It's a sign that a much-needed procedure in South Africa is really working.
The recipient of the world's first successful penis transplant will soon be a father, according to the South African outlet News24. His surgeons were recently informed that his girlfriend is pregnant.
The surgery took place just six months ago, three years after the 21-year-old had lost his own organ after infection caused by a botched ceremonial circumcision. Stellenbosch University urologist, Prof. Andre van der Merwe, who led the historic surgical team, explained at a March news conference that South Africa has a particular need for such a surgery: Members of the Xhosa ethnic group often practice adult circumcision, and poor sanitation leads to some 250 amputations every year.
To get permission to use the penis that has now facilitated a pregnancy, van der Merwe's team had to fashion a new one out of abdominal skin for the deceased donor to be buried with. One day soon, we may not need donors at all: Last year, researchers reported progress in lab-grown penises built with the recipient's own cells to avoid organ rejection.
This is good news for men who lose their penises to cancer and accidents, too.
[Ed note: We recently ran a story about a woman who succeeded in having a Live Birth After Autograft of Ovarian Tissue Cryopreserved During Childhood.]
(Score: 2) by looorg on Sunday June 14 2015, @05:10PM
This just seems a bit odd. So a dead person donates his penis with the condition that he shall receive a new fake franken-penis crafted from his belly skin so he can be buried like a "man". Cause he really needs his fake penis in the afterlife or what?
Reattaching your own penis has apparently been a thing for ages now, just ask John and Lorena Bobbitt. That did apparently work so good he got to star in his own pornographic movie(s). So it should not be so strange to just attach another mans either.
In a decade or whatever this lab-grown thing becomes common will that be like the plastic surgery option for insecure men? Getting a giant penis so you don't have to look silly in the shower at the gym when other dudes check you out ...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 14 2015, @05:28PM
I'm on the organ donor list. I had no idea it might include "boner donor", I'll have to edit my parts preferences.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday June 14 2015, @05:44PM
Why stop at one penis? one could have two for that instant double penetration. It would make masturbation kind of hard however.
Then I'll guess the dildo industry will "donate" to a senator or congressman in order to stop lab grown penises without any body attached for personal gratification purposes. That also indicate the reverse oppertunity too. Now any organized prostitution will see their business model eroded. In the same way that ice sawing and transportation got eroded by the fridge industry.
(Score: 2) by rts008 on Sunday June 14 2015, @06:12PM
Only a problem for the one-armed paper-hangers out there, and I think a second arm would be a higher priority for most men, rather than a second penis.
BTW, refrigeration actually had the opposite effect on transportation than you suggested.
Now if you want to claim that refrigeration eroded ice transportation, then I could agree with you on the subject.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday June 14 2015, @07:41PM
There were special people that sawed up the ice blocks at the coast or lakes etc. Transported them to storage facilities and distributed them in dedicated tools of transportation. When refrigeration came it all went away. Guess there were no politicians to donate to at the time.
Of course this new technique allowed the transportation of sensitive food using refrigerated transport vehicles. But that's another story.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Sunday June 14 2015, @07:34PM
Why stop at one penis? one could have two for that instant double penetration. It would make masturbation kind of hard however.
Well masturbation and hard are supposed to go together.
However, it's not difficult, it's essential:
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1u75hh/ [reddit.com]
My prostate gets inflamed if I dont ejaculate enough. I'm probably the only guy with a legit reason to orgasm at least once every day or two days. My prostate gets stimulation from both cocks and creates a lot of seminal fluid. So when i cum it has to be squeezed every few days to get all the excess out. otherwise it feels bloated and painful.
Turns you into a prude though
Two dudes in my ass at the same time, with each dick in a different girl who were riding me, pussy to pussy, while a guy and girl stood over me and let me eat/lick/suck on them while they fucked.
(Score: 2) by istartedi on Sunday June 14 2015, @06:36PM
RTFA, his penis wasn't cut off. It was infected. There was nothing worth re-attaching.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Sunday June 14 2015, @07:07PM
RTFA, his penis wasn't cut off. It was infected.
So the infected penis just fell off on its own? I must have missed that paragraph.
(Score: 1) by istartedi on Sunday June 14 2015, @08:35PM
I'm assuming that it had to be amputated to prevent the spread of the infection. If it's a choice between losing an appendage and losing your life, most of us will chose to lose the appendage.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.