It may be the season of love and giving, but doctors warn against an overenthusiastic spirit — at least when it comes to sex. They found that the Christmas period is associated with a significantly increased risk of penile fractures – a medical emergency in which the erection-producing regions of the penis break, usually as a result of forced flexion during sexual intercourse too much. enthusiastic.
“This injury tends to occur during wild sex, especially in positions where you are not in direct eye contact (with your partner), such as reverse cowgirl,” said Dr. Nikolaos Pyrgides, a urologist at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. who led the research.
Fractures are often announced by an audible crack, followed by severe pain, rapid loss of erection, and severe swelling and bruising. “When (patients) present to their doctor, their penis often looks like an eggplant,” Pyrgides said.
Suspecting that the intimacy and euphoria of the holiday season may be a risk factor for this type of injury, Pyrgides and colleagues examined hospital data on 3,421 men who suffered penile fractures in Germany between 2005 and 2021.
The study – the first to explore seasonal trends in this type of injury – found that these injuries were indeed more common at Christmas. In fact, “if every day were like Christmas, 43 percent more penile fractures would have occurred in Germany as of 2005,” Pyrgides said.
The research, which was published in the British Journal of International Urology, also found that the risk increased on weekends and during summer vacations. However, New Year’s Eve has not been associated with an increased incidence of penile injuries.
“It would be interesting to know data from other countries, but in Germany Christmas week is widely celebrated, while New Year’s Eve tends to be a little quieter,” Pyrgides said.
Hospital admissions for penile fractures have remained relatively constant during the Covid-19 pandemic, including during periods of lockdown. The average age for sustaining such injuries was 42 years old.
“Most penile fractures occur in unconventional scenarios, such as during extramarital affairs or when sexual intercourse takes place in unusual places,” Pyrgides said, adding that such scenarios were perhaps more likely when men were approaching forty.
He advised couples to be aware of the risk of injury and exercise caution in the run-up to Christmas. “If this happens, you need to see your doctor as a matter of absolute urgency, because if you go untreated you could suffer long-term complications,” he said.
Elf and Safety: Common Chris Accidents
Penile fractures aren’t the only injuries associated with the holidays:
Christmas trees
The Christmas tree is one of the most common sources of accidents, with around 1,000 British victims tree-related injuries every year, according to a report by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and L’Oréal. Make sure chairs or ladders are stable before climbing on them to reach higher branches, and be careful when retrieving stored Christmas decorations: a survey of 2,000 Britons commissioned by the National Accident Helpline (NAH) found that one in 50 people fell from the loft while doing this.
Fairy lights
Every year, around 350 Britons suffer burns, electric shocks or other injuries from fairy lights, RoSPA said. Be especially careful around water: between 1997 and 2010, 26 people were electrocuted while watering their Christmas trees with the lights on.
Trauma in Türkiye
The NAH survey also found that almost half of adults had injured themselves while preparing Christmas dinner. One in ten people said they had spilled hot grease on themselves, while one in five said they had cut themselves while preparing vegetables.
Champagne corks
The carbon dioxide in a bottle of champagne is less than two to three times the air pressure in your car’s tires and can cause a cork to fly out of the bottle at up to 50 miles per hour. If someone hits you in the eye, it could shatter an eyeball or detach a retina, RoSPA warns.
Balls swallowed
A US analysis of data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System – which collects emergency room admission data from a representative sample of US hospitals – found that between 1997 and 2015, 22,224 children visited the hospital after swallowing Christmas objects, such as small baubles or toy parts. .
According to RoSPA, button batteries pose a particular risk because saliva can react with them to produce caustic soda, which burns the throat or stomach.
Cardiac disease
Death from heart disease peak around Christmas and New Year, an American study identifying a third of additional cardiac deaths in Los Angeles County in December and January compared to the June-September period. Further research suggests deaths peak on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day – possibly due to delays in finding treatment.
Santa’s Wounds
Although rare, a distinct NEISS data analysis found that between 2007 and 2016, three children presented to the emergency room after “falling from Santa’s lap,” while another was injured running away from a Santa impersonator because he was scared. If extrapolated to the entire U.S. population, that would equate to approximately 277 Santa-related injuries during the study period.
