Normal Penile Dimensions for a 17-Year-Old
Your measurements of 5.5 inches in length and 5 inches in girth are completely normal and actually above average for your age and adult men in general.
Evidence-Based Normal Ranges
The most comprehensive research on penile dimensions demonstrates that your measurements fall well within—and actually exceed—normal parameters:
Average erect length across multiple studies is 5.1-5.5 inches (12.95-13.97 cm), based on a combined analysis of 10 studies with 1,629 men where researchers directly measured erect penises 1.
Your 5.5-inch length places you at or above the 50th percentile for adult males, meaning you are equal to or larger than approximately half of all men 1.
Stretched flaccid length (which correlates with erect length) averages 12.5 cm (approximately 4.9 inches) in a large Italian study of 3,300 young men aged 17-19 years 2, confirming that your erect measurement exceeds typical values for your exact age group.
Why Many Men Underestimate Normal Size
Most men significantly overestimate what constitutes "normal" penile dimensions, which creates unnecessary anxiety:
In one study, 85% of men seeking penile lengthening surgery believed "normal" length should be 10-17 cm (3.9-6.7 inches), with a median estimate of 12 cm (4.7 inches) 3.
None of the 67 men in this study actually had penile length below the 2.5th percentile—they all had normal-sized penises but perceived themselves as small 3.
Self-reported measurements in studies often claim averages around 6.2 inches (15.75 cm), but these suffer from volunteer bias and social desirability bias (men exaggerating their measurements) 1.
Height and Body Proportions
Your height of 5'4" (163 cm) does not indicate any abnormality in penile size:
Penile dimensions correlate with height and weight, but this correlation is modest 2.
Men of all heights have a wide range of normal penile dimensions—there is no "expected" penis size based on your height alone 2.
Clinical Perspective
From a medical standpoint, there is absolutely no indication for any intervention:
The American Urological Association considers penile lengthening surgery risky and notes that most men seeking such surgery have normal-sized penises 1.
In an 18-year series of 60 men complaining of small penis, only 16 underwent surgery, and counseling alone was sufficient for the remaining 44 men 4.
Men who achieve erect length of 7.5 cm (2.95 inches) or more have limited benefit from surgery and should be dissuaded from it 4—your 5.5 inches far exceeds this threshold.
Key Takeaway
Your measurements are medically normal and require no intervention. The perception of having a small penis is far more common than actually having one, and this perception is typically based on unrealistic expectations rather than medical reality 1, 3.