There are some secrets of the male member that many men would love to know about but are afraid to ask. Here are the top 5 secrets about the penis:

1. The penis does have a mind of its own: How often have you been left having an erection in perhaps a very inappropriate situation? The penis does its own thing and yes does have a mind of its own. The penis is controlled by a part of the nervous system called as the autonomic nervous system like your heart or lungs. Sexual arousal is not voluntary usually. Yes the conscious mind does play a role but a lot of sexual arousal goes on in the sympathetic nervous system. Just as it grows the penis also shrinks. A cold shower or exposure to cold air makes the penis go flaccid. The penis is a barometer of the sympathetic system and thus a question like "How is it hanging"? is absolutely in order!

2. The penis can be a 'grow-er' or a 'show-er': There is no consistent relationship between the length of the flaccid penis and its erection size. A person with a massive flaccid penis might have just an ordinary size on erection and on the contrary a man with a small flaccid penis can surprise with a huge erection! A penis that does not get erect much but is big when flaccid is thus a 'show-er' and one that is small when flaccid but big on erection is a 'grow-er'.

3. The penis is shaped like a boomerang: The penis has a root that is attached to the pubic bone and when the whole penis is seen on an MRI scan it is shaped like a boomerang. One of the methods of surgical penis enlargement is to cut the suspensor ligament that anchors the penis at its root. However this leads to a loss of the sturdiness of an erection.

4. It is possible to 'break' the penis: Though there is no bone in the penis, the penis can actually break and this is termed as penile fracture. There is an audible snap with the penis turning blue or black subsequently. There is an immense pain with penile fracture. Thrusting too hard and fast against the woman's pubic bone or a woman who is moving wildly when on top of the man can lead to breaking of the penis. Penis fractures are rare and are more common in younger men as their erections tend to be very rigid.

5. Most penises are uncircumcised: A WHO report tells us that only 30% of males aged 15 and above are actually circumcised. Over 70% of the circumcised males are of the Muslim or Jewish community. Data from the WHO recommends circumcision as a means of limiting the chances that one gets infected with the HIV virus.