Why sex toys for 'urethral sounding' (aka penis-Ä´ºº¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëing) are the next biggest ·¹¸þ for men

Doctors have ·Ù¹ð¤¹¤ëd that American men partaking in a bizarre, new À­¤Î ·¹¸þ could be at ´í¸± of ±ø¤¤ ´¶À÷s, ¼çÍ×¤Ê to ±Êµ×¤Î erectile problems.

The kink, called 'urethral sounding', ȼ¤¦¡¿´Ø¤ï¤ës ÁÞÆþ¤¹¤ëing a small metal or silicone ËÀ into the urethral ³«»Ï at the tip of the penis - as this is said to À¸À®¤¹¤ë extreme ³Ú¤·¤ß.

Sales of the ËÀs themselves are said to have µÞ¤Ë¾å¤¬¤ëd since 2019, ¤Ë¤è¤ì¤Ð some retailers - and Æ»¶ñs are on sale at ¥¢¥Þ¥¾¥ó and Walmart for as little as $8.99.

Insiders say the craze has been popularized by men on social ¥Þ¥¹¥³¥ß who speak of the Íø±×s, ƱÍÍ¤Ë as reality TV shows such as Netflix's?The ºÇ½ªÄó°Æ: Marry or Move On, hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey.

But doctors have ·Ù¹ð¤¹¤ëd that ËÀs bought online could be coated in bacteria that Ͷȯ¤¹¤ë¡¿°ú¤­µ¯¤³¤¹?urinary tract ´¶À÷s (UTI) ¡ ½ ÀøºßŪ¤Ë leaving men with long-¾Î¤¹¤ë¡¤¸Æ¤Ö¡¿´ü´Ö¡¿ÍѸì erectile and urination problems.

Doctors are warning people to ensure they clean urethral sounding equipment before use (stock image)

Doctors are ·Ù¹ð people to ³Î¼Â¤Ë¤¹¤ë they clean urethral sounding ´ï¶ñ¡¿È÷ÉÊ before use (ºß¸Ë¡¿³ô image)

´µ¼Ôs who practice urethral sounding begin using a small ËÀ ¡½ that can fit into the urethra ¡½ before moving to larger ones to 'stretch' the tube.

The ËÀs are said to »É·ã¤¹¤ë the inside of the prostate, Ͷȯ¤¹¤ë¡¿°ú¤­µ¯¤³¤¹ing ·ã¤·¤¤ feelings of ³Ú¤·¤ß.

But Dr Joshua Gonzalez, a urologist in Los Angeles?who has several ´µ¼Ôs who enjoy urethral sounding, ·Ù¹ð¤¹¤ëd people to be aware of the ´í¸±s.

He told DailyMail.com: 'I think one of the big ÌäÂ꡿ȯ¹Ô¤¹¤ës with urethral sounding is safety.

'You want to make sure you are sterilizing the sounding ËÀs.

'I am pretty sure that if you are buying from ¥¢¥Þ¥¾¥ó or Walmart, these ËÀs are likely not coming sterile.'

Sounding ËÀs should also be sterilized between use, he Äɲ乤ëd, and kept clean to ³Î¼Â¤Ë¤¹¤ë they are not colonized by bacteria.?

To sterilize sounding ËÀs, ¿äÁ¦s ´Þ¤à placing them in boiling water for three to five minutes and Äɲ乤ëing an antiseptic, like betadine.?

Additionally, if ËÀs are ³ôd between people without ¸ºß cleaned, they could pass on sexually-transmitted ɵ¤s ´Þ¤àing HIV.

About eight to ten million Americans are °·¤¦¡¿¼£ÎŤ¹¤ëd every year for UTIs.?

These ´¶À÷s can usually be °·¤¦¡¿¼£ÎŤ¹¤ëd using ¹³À¸Êª¼Ás, but in some »öÎã¡¿´µ¼Ôs they can lead to long-¾Î¤¹¤ë¡¤¸Æ¤Ö¡¿´ü´Ö¡¿ÍѸì »¼º - ÆÃ¤Ë if they go untreated.

Other Ê£»¨²½s of UTIs ´Þ¤à incontinence, a higher ´í¸± of ´âs of the bladder and problems with the prostate.?

´µ¼Ôs who do urethral sounding are also at higher ´í¸± of irritating the lining of the urethra, which can also Ͷȯ¤¹¤ë¡¿°ú¤­µ¯¤³¤¹ problems with ejaculation or urination, ÀìÌç²Ès say.

They may also Éé½ý¤µ¤»¤ë or ·ê¤ò¤¢¤±¤ë the ʽ¤Ç°Ï¤às of the tube. One »öÎã¡¿´µ¼Ô ¾ÜºÙ¡Ê¤Ë½Ò¤Ù¤ë¡Ëd in a °åÎŤΠÄê´ü´©¹Ôʪ, tells of a man who ¶ì¤·¤àd a ·ê¤ò¤¢¤±¤ëd urethra and bladder after ÁÞÆþ¤¹¤ëing a pen into the urethral ³«»Ï.?

Dr Gonzalez told DailyMail.com that urethral sounding appeared to be most ¤¢¤ê¤Õ¤ì¤¿ ¤ÎÃæ¤Ç middle-Ϸǯ¤Î gay men.

He hasn't spotted a rise in ´µ¼Ôs coming to his clinic, he said, or ½ý³²s ¡½ but there has been an uptick in Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£.

He said: 'This may be an unintended consequence of the internet, so those ¿³Íý¡¤¸øÄ°²ñ about it for the first time on TikTok may be searching for it more and learning about it.'

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