While researchers are researching all the side effects of Covid in our body, the case of a man in the United States has attracted wide media attention because he believes his penis has been reduced due to the disease.
In an episode of the "How to Do It" podcast, moderators 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.
In the letter for the podcast, the man explained that he became infected with the virus in July 2021 and was hospitalized. After his release, he experienced "some problems with erectile dysfunction" which were alleviated after seeking medical attention.
However, he added that he "seemed to have been left with a persistent problem" after noticing that his previously "above average" penis had shrunk by an inch and a half (3.8 cm) compared to the size before he became ill.
According to him, doctors advised that the contraction was due to "vascular damage" and is likely to be permanent.
The link between Covid-19 and problems with the reproductive system is still a gray area, but several studies that have already been conducted have established links between the virus and conditions such as erectile dysfunction.
A small study from the University of Miami School of Medicine in the US, analyzed the penile tissue from four men and found that traces of the virus could still be found a few months after infection. The data, which was published in the World Journal of Men's Health in July last year, led researchers to conclude that the virus can restrict blood supply to the genitals, which over time can result in difficulty in achieving of an erection.