The
frenulum (the
connective tissue which rises in the "V" shaped
space where the two sides of the
glans of the penis join, and runs along the
shaft and the inner surface of the
foreskin) and its surrounding tissue are
the most
sensitive parts of the penis.
Some frenulums are too short to allow full
retraction of the foreskin without
pain, and this
condition is known as Frenulum Breve (Latin -
frenulum,
a 'little bridle' and
breve, 'short').
Men who experience this condition report anything from slight discomfort to
actual tearing of the frenulum accompanied by great pain and bleeding. Very few
men experience problems due to this condition before becoming sexually active
for, as with phimosis, a man with frenulum breve learns to masturbate in a
manner which does not hurt him. Often, pain and/or bleeding during the first
sexual intercourse will be the first indication there is a problem.
Because the frenulum of men with this condition encourages the foreskin to
remain covering the glans, and sex pushes the foreskin back, there can be a
great deal of discomfort as the sensitive tissues are forced in different
directions. The use of condoms increases this set of contradictory stresses
and makes matters even more painful.
If the frenulum rips it can either heal back together (more likely with a
thicker frenulum) which is likely to exacerbate the problem by causing scar
tissue (which is not elastic), or the ends of the torn flesh can heal back
onto the shaft of the penis, which may alleviate the problem almost entirely.
While a frenulum tear is healing it is not a good idea to share sex, as any scab
formed can be knocked off inside the vagina.
Many men who suffer from frenulum breve do not realise they have a condition
which can be treated simply and with minimal danger, but simply choose sexual
techniques which minimise their discomfort. Sometimes the condition is managed
for years like this, and only if there is a tear large enough to cause
frightening bleeding will the man go to visit a doctor.
The correction of this condition is simple. The doctor examines the frenulum
to discover the best place and makes a small incision in the frenulum, and
afterwards treats this incision in such a way as to minimise scarring and
increase the ability of the foreskin to retract normally.