Man To Have Sex For The First Time After Getting Bionic Penis

A Manchester man who was born without a penis will be able to lose his virginity at the age of 44 after doctors managed to give him a bionic penis.

Andrew Wardle was born with a condition called bladder exstrophy, which caused his reproductive organs to grow on the outside of his body. It affects just one in 20 million men.

He has undergone four years' worth of surgery to fit him with a bionic penis made from skin taken from his arm, which can be inflated to form a penis.

It will cause him to have an erection for nearly two weeks until it is deflated and then, a further six weeks after that, he will finally be able to have sex for the first time.

"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.

"Of course, I'm looking forward to it. But, for me, it's not the be-all-and-end-all. It's a by-product of the operation. It will enable me to feel part of society."

Andrew has a long-term girlfriend, Fedra Fabian, and will finally be able to perform after years of inactivity.

"I'm feeling good because they've given me painkillers but I'm sure I will feel a bit sore later on. I do feel different," he said.

"I'm very aware there's some robotics inside me but it feels a part of me now. 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."

He had struggled with mental health problems related to his physical condition until he was saved by the intervention of a doctor who told him that his condition could be fixed.

"My GP knew about my depression and suicide attempts. She told me: 'You can't live like this'," explained Andrew.

"I thought: 'I've heard all this before', but she actually got in touch with Mr Wood and said: 'I've got a guy who wants to meet you'."

"I went down to London and I was so skint I had to sleep on the streets. But it was worth it."

"Until then everybody had said: 'I can't do anything'. But he said: 'I can build you a new bladder and my friend can build you a penis'.

"It took me the whole journey home to understand what he meant. I thought: 'I've been in every hospital in the country and they've never said this before'."

The whole operation has cost £50,000 [$66,200] on the NHS.