Covid ‘shrinkage’ issue affecting men leads to bedroom issues

It’s a little-talked-about side-effect that some Covid sufferers experience, but erectile dysfunction is leading to another unwanted problem for men.

We’ve heard of Covid toe, Covid hair loss, Covid periods and the dreaded long Covid, but a new virus side effect being reported is a bit more unexpected.

Doctors are saying that some men may experience penis shrinkage after battling Covid-19, Body + Soulreports.

Dr Rena Malik is a urologist and pelvic surgeon. She also has a YouTube channel on which she posted a video titled, “Can Covid really shrink your *eggplant emoji*”.

“When you get Covid-19 it can affect the lining of the blood vessels and this can create difficulty in getting blood flow from one part of the body to the other,” she said.

“In fact, this can also affect blood flow to the penis. Getting Covid-19 makes you at a five times higher risk of erectile dysfunction.”

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Some men recovering from Covid experience erectile dysfunction which can cause serious issues in relationships. Picture: iStock

Erectile dysfunction (ED) – a man’s inability to get or keep an erection – usually has a physical cause and is often short-term. However if ongoing, men should talk to their doctor.

In fact, Dr Malik said if the loss of blood flow as a result of having Covid continues over a long time, it can cause other issues.

“When you’re losing blood flow to the area over time this can cause shrinkage of the tissues itself, meaning that you might notice a decrease in penile length.”

This has actually already been experienced by men around the world.

One man in his 30s experienced erectile dysfunction after leaving hospital and recovering from Covid. This symptom went away after medical attention, but his penis had shrunk by about 3cm.

“It’s apparently due to vascular damage, and my doctors seem to think it’s likely permanent. It shouldn’t really matter, but it has had a profound impact on my self-confidence and my abilities in bed,” he said.

The urologist said if ED is ongoing, it can lead to a permanent shrinkage of a man’s penis. Picture: iStock

Shrinkage after erective dysfunction is quite normal.

In fact, it’s common for men who have had their prostate removed due to cancer.

In these cases the first step was a daily low dose of Viagra but there are also devices on the market which can help. Men experiencing these issues should talk to their GP or urologist.

This story originally appeared on Body + Soul and has been reproduced with permission