What An 'Eggplant Deformity' Sex Injury Means For A Man's Health

Aching backs, muscle pulls, and carpet burns are some of the common sex injuries people face. After all, sex can be a vigorous activity. It's no wonder that some people think it counts as moderate exercise. 

Sometimes, though, an injury can be a lot more serious and downright painful. We're referring to what is known as the "eggplant deformity." The media has reported on two cases — one of a 50-year-old man in Indonesia who was diagnosed with the condition after he injured his penis during sex, and the other of a 27-year-old patient from Tunisia, who sustained the injury while rolling over onto his erect penis during sleep. It is a rather rare sex injury, according to experts, and if it does happen to a man, what you're dealing with essentially is a penile fracture. The reason for its other somewhat comical name, eggplant deformity, lies in how a man's penis looks after sustaining the injury — your penis swells up, there's a purplish discoloration brought on by the pooling of blood under the skin (a subcutaneous hematoma), and there could also be a visible bend where the fracture occurred. Talk about painful and weird things that happen to men during sex (ouch). An eggplant deformity can be non-sex related too, as in the case of the patient from Tunisia. Let's take a look at more causes and how the injury happens.

During sexual intercourse with a partner, a penile fracture happens when your erect penis slips out of the vagina or anus and hits the other person's pelvic bone or perineum mid-thrust. The blunt force can cause your penis to bend and fracture. The word "fracture" here isn't referring to a bone-related injury (the human penis is boneless). What you're injuring, instead, is the corpora cavernosa (columns of spongy tissues along the length of your penis) and the tunica albuginea (the tough membrane surrounding the corpus cavernosa). There is also a sex position that's most likely to injure men: woman on top. Apart from sex and rolling over an erect penis during sleep, you can get an eggplant deformity from rough masturbation. And it's not just the death grip that affects a man's sexual health. Taqaandan (the Middle Eastern practice of applying forceful pressure to deflate an unwanted erection) is associated with penile fractures too. 

Typically, you will hear an audible pop or cracking sound when the injury occurs. This will be followed by severe pain, an immediate loss of erection, and bruising and swelling. According to the 2022 case study on a 50-year-old man published in the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports, the patient was peeing blood because of a ruptured urethra. Painful urination is another symptom.  

A penile fracture is serious and needs immediate medical attention. If you don't get it treated, it could lead to a curved penis, erectile dysfunction (ED), or Peyronie's disease (scar tissue formation under the penis skin). 

The pain and swelling itself should alert you that you've been injured and should seek help. Even if it's what's known as a "false fracture," involving only a ruptured vein or ligament, you still require treatment. Your urologist will conduct a physical exam, a penile ultrasound, MRI, etc., to assess the damage. If there's blood in your urine, uncovered by a urinalysis, your course of treatment could look different. 

Surgery is the course of action to rectify an eggplant deformity. Your surgeons will drain the subcutaneous hematoma, repair tears and damaged structures, and fix the broken urethra. You can expect to be in the hospital for one to three days. You might be asked to refrain from sexual activity for four weeks after surgery. Barring complications, you'll be able to resume normal sexual function thereafter. 

Treating a penile fracture as soon as it occurs greatly reduces your chances of further complications. According to a 2016 meta-analysis of 58 studies involving 3,213 patients published in Urologia Internationalis, non-surgical treatment of penile fractures resulted in 22% of patients experiencing ED and 13% experiencing Peyronie's disease, while surgical intervention meant less than 2% risk of ED and less than 3% risk of Peyronie's disease. 

Making sure there's adequate lubrication, being extra cautious during vigorous penetrative sex (especially when trying certain sex positions), and being mindful of your sleep position when erect can all help prevent eggplant deformity from occurring. Older men with softer erections are more at risk. Knowing about what men can expect about their sexual health as they age can be useful too.