Two and a half years after the start of the Pandemic, we still don't know the full extent of the damage. According to the Center for Disease Control, 20% of US adults who have been exposed to the virus are still having symptoms.
Doctors and researchers have categorized those symptoms into a variety of categories, ranging from the mundane (cough, fever, headaches) to the mysterious (brain fog, loss of taste or smell, a pins-and- needles sensation). It may push many vaccine-hesitant men to rethink their stance, because of a recent body of evidence that has them looking for answers.
The director of male reproductive medicine and surgery at the University of Miami believes there is an association. Association does not imply causality.
The numbers are important. The largest study to date on this topic was conducted by Ramasamy and his team, in which they compared data from over 230,000 men with a history of COVID-19 infections to an equivalent number of men who have not had the disease. Men who had COVID had a 20% higher risk of being diagnosed with ED than men who didn't.
The idea of a link between ED and the virus is supported by surveys in China and Italy. A study of half a million people published in Nature identified ejaculation difficulty and reduced libido as Long COVID symptoms in men.
There is a need for long-term studies to clarify the extent of the issue after a large review of 60 studies concludedED could be a concerning consequence for a large segment of the male population.
Raevti Bole is a Cleveland Clinic fellow in male fertility and andrology. There are multiple studies done on small numbers of patients that suggest that they can recover their sperm quality after three to six months, but we really need to follow more patients for a longer time.
Estimates of the number of men affected by these issues vary, but some studies suggest tens of millions of men are affected. Dr. Jannini, a professor of medical sexology at the University of Rome, found that men who had been exposed to the H1N1 virus were six times more likely to be impotent than men who hadn't been exposed. According to a University of Florida Health study, these reports were three times more likely after an illness.
According to Jannini, men are generally reluctant to report sexual problems.
Biology is working first and foremost. The data shows that COVID-19 can have a negative effect on the cells. The body's ability to get proper blood flow to the penis when it's most urgent is likely to be affected by damage to these cells.
A post-COVID case of ED may be an indicator of a more general health issue, which could include cardiovascular disease, heart attacks or strokes.
The researchers found that the virus remained in the penile tissue as long as seven months after it was bitten. Multiple sites within the male genital tract, including the penis, testicles, and scrotum, were found to be affected by the disease.
It's the best evidence we have that the virus can stay within these organs.
The director of men's health at the Henry Ford Hospital says that the erection could be made worse by the inflammation of the blood vessels. Rambhatla said that they don't understand the whole mechanism of why ED has been increasing.
In part, that is because men's sexual health has always been dependent on multiple variables, any of which might exert considerable influence in its own time, including hormone levels, blood flow, or other physiological factors.
Mental health and certain medicines used to treat psychological or emotional conditions may play a part. A good state of mind is related to good sexual performance. The World Health Organization has reported a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression around the world during the first year of the Pandemic.
Researchers say the loss of taste and smell can contribute to a person becoming aroused.
It's possible that it's a lot of things working together, including the fact that getting COVID plunges you into an unhealthy state, albeit one hopes is a temporary one. If you get chronic bronchitis, it can affect your health, and it can also affect your penile erection.
According to a report by Nassau et al., 10 to 20% of men with the virus will experience orchitis.
Bole says that men's sexual health is being affected. We don't know how severe it is.
A Chinese study of COVID-19 recovered patients showed that erection problems could last at least six months, while a prospective cohort study found that the number of spermatozoa in patients up to 60 days after infections was much higher.
A study from Italy showed that more than half of the men had low testosterone levels seven months after the infections. There is need for follow-up data but we don't think this is a permanent thing.
The same thing was said by every doctor and researcher who asked about it for the article.
The University of Miami has shown that there is no correlation between the vaccine and the virus. He co-authored a study that found no change in semen parameters after two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
No evidence has been found to back up the fears about the COVID vaccines. The risk of contracting the virus isn't being taken care of.
It is unclear if getting vaccine is a shield against ED. The Henry Ford Hospital has a million dollar question. It makes sense that sexual function could be protected since vaccines protect against many of the most severe symptoms. There is no final data yet.
When it comes to this topic, that's a common theme. Matthew Ziegelmann, a urologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, emphasizes that all of the available studies have major limitations and can't make a strong conclusion.
There is no certainty that a COVID infection will lead to ED. You could be affected by many effects of the virus, without having sex.
If you have a condition that affects the blood vessels in your penis, like diabetes or heart disease, you are more vulnerable than someone who had healthy blood vessels to start with. Smoking, baseline sexual desire, and COVID-19 severity have been found to be predictors of ED in healthy people.
Anyone who watches sports on T.V. knows that treatments are available for those affected. Sales of ED medications have increased nationwide. The best option for younger men is not to suffer from COVID and its related problems. Men in their 20s to their 70s have been seen by researchers with COVID- related sexual problems.
Don't try to outguess this virus, it's not with your sexual health, it's on the line
It's important to be cautious about trying and not getting the virus. I don't think the idea of "let me get some COVID so I will be safe for the future or not get it again" is a good one. I don't think we know the full ramifications of the virus.
Carolyn Barber has practiced medicine for 25 years. She is the author of the book Runaway Medicine: What You Don't Know May Kill You. The Wheels of Change program is based in California.
The opinions and beliefs of Fortune are not reflected in the commentary pieces.
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