Is It Normal for Private Parts to Change Size as You Age?

“It takes a lot of work to reverse,” Slattery adds. “You may not get it back to the way it was, but there can be some improvement, and patients can often have penetrative intercourse again.”

It’s not just about the vagina, it’s the labia and clitoris, too. “You’ve got to have estrogen to maintain normal elasticity, thickness, normal everything,” says ob-gyn William F. Lee, an associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology and outreach director at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

Without estrogen, the labia can lose definition and almost blend into the skin, he says. “This is not a 25-year-old, well-defined labia, so yes, it looks different.” The loss of the labial fold — a cosmetic condition that has no negative impacts — is quite common in older women, Lee adds.

The clitoris can also get smaller, and Lee says that the reduction in size can negatively impact the time it takes a woman to orgasm, along with the intensity.

Genital conditions to watch out for. While it’s “very normal” for genitals to change a bit as a result of menopause, changes in skin color or rashes may be signs of an underlying condition, says Kathryn Dumas, an ob-gyn at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Just like any other part of the body, the vulva, covered in skin, can be affected by skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and skin cancers, Dumas says.

Another skin condition called lichen sclerosus, most commonly diagnosed after menopause, can cause pigment and skin texture changes, tearing, itching, discomfort, scarring and pain during sex, according to Dumas. It’s treatable with topical steroids. “Review any vulvar concerns with a gynecologist or with a dermatologist,” she says.

About the penis. In some older men, due to a lower testosterone level and diminished blood flow to the genitals, the penis may actually become up to one inch smaller, according to retired ob-gyn Gretchen Frey, a sex educator.

It may also develop a bend associated with Peyronie's disease, which can diminish its length, especially when erect. And with erections often becoming less firm, Frey says the erect penis can be smaller than in the past.

Even the angle of an erection can change with age, says Evelin Molina Dacker, a family physician in Salem, Oregon, who specializes in sexual medicine. But she says she’s never had a patient complain about the angle being a problem during sex.

Sometimes the penis looks smaller — but isn’t. If a person has a lot of fat in the pubic area, it can make the penis appear smaller because half of it is hidden in fat, according to Dacker. “Often, with very obese men, it looks like they don’t have a penis,” she says.

Let’s not forget about the testicles. Testicles can shrink up to one-third in size, due to aging and diminished testosterone levels, according to urologist Dock G. Winston, assistant physician in chief at Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

The two testicles, located in the scrotum, have two jobs to do: manufacture testosterone and produce sperm. Winston says testosterone production begins to naturally decrease at age 30 and continues throughout one’s lifespan.

The resultant shrinkage has no impact on comfort or sexual pleasure, however. “Shrinking testicles don’t affect your ability to enjoy sex or experience pleasure,” he says. “Most men never even notice the change.”

The scrotum may also change appearance. Winston says there’s a benign condition called hydrocele, common in older men, that results in an accumulation of fluid in the scrotum, causing the sac to hang lower.

“It’s harmless,” Winston notes, adding that while the scrotum and testicles will change over time, it’s nothing to stress about: “They’re just aging gracefully, like the rest of you.”