If you’ve never heard of this, we give you the background. Penis captivus or captive penis is a syndrome that arises in heterosexual couples that consists in that, during penetration, there is a moment in which the muscles of the vagina contract very abruptly and the penis is trapped without being able to leave.
But is it a hoax? Are there real cases ?
The first thing we have thought is that, come on!
Are the muscles of the vagina strong enough to prevent a penis from coming out? There are many types of penis and, at the moment when the male member relaxes, he should be able to withdraw without problem.
Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries several articles were published in medical journals referring to this syndrome, in which real cases were counted.
Many of them eventually turned out to be a hoax. But rumors about the existence of this condition continued to surround gynecological medicine, moreover, in 1870 two German gynecologists wrote two articles on the subject, stating that they themselves had treated cases of this type.
Well, the reports of that time may not be clear or corroborated … It’s a myth! Well attention, the last known case that apparently is the captive penis syndrome is 2016 in Kenya.
A couple was having sex when they got caught and had to ask for help. And how did they separate? You may wonder, here they had to lay hold of the dark arts because it had to be a sorcerer who finally separated them through a strange ritual.
The halo of mystery surrounding this syndrome, combined with fraudulent cases that have been known and studies that may not be verified, makes us somewhat reluctant to think it is real.
Not to be confused with vaginismus
They are different things, vaginismus is defined as the difficulty to perform the sexual act because of the involuntary contraction of the muscles that make up the pelvic floor.
The majority of cases diagnosed with this medical condition are recognized a psychological cause, coming from fears, traumatic or painful experiences
On the contrary, the captive penis syndrome does not cause any pain or discomfort, beyond the discomfort of feeling trapped and not being able to separate from the other person.
Wikipedia defines Penis Captivus as a rare occurrence during sexual intercourse when the muscles in the vagina clamp down on the penis much more firmly than usual, making it impossible for the penis to be withdrawn from the vagina.
The condition is luckily treated medically.