a marked increase in young men complaining about erectile dysfunction that has no physical cause. But their minds are so consumed by performance anxiety they cannot function.

Tellingly, studies consistently show that for most women, emotional connection matters far more than measurements.

So what can be done? 

For parents of children diagnosed with a micropenis, the evidence supports early hormonal treatment and, crucially, open and supportive communication. 

Children who grow up knowing their bodies are different but that they are loved fare far better than those who absorb shame in silence.

For adult men living with a micropenis or significant anxiety about their size, psychological support can be transformative.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, used to identify negative thought patterns and develop healthier ways of responding to difficult emotions, can help (ask your primary care physician for a referral).

Sex therapy, sessions with a qualified sex therapist, can help individuals and couples explore intimacy beyond penetrative sex.

Another patient who came to me in his 50s after a lifetime of avoidance because of his micropenis is now, following therapy and online support, in a happy relationship.

‘I wish I’d done this 30 years ago,’ he told me. ‘All that time I wasted being afraid.’

That is the real tragedy here. Not the anatomy, but the years lost to shame. We’ve made enormous strides in discussing women’s body image and the pressure of unrealistic beauty standards. It is time we extended the same compassion to men.

And for anyone affected, the first step is always the hardest. But it is worth taking.