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A British man who was born without a penis is looking forward to having sex for the first time after having a bionic penis implant.
Andrew Wardle (44) was born with bladder exstrophy, a rare birth defect that means the bladder is formed on the outside of his body.
Although he has testicles, the one-in-20-million condition meant Wardle was born without a penis, reports the Metro: "I’ve spent 44 years without a penis and I’ve coped with not having sex for all that time. It will take me a while to get in the swing of things," he told the UK publication.
"I’m very aware that I am half-human half-robot at the moment. I’m like the bionic man. I will even be able to perform if I am drunk."
A long journey
The psychological scarring of living without a penis led Wardle to attemp suicide twice. In 2012 his general practitioner decided something needs to be done about the situation and referred him to Dr Dan Wood, a urologist at University College Hospital in London.
In February 2015, Wardle had his first operation to remove his his urostomy bag – his urine had been diverted into a specially-converted stoma. A catheter now enables him to go to the bathroom.
Then, in November 2015, Wardle had surgery to build a penis from the skin, muscles and nerves in his left arm and the vein in his right leg.
According to the Deccan Chronicle he has now successfully undergone the final stage of a £50 000 (more than R900 000) implant operation.
A pump has been fitted, which will give him an erection at the push of a button, but since the completion of the operation on 26 June 2018, he will have an erection for 10 days before it is deflated.
The future
Wardle is adjusting well and is optimistic about the future."I'm feeling good because they've given me painkillers but I'm sure I will feel a bit sore later on," he told the Daily Mail.
"I do feel different. I'm very aware there's some robotics inside me but it feels a part of me now."
Image credit: iStock
