Dear Dr. Andrea,
What is the average size of a man's penis?
-- Need to Know

Dear Dr. Andrea,
Is six inches long and 5.5 inches in circumference average, above average or below average for a man's penis?? I have never been able to get a good answer.
-- Mathematically Inclined

Dear Dr. Andrea,
I'm getting ready to turn 19 and I'm still a virgin. I could have already had sex by now but I'm too worried about the size of my penis. I feel like it has ruined my life. My choice not to go away for college was due to my penis size because I didn't want to take showers with the other guys.

I met this girl and I really think I love her. We have only been going out for about 2 months now, but I don' t know what to do. I mean, should I end this now before it gets any further and we start messing around? I just don't think I'm going to be able to let her see my penis.

This really bothers me and sometimes I get extremely depressed, sometimes to the point of not wanting to live anymore. I wonder if I will ever find happiness like guys with normal size penises.
-- Insecure

Dear Dr. Andrea,
I am 37 years old and my penis size without an erection is about 3 inches long. With an erection it is about 5.75 inches long with a thickness of 1 inch. Is there any possible way to enlarge my penis by massage or by using any vitamins or food? I would appreciate getting your point of view so I can share it with my friends. Thank you.
-- Larger Aspirations

Dear Insecure, Need to Know, Mathematically Inclined, and Larger Aspirations,
The subject of penis size has been discussed before in one of my previous columns titled Does size matter?.

When you ask about "average size," it is important to remember that average is just the midpoint of a range of measurements from small measurements to larger measurements. We humans come in a range of sizes from short to tall, thin to fat, small boned to large boned, small breasts to larger breasts, and yes, small penises to larger penises.

Size does not pre-determine quality. Smart humans know that physical factors that are not within one's control to change should not be judged.

These same smart humans know that penis size is less important than the quality of the relationship, the personality of the man who has the penis, and his willingness to use his penis in loving, respectful, pleasuring exchanges with his partner.

How a man moves his penis during sexual intercourse is a greater predictor of the woman's satisfaction than is the size of his penis.

That having been said, the average penis is 3 to 4 inches long when flaccid and somewhat more than 6 inches in erection. Its diameter in the relaxed state is about 1-1/4 inches, and this increases another ¼ inch during erection (Katchadourian and Lunde).

These statistics derive from American and Northern European clinical studies. Measurements are taken from the base of the penis along the dorsal surface (underside) to the distal tip of the glans. This measurement is always longer than the anterior surface, or the man's top view of his own organ. Please note that diameter is not the same as circumference.

Penises can be considerably smaller or larger than the average, and there may be variations according to race. There is no known means of increasing penis size with food or vitamins or drugs or hormones or exercise or creams or gadgets or hypnosis, or any other gimmick.

These are just ploys to rob an insecure man of his money. Masters and Johnson call erections "the great equalizer" because men with smaller non-erect penises usually have a larger percentage volume increase during erections than men who have larger non-erect penises.

I might wish that I was taller, but that physical limitation was decided by my biology. So what can I control that makes me feel taller? I can "walk taller" using good posture and I can move my body in space in such a way that gives others the impression that I am taller. I call this "projecting a taller image." It has to do with appearing confident to others about my right to exist on the planet as a physical being.

If you have a smaller-than-average penis, you can "project larger" by approaching your movements with confidence and focusing NOT on the physical measurements, but on your FEELINGS for the other person. Let your inspiration for sexual contact come from the heart, not from the body parts.

Think intimacy, not self-consciousness. If you are fearful and anticipate your partner's negative judgement, she will sense that and you will create a self-fulfilling prophecy.