Despite the fact that we have been at the forefront of our consciousness for over two years now, the full effect of COVID-19 on our bodies is still being investigated.
While the first signs of the virus are now well known, additional symptoms associated with new COVID-19 variants and “Long COVID” are continually detected and documented.
The case of a man in the United States has drawn wide media attention to what he believes is a rarely discussed side effect of coronavirus – a reduction in the size of his penis.
In a section of Slate’s Advice Podcast “How to Do It” released on January 9, hosts Jessica Stoya and Rich Juzwiak discussed a letter from a listener, a man in his 30s, describing living with the long-term effects of COVID-19 on his manhood.
One and a half inches shorter
In the letter to the show, the man explained that he got the virus in July 2021 and was hospitalized. After being discharged, he experienced “some problems with erectile dysfunction”, which eased after seeking medical attention.
He added, however, that he “seemed to be left with a lasting problem” after noting that his previous “above average” penis had shrunk by an inch and a half compared to the size before he became ill with the virus.
According to the man, who is not named in the correspondence, his doctors told him that the shrinkage was due to “vascular damage” and is likely permanent.
The link between COVID-19 and problems with the reproductive system is still a gray area, but some studies that have already been done have made preliminary links between the virus and conditions such as erectile dysfunction (ED).
ONE small study at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida, USA, analyzed penile tissue from four men who had previously contracted the virus – two undergoing surgery for a penile prosthesis to treat ED and two who did not.
Researchers discovered that traces of the virus could still be found in the genitals months after infection.
The results, published in the World Journal of Men’s Health last July, led researchers to conclude that the virus can limit the supply of blood to the genitals, which over time can result in difficulty in obtaining an erection.
Long COVID symptoms
The link between poor circulation and COVID-19 has been established in relation to other body parts with infected patients with symptoms, including “COVID toes”, a condition similar to frostbite seen in some cases of coronavirus.
A study published by University College London in July 2021 identified over 200 symptoms now associated with Long COVID from a data set of 3,762 participants from 56 countries.
In addition to more unusual long-term effects such as vision loss, new allergies, and inability to cry or yawn, some of the rarer symptoms of the condition noted in the study focused on the reproductive system.
In women, this has meant that menopause begins early and irregular menstruation. For men, a decrease in the size of the genitals – both penis and testicles – was noted in some of the participants, which is consistent with the case of the man from the United States.
Just as there are still scientific studies of the long-term effects of the virus, there is still no consensus on how to treat and reverse the potential damage caused by COVID-19 to reproductive organs.
Potential treatment
Dr. Charles Welliver, a urologist at Albany Medical College, spoke to Slate as a guest on the “How To Do It” podcast, saying he believed treatment could include rehabilitation, including the use of devices such as penis pumps to help return lost girth and length.
“The original step [for temporary loss] was trying to use low dose daily Viagra or something like that, “he told Slate.
“But recently we started looking at a different kind of stretching devices or traction devices.
“There is one called RestoreX, which is used to the fact that the data is actually very good at regaining the length and maintaining the length. And there are others called vacuum erection devices … which also have some potential benefits”.
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