It’s Saturday and you know what that means. It’s time to get a little strange. It doesn’t get much stranger than sniffing a penis to see if it’s sick, except maybe sniffing the semen. That’s right this week we are taking a look at the difference between the smell of a healthy sausage and a sick disco stick.

Penises Stink

Unless the penis you’re sniffing is straight out of the shower chances are it has an odor. There are a few of reasons a penis can pick up an odor over the course of the day. Our bodies are covered in sweat glands, most just secrete water and salt, but some (apocrine glands) also secrete proteins and fats, those are the ones responsible for odors. Apocrine glands are only found in certain parts of the body, such as the armpits and the groin. These glands combined with being confined in underwear all day means the average penis typically smells like a mix of arm pit and feet that have been sweating in socks all day.  So, a little arm pit or foot funk smell is actually normal. A quick wash and it should smell fine again, however if the smell lingers or smells worse than normal something may be amiss.

STI or Viral?

If a penis has suddenly started to smell worse than normal, or there is discharge from the penis, you should absolutely see a health care provider. You could have an STI like gonorrhea or chlamydia. Another possible cause of a smelly penis is a buildup of smegma, a cheese-like substance consisting of naturally secreted oils, dead skin cells, and moisture. Sometimes smegma can lead to a condition called balanitis which is both smelly and painful, but also not viral.

If you’ve made it passed all this and then realized the semen has an unusually foul smell you should also consult a doctor. Since semen is a bodily fluid slight changes in its odor is totally normal, but it should not smell foul or rotten. Before you give it a lick, make sure it passes the smell test! We will see you next week for more seriously strange sex exploration.