The Long and Short of Penis Pumps

There's good news and bad news about penile vacuum devices, commonly referred to as penis pumps.

The good news: They work.

The bad news: They don't work in quite the way you might imagine.

How do penis pumps work?

While guys of a certain age probably remember ads pitching penis pumps as a way to help you add length and girth to your penis, the truth is there is absolutely zero evidence indicating the devices increase penis size, according to the Mayo Clinic and other credible sources.

However, penile vacuum devices can enhance a man's sexual health in other ways under various circumstances.

A penis pump is a plastic tube that fits over a man's penis, stopping snugly at the base. The device requires suction, either manually or electronically generated, which pulls blood flow into the penis.

The vacuum effect fills the corpora cavernosa, chambers inside the penis, with blood, resulting in an erection. Once the vacuum device has done its work, it's removed, and a tension band is left in place at the base of the penis.

Are you a candidate for a penis pump?

Penis pumps are frequently recommended as a treatment option for men with erectile dysfunction (ED) that can't be adequately addressed by other methods.

"The two most common situations are when the pills are no longer effective or they have side effects with the pills, and they're no longer able to take Viagra or Cialis," said Neel Parekh, M.D., a male fertility specialist with Cleveland Clinic. "If they're not ready for something invasive like surgery or injections and they want to try something conservative, the vacuum pump is the next step."

ED might be the most common reason a penis pump is recommended, but they're also used simply to keep the penile tissue healthy, even if the man isn't planning to have sex right away.

"Vacuum pumps are wonderful as a rehabilitation tool," said Amy Pearlman, M.D., the director of men's health at the Carver College of Medicine at University of Iowa Health Care. "I recommend it for anyone who doesn't get daily erections, if they would be upset if their penis got smaller."

That's a particular concern for prostatectomy patients, as the procedure (the full removal of the prostate gland) usually results in at least a year or two of not having erections naturally while the body adjusts. During this period, if you leave the penis alone, it can shrink, and the tissue may never recover completely. Penis pumps are a way to avoid this scenario.

Penile vacuum devices can enhance a man's sexual health in other ways under various circumstances.

"No one's surprised when you take a sponge and run it under the faucet, then you wring it out and leave it for a year, it's old and crusty," Pearlman explained. "When you put it back under the faucet again after a year, it'll expand, but not like it did a year ago. Penile rehab is putting that sponge back under the faucet a little bit every day to maintain the health."

Another type of ED treatment that should be considered if a penis pump is no longer effective or too difficult to use is a wearable device, such as Eddie by Giddy^®—an FDA Registered Class II medical device designed to treat erectile dysfunction and improve male sexual performance. Its specific shape optimizes blood flow, putting pressure on the veins of the penis but not the arteries. In 2021 clinical trials, Eddie® was shown to be effective in treating men with physically, psychologically, and pharmacologically induced erectile dysfunction. The results showed that 95 percent of men using Eddie were capable of achieving a beneficial effect in their sex lives.

Are there drawbacks?

The penis pump is pretty low-risk. It may cause some minor changes in the sensation of the penis; some guys report that their penis feels chilly or less sensitive when they use the pump. For people on certain blood thinners, it can cause some minor bruising.

Another concern is the tension band left at the base of the penis after the blood is vacuumed into it. You have to make sure it isn't too tight or too loose, and you can't fall asleep with it on or you could damage the penile tissue.

Another issue is the penis pump creates an erection that's not exactly like your typical one.

"People will also have this 'hinge effect' because the erectile tissue has a portion that's in the shaft of the penis but also dives in towards the perineum," Pearlman said. "And so typically that whole erectile tissue becomes erect, so there's a lot of support. But with the vacuum pump and the tension band, it's only the penis that becomes erect, and a lot of guys don't like that."

Another consideration is that penis pumps aren't necessarily for everyone.

"Not everybody works well with the pump," Parekh said. "I've had guys who say their balls got sucked into the pump, and that can be painful. I'll have other guys who have some bruising and stuff afterward. Some guys, their penis is too buried, there's too much fat, so their body just isn't amenable to it."

What are the different types of penis pumps?

Penis pumps are available in a variety of styles and price points, depending on your lifestyle and your budget.

Manual penis pump. This type of device is operated by hand, usually using a rubber squeeze balloon, such as that on a blood pressure testing device, or a vertical sliding pump.

Battery-powered penis pump. This option uses either inserted batteries or rechargeable internal batteries. Many of these come with an optional manual attachment.

Water pumps. You probably think of a penis pump drawing air out of the device, but water works, too. The upside of using a water pump is they reportedly offer a more even distribution and a gentler vacuum suction on the penis. The downside is, well, the water. To use them, you need to retire to the bath or shower for a few minutes.

You can pay up to several hundred dollars for a vacuum device. Experts suggest you treat the purchase of a penis pump as you would any other relatively high-ticket item: Shop around and check reviews.

"I would say the first thing to figure out is how much one is willing to spend," Pearlman said. "Like with any product, I wouldn't go with the cheapest one, but the most expensive one is probably not necessary. When guys try to get away with the $30 one, they'll come back and say, 'Hey this thing doesn't work!' A good-quality vacuum pump works."

Another shopping tip is to check out customer comments on the company's troubleshooting and customer service pages.

"A lot of the products I recommend, I know that the companies have great customer service, and that's huge," Pearlman said. "[As for troubleshooting], it can help for guys to trim the pubic hair, and it can help for them to use water-based lubricants both around the base of the penis and at the top to help glide the penis in."

You want to consider several other factors as well. Talk to your healthcare provider about the following options before you decide on the best one for you:

Tension bands. Ensure the penis pump you buy comes with several sizes of tension bands. An alternative to a tension band would be a wearable device, such as Eddie by Giddy^®. The Eddie device is placed around the base of the penis and held in place by a tension band.

Quick-release valve. This is another good feature, allowing you to bail out instantly if the pressure proves too great or when you're finished using the device.

Pressure regulation. Make sure the penis pump you choose is professional grade, as these have higher-quality pressure regulators.

Penis pumps are for all sorts of guys facing all sorts of different sexual health challenges.

FAQs

Are penis pumps recommended to make your penis bigger? Not really. You're unlikely to gain much in the way of length or girth. Penis pumps are designed to aid men with erectile dysfunction in getting an erection, and as a therapeutic aid to help men maintain what they've already got if they're unable to get erections on their own. A pump can help keep the tissue elastic and mitigate shrinkage, for instance, in the first couple of years following a prostatectomy. But there's no evidence it can make your penis bigger.

Does it hurt to use a penis pump? Not if you're using it correctly. Overenthusiastic use of the pump may draw the blood into the penis too quickly and cause discomfort, and men who are on certain blood thinners may notice bruising, but it shouldn't be painful. If it is painful, check the instructions because you may be doing something wrong.

Are electric penis pumps any good? Electric models are some of the most popular kinds. Battery-powered penis pumps or rechargeable ones are available at various price points. Some models of electric penis pumps also have an option to switch to manual use if you prefer.