Can COVID Cause Penis Shrinkage?
We are living in extraordinary times. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many aspects of our lifestyle, from how we work, how we interact with people, even where we can eat. It is redefining our standards of health and safety every day.
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Until a few years ago, if we caught a cold or the flu, we were quite confident that after recovering from such a sickness everything would go back to normal and there would be no long-term effects. However, with COVID-19, or the coronavirus, researchers are finding longer term conditions that exist in the body weeks, or even months, after a person has been considered recovered and fit enough to reenter society.
Indeed, research is beginning to show that the virus may stay in the body of some patients long after they are considered “cured”. There is even a name given to it called “Long COVID”. Although most findings are preliminary, the coronavirus may have long term to potentially permanent effects on the nervous, respiratory and, notably, circulatory system which would be a primary issue in cases of erectile dysfunction and penis size shrinkage.
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What is COVID Dick?
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This informal term “Covid Dick” has been coined to refer to a number of men's health and reproductive issues related to the coronavirus including erectile dysfunction and penis shrinkage.
One particular report that has drawn a lot of attention is from a commentor to the program How to Do It, a sex advice podcast on the Slate website, in which a man wrote that after suffering from a rather severe case of coronavirus, he began experiencing erectile dysfunction. Upon seeing a doctor and finding his condition improving, he still noticed considerable shrinkage in penis size, mentioning that he believes he had lost about 1.5 inches in length. Before being infected with COVID, the man considered himself above average in penis size, however now he considers his size to have “become decidedly less than average.”
Medical Explanation
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So what is causing this drastic change in men's penises? As the coronavirus has been reported to cause vascular issues in various organs of the body, some believe that the same cause may also result in erectile dysfunction and the loss of length to the penis. Known as endothelial dysfunction, the condition affects the endothelium cells, an inner lining of the blood vessels which regulate the balance between blood vessel constriction and dilation. The endothelium, which normally would dilate to allow blood to flow into the spongy tissue of the penis during an erection, fails, thus preventing an erection from occurring. This malfunction in blood vessel dilation could be a major contributor to erectile dysfunction as well as lost penis length as some may have experienced.
A University of Miami study has found that the COVID-19 virus can also enter the sexual organs of men who have been infected by the coronavirus leading to endothelial dysfunction. However, at this time, the test sample for determining if COVID-19 can cause COVID Dick is still inconclusive. There simply have not been enough cases studied yet. For example, in the University of Miami study, only two men with erectile dysfunction known to have recovered from COVID-19 were sampled before the study was published. They were, however, both found to have the virus in their penile tissues. As more samples are collected, researchers will begin to be able to provide us with more conclusive results.
So What Can You Do?
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If you have already been infected with the coronavirus, at the moment, there are not many options. But as the condition is further studied, more treatments may become available. As in the case of the man who claims he lost 1.5 inches, it is worth noting that his erectile dysfunction had been treated and improved through seeing a specialist. Current recommendations from urologists suggest the best known method of prevention may be fully vaccinating against the coronavirus.
So what action can you take now? Granted, with all the new findings and ongoing research, it is difficult to know the hard facts from theories. Consider what is best for your situation and take what precautions you can. Use what science and Mother Nature have provided you with and continue living the best life possible. And that includes eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and of course, staying happy and enjoying your sexual activity.
If you are at home, working remotely, or are still concerned about interactions with others and the possibility of getting infected with COVID-19, you may find that your stress levels are reaching their peak. As we have mentioned in the past, there are many benefits to masturbation, including releasing hormones that can help relax and calm the system down.
Summary
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Initial studies indicate that COVID-19 could have a drastic effect on the male organs, even causing erectile dysfunction and possible penis shrinkage. For now, the evidence concerning the connection between COVID-19 and penis health has yet proven to be conclusive given that evidence is still being gathered. That being said, early results have shown that the coronavirus has entered the male organs of infected individuals. Early vaccination may help in the prevention of the spread of coronavirus in the body. As further research is done, there may be more treatments forthcoming.
