Summary3 min read

Podcast Summary: "Are Jelqing exercises SAFE to increase penile length?! A Urologist Explains | Does Jelqing work?"

Podcast: Rena Malik, MD Podcast
Host: Dr. Rena Malik
Date: October 27, 2025
Episode Theme: Investigating the safety and effectiveness of Jelqing exercises for penile length, with a focus on evidence-based urology insights.

Overview

In this episode, Dr. Rena Malik, a board-certified urologist, tackles one of the most frequently Googled—and least openly discussed—sexual health questions: Can Jelqing exercises safely increase penile length? Dr. Malik breaks down what Jelqing is, whether it actually works, and the potential risks, drawing on clinical experience and scientific studies. Her central message is a clear, science-backed warning against the perceived benefits of Jelqing, emphasizing potential dangers over unproven gains.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What is Jelqing? (00:00–00:36)

Definition: Jelqing is a manual exercise where a person forms an "OK" sign with the forefinger and thumb to "milk" the penis in a semi-erect state, starting at the base and moving upwards.
Purported Mechanism: Believed to stretch the penis, causing "micro-tears" thought to heal with new cell growth or scarring, supposedly making the penis bigger. Some proponents claim it increases blood flow.
Dr. Malik’s Take:

"If you Google this Jelqing, you will find hundreds of videos and articles... But what exactly is it and does it actually help you increase penile length?" (00:01)

2. Is There Any Scientific Evidence That Jelqing Works? (00:27–01:16)

Only one "very small study" (n=7, not scientifically rigorous, sponsored by a penile pump company) found no increase in length.
Key Quote:

"There's no great studies that look at this... That’s not really a great, well, scientifically done study, so I won’t really reference that." (00:36)

3. Risks and Potential Harms of Jelqing (01:16–02:36)

Possible injuries include:
- Permanent penile numbness (nerve damage)
- Damage to arteries and veins → may cause erectile dysfunction (ED)
- Bruising, skin irritation, pain
Quote:

"Doing these sort of exercises can create permanent damage... You can create penile numbness... injury to the arteries and veins... erectile dysfunction." (01:26)
Dr. Malik cautions that the very practice intended to enhance sexual performance may actually do irreversible harm.

4. Medical Evidence of Jelqing-Related Injuries (02:00–02:36)

Study 1: 37 men over 11 years sought help for ED after Jelqing; ultrasound revealed "veno-occlusive dysfunction" (inadequate blood trapping for erections).
- "That's still 37 people who had a problem because of Jelqing." (02:09)
Study 2: 3 men with problematic masturbation habits (prone masturbation, hot tub jets, Jelqing); all had penile vascular injury on Doppler ultrasound with ED.
- Jelqing participant also developed penile deformity.
Key Quote:

"The guy who was doing Jelqing actually developed a penile deformity." (02:30)

5. Bottom Line / Take-Home Advice (02:39–03:19)

Jelqing poses a legitimate risk of serious side effects: erectile dysfunction, numbness, disfigurement.
Dr. Malik’s closing advice is direct:

"This is not worth a penile injury that will result in erectile dysfunction, a numb penis, or a penis that is disfigured... I genuinely don’t recommend Jelqing for increasing penile length." (02:39)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Clear warning:

"Something that you're doing to kind of enhance your sexual performance and your sexual appearance may actually cause more harm than good." (01:36)
On lack of benefits:

"Again, there’s no good data on the benefits of Jelqing and so I can’t reference that here..." (01:51)
On real harm:

"Over 11 years, 37 guys are showing up. That’s still 37 people who had a problem because of Jelqing." (02:09)

Important Timestamps

00:00 — Introduction to Jelqing and why people try it
00:36 — Examination of the evidence: studies (or lack thereof) about Jelqing efficacy
01:16 — Dangers and possible injuries from Jelqing
02:09 — Discusses studies documenting adverse outcomes, including vascular injury and deformity
02:39 — Strong recommendation against Jelqing and summary of medical risks

Summary Takeaway

Jelqing is not a scientifically supported or safe method to increase penile length. According to Dr. Rena Malik, not only is there no credible evidence for its effectiveness, but documented risks include nerve and vascular injury, erectile dysfunction, numbness, and deformity. Her professional and practical advice: do not attempt Jelqing in the hopes of enhancement, as the risks decidedly outweigh any hypothetical benefit.

For more expert, evidence-based sexual health advice, subscribe to the Rena Malik, MD Podcast or check out the YouTube replay for additional visuals.

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Transcript4 lines

[00:00]
A
Everyone's always asking me, how can you increase the size of your penis? Well, today I'm going to talk about a technique called Jelking. So if you Google this Jelking, you will find hundreds of videos and articles on Jelqing. But what exactly is it and does it actually help you increase penile length?
[00:15]
B
From my YouTube channel, repurpose.
[00:17]
A
Jelqing is a process by which people will use their forefinger and thumb, making an okay sign, and actually milk their penis in a semi erect stage state from the base of the penis upwards. And the thought process behind this is that by stretching the penis, you'll actually create micro tears in the penis and that will eventually heal, create new cells, maybe create some scarring, and make the penis look a little bit bigger. The other side of the coin is that maybe this will increase blood flow to the penis. However, does it really work? Well, there's no great studies that. Look at this. There was a very small study done by a penile pump company that looked at Jelqing exercises in seven men and found that it didn't change penile length at all. But that's not really a great, well, scientifically done study. So I won't really reference that study here. But the thing about Jelqing that you have to be really careful about is doing these sort of exercises can create permanent damage to your penis. What do I mean by permanent damage? You can create penile numbness from damaging the nerves to the penis. And because of the stretching of the penis, you can create injury to the arteries and veins. And this itself can cause erectile dysfunction. So something that you're doing to kind of enhance your sexual performance and your sexual appearance may actually cause more harm than good. On top of it, you can cause bruising, skin irritation and pain from doing it. So I'm going to share a couple studies that give us some information about Jelqing gone wrong. Again, there's no good data on the benefits of Jelqing and so I can't reference that here, but there was one study looking at 37 men over 11 years who came in because after Jelqing, they noticed they had erectile dysfunction. They got ultrasounds of their penis to assess the vascular flow, and they were found to have veno occlusive dysfunction, meaning that the vasculature of the penis was not functioning correctly to allow the engorgement and relaxation of the penile shaft, which is required for erections to happen. So while we don't know how many men this clinic particularly saw, and over 11 years, 37 guys are showing up. That's still 37 people who had a problem because of Jelqing. Another study looked at three men, again, a small number of men who had different masturbation practices. One was prone masturbation, meaning you're on your stomach masturbating. Another one was using the hot tub jets to have masturbation sensation, and the last guy was doing Jelqing. All of these patients underwent Doppler penile ultrasounds and they saw evidence of injury to the penis that was related to these practices, resulting in erectile dysfunction. In addition to this, the guy who was doing Jelqing actually developed a penile deformity. So what I will say to you guys, my take home is this is not worth a penile injury that will result in erectile dysfunction, a numb penis, or a penis that is disfigured. So please, if you're going to do these things, do them very, very carefully. So I genuinely don't recommend Jelqing for increasing penile length.
[03:20]
B
Thanks for listening to this episode originally created for my YouTube channel. If you'd like to see the visuals, be sure to check out the full video on YouTube. Just search for Rena Malik MD or look for the link in the description of this episode. If you're enjoying this podcast, do me a quick favor. Follow or subscribe on whatever platform you're listening on and leave a rating or review on Apple Podcasts as a zero cost way to support. And as always, remember to take care of yourself because you're worth it.