An American man has claimed he lost 1.5 inches of his penis length after contracting COVID-19.
The 30-ish man said getting the virus caused him to suffer vascular damage, which brought about penis shrinkage after a severe case of erectile dysfunction (ED).
“I’m a heterosexual man in my thirties. In July of last year, I contracted Covid and was very sick.
“When I got out of the hospital, I had some erectile dysfunction issues. Those gradually got better with some medical attention, but I seem to be left with a lasting problem.
“My penis has shrunk. Before I got sick, I was above average, not huge, but definitely bigger than normal. Now I’ve lost about an inch-and-a-half and become decidedly less than average.
“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 in my abilities in bed,” he told a sex advice podcast.
The man’s claim coincided with the report of a University College London study of 3,400 people which found that a shortened penis was a rare symptom among the 200 who developed long Covid.
Similarly, a study published in the World Journal of Men’s Health by University of Miami Miller School of Medicine showed widespread endothelial cell dysfunction from Covid-19 infection can contribute to significant ED, Daily Mail reported.
Speaking on the claim, Dr. Charles Welliver, a urologist and Director of Men’s Health at Albany Medical College, NY, said the Covid infection can indeed cause ED, and in some cases, a shrinking of the penis should the ED persist over a period of time.
“You can connect these dots… There are pretty significant vascular issues that occur with guys.
“Studies have actually shown that guys can get priapism – the prolonged erection that is dangerous in its own right – and guys can also get ED from Covid, so it can kind of go both directions.
“When guys get ED, they get a lack of erections for a while, and when that happens they actually do get some shrinkage,” Dr Welliver said.