Reviews of P shot & O shot stabs at sexual enhancement

Something called a P shot has sparked interest from some men interested in high-risk attempts at enhancement.

The goal of today’s review post is to fact-check P shots. They’re sold for supposed penis enhancement or to address erectile dysfunction (ED). I’ll also fact-check so-called O shot stabs at vaginal rejuvenation or enhancement.

These are both literal needle sticks to the genitals. “Ouch” is the first word that comes to mind.

What is a P shot? | The injection | MMA and P shot | P Shot Cost” $2,000 | Risks | The O shot | Big picture & overall reviews | References

My brief claim review as a stem cell biologist is that P shots and O shots are risky procedures. They do not have proven benefits. For instance, the claims of more or better orgasms or increased libido don’t seem supported. These are also expensive procedures. Overall, there is more risk than potential benefit. Talk to your doctor.

What is a P shot?

Over the more than a dozen years of doing The Niche, I still get regular questions about this stuff. If anything, it seems that interest in this area has increased substantially over the years.  I believe people are losing money and there are real risks to these procedures.

What are these procedures?

A P shot is an injection of cellular material into the penis to supposedly enhance the organ. The “P” part of the name is for Priapus, an ancient god of fertility and gardens.

Google search metrics show that searches related to trying to get a bigger penis via cell therapy-related shots are very popular.

The claim by those who sell this stuff is that they’ll give safe and effective improvement of sexual experience via a larger penis using stem cells or related technologies.

What is injected?

With a P shot the material is platelet rich plasma or PRP. It’s not actual stem cells. That often gets confused in media articles.

That’s probably because various doctors and clinics have sold supposed stem cell injections for male enhancement attempts as well. You can imagine that an injection into the penis will have risks, which I’ll discuss later in the post.

The one published study on the P-shot is largely inconclusive. At least no side effects were reported, I suppose. However, a small uncontrolled study isn’t convincing one way or another.

If you’re interested in this kind of thing, talk to your doctor who is not selling these shots. Note that I only searched for “P shot” by name in the title on PubMed. There are other articles in this space including one in JAMA Network that provides some data on who is giving these P shot type procedures, prices, and more. Some are not P shots but are related approaches.

Celebs and the P shot

At least once or twice a year some celebrity gets their penis injected with stem cells. Or related biological stuff. This brings so-called P-shots back to mind.

In the newest story, MMA fighter Sean O’Malley apparently described getting this done down in Mexico.

He seems to have rolled the dice that the injection will enhance his penis or sexual experience. I hope he’ll be okay.

Sometimes you see P shot before and after pictures, but how reliable are those? I don’t see any way to be sure.

Another celebrity earlier seems to have self-injected actual fat stem cells into his penis.

P shot risks

What are the P shot risks? Many things could go wrong. The risks include infections. There’s also a possibility of masses growing on the penis and lumps of injected material forming.

At another level, celebrities getting something in return for promotion of unproven procedures could change how they portray the results. In the past I’ve seen cases of celebs getting free “treatment” or even payments for promotion.

If you remember the full name of the injection here, note that the shot was named after the ancient god Priapus. Interestingly, an analysis of the fresco of this god at Pompei by a doctor in modern times suggested the conclusion that rather than Priapus just being well-endowed, he may have had a medical problem with his penis. If so, this ironically highlights the risks with P shots.

I teach Histology here at UC Davis School of Medicine. We cover all tissues and organs in the body. This includes the penis, which has a complex structure with a vast array of nerves and blood vessels. If injections into the penis are not done carefully, there is risk of damage and loss of function.

Shot costs: $2,000 and up

These procedures are also expensive.

A P shot costs about $3,000 in 2024.

The costs could go higher depending on the clinic, the specific procedure, and repeat injections.

I believe it is a waste of money.

What is an O shot and associated risks?

An O shot is an experimental, unproven procedure to try to enhance female sexual experience. The “O” stands for orgasm.

As with P shots, O shots are unproven and definitely have risks. I found no published papers on the O shot by name on PubMed.

I’ve written before about the issues with vaginal rejuvenation more generally. Here again, the injections contain PRP. Does it work?  I’m highly skeptical. There’s no reason to think an O shot will give someone more or better orgasms.

It is formally possible that a growth factor-rich solution like PRP in an O shot could do something, but I kind of doubt it.

Big picture & overall O shot and P shot reviews

Overall, is the P shot worth it? Is the O shot worth it? What about other very similar approaches to cell therapies for sexual enhancement or to try to treat dysfunction?

In each case, my overall claim check is that it’s very unlikely to be worth the risks and costs.

Is the P shot permanent? The O shot? The answer is almost certainly “no.” The likely transient nature also means it’s going to be temporary and more expensive if you get more shots. Risks also increase with frequent injections.

All of these risks and limitations are currently unresolved.

References & notes

• Published study on the P shot
• Forbes piece on Priapus possibly having a medical problem with his penis.
• JAMA Network article on PRP for penis enhancement or ED.
• This post is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before making medical decisions, preferably a doctor who has no vested interest in these shots.