There is hope for men whose penis been shrunk by COVID

The pandemic has been with us for over two years, but it still seems far away to know all the effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on the human body. New symptoms of infection and its complications are continuously discovered and documented.

Recently, the case of an American who in his letter to the leaders about the sex life of the podcast "How to Do It" described the impact of an earlier COVID-19 infection on the size of his penis has caught the attention of the media.

A thirty-year-old listener wrote that he contracted the virus in July 2021. He was quite severely ill - he was hospitalized. After leaving the hospital, he experienced erectile dysfunction, which, however, was managed with the help of a doctor. The regained ability to erect, however, revealed another problem that seems to be permanent - the man's penis decreased by almost 4 cm compared to the length before the onset of the disease.

Following the examination, the letter writer's doctor informed him that penile shrinkage was caused by damage to the blood vessels and was most likely irreversible.

An expert, Dr. Charles Welliver, urologist from Albany Medical College, who was invited to participate in the "How To Do It" podcast, was more optimistic about this. He believes that the "covid penis" can be successfully restored to its original size through rehabilitation using devices such as penis pumps or other stretching devices and traction devices.

The scientific literature on the effects of COVID-19 on the male reproductive system is still fairly modest. A very small study by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (published in the World Journal of Men's Health) analyzed the penile tissue of four men who had previously contracted the virus - two had had a penile prosthesis to treat erectile dysfunction, and two no. Scientists have found that traces of the virus can still be found in the genitals months after infection. The authors of the study also concluded that the virus can restrict blood flow to the genitals, which over time can make it harder to get an erection.

Such an impact of coronavirus infection on the male organ should not come as a surprise. The relationship between COVID-19 and deterioration of peripheral circulation parameters in other parts of the body has already been described previously. An example is a frostbite-like condition of the toes caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

In contrast, over 200 symptoms of long COVID were identified in a much larger (3,762 participants) study by University College London.

In addition to very rare ones, such as blindness, new allergies and the inability to cry or yawn, some of the symptoms described were related to the reproductive system.

For women, an early onset of menopause and irregular periods are listed, and for men, a reduction in both the penis and testicles.