By Skye VernonI have been paying attention to the shape of my erections for a long time, and I have a question I want to take to my doctor before vaginoplasty. I am putting it here because I want to know whether other people have noticed anything similar, not because I think I discovered a medical rule.
For roughly six years, the curve seemed to follow a very specific combination of masturbation posture and which hand I used. When I was kneeling at my desk with my penis angled forward and downward, using my right hand, I developed a firm curve to the left. When I switched to my left hand and otherwise kept the same routine, the curve gradually shifted right over the next year or two. Then I stopped all sexual activity for about three years, and the curve eventually disappeared. It was straight again.
After starting estrogen and anti-androgens, my erections became softer overall. Later I resumed the same kneeling posture and left-hand use, and the rightward curve returned. It is pronounced enough that trying to manually straighten it is uncomfortable, which is why I am not treating this like a project or trying to force it in any direction.
What I am and am not claiming
I am not saying masturbation posture causes every penile curve. I am not saying people should train their anatomy before surgery. I am not saying I know what changed in my body, or that another person would have the same experience.
Penile curvature can have different causes. Peyronie's disease, for example, involves plaque or scar-like tissue and should be assessed by a clinician; congenital curvature is another possibility. The Urology Care Foundation's overview is a useful place to start, but it cannot diagnose me or anyone else through a blog post.
All I can honestly say is that my own changes were gradual, directional, and seemed tied to repeated habits. The curve changed when the habit changed. It went away when the habit stopped. That got my attention.
The question I want to ask before surgery
My actual concern is about contour after vaginoplasty. Penile-inversion vaginoplasty generally uses penile and scrotal skin to line the vaginal canal; it does not simply turn the erectile tissue's fibrous covering into a neovaginal wall. UCSF's surgical guidance explains the procedure and aftercare in more detail.
Still, I wonder whether a significant pre-operative curve, or whatever is creating it, could matter during reconstruction or healing. Could it contribute to folds, ridges, humps, or uneven tension that make dilation harder later? I do not know. I have not found evidence that it does. I am not presenting it as a warning or as a reason for anybody to alter their body. It is a question I want my surgeon to answer based on my own anatomy and their actual surgical experience.
Post-operative dilation is a real part of maintaining vaginal canal patency after penile-inversion vaginoplasty, and people can have real challenges with it. A recent prospective study reported that participants commonly encountered tightness, bleeding, and pain early in recovery. That does not establish any link to pre-operative curvature. It is simply why I think this is worth bringing up at a consultation instead of guessing alone.
What I am asking
Has anybody else noticed a gradual change in curve direction alongside a shift in hand, posture, or period of abstinence? And for surgeons or clinicians who work with vaginoplasty: when someone comes in with noticeable curvature, is that something you assess as relevant to planning, reconstruction, healing, or later dilation?
I will be asking my own doctor. If I get a useful answer, I will update this post with what they say and clearly label it as one clinician's opinion rather than pretending it settles the question.