A man in his 30s claimed that his penis shrunk by an inch and a half due to COVID-19 which has damaged his self confidence.

The man further said that prior to getting sick, his penis was "above average" in size. After he contracted the coronavirus in July 2021 and was hospitalized, the man noticed his penis had shrunk by at least an inch and a half.  COVID-19 Found in Penis Tissue Can Lead to Erectile Dysfunction in Men Long After Recovery, Says University of Miami Researchers

The man without disclosing his vaccine status wrote in to Slate's popular How To Do It podcast to share the story of how his "above-average" penis was shrunk. 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. It's apparently due to vascular damage, and my doctors seem to think it's likely permanent," the man further said.

“It shouldn't really matter, but it has had a profound impact on my self-confidence in my abilities in bed," the man concluded.

According to urologists the man’s situation is not unique and more people have found their erections were affected by COVID-19.

The penis can reduce in size due to damage to blood vessels, according to urologists. Sometimes the infection may also restrict  blood flow to the penis.

COVID-19 infections have been associated with poor circulation and blood clots, seen in patients with strokes, and heart failure.

Dr. Ashley Winter, a urologist and sex med doctor, recommended using a penis pump to rehabilitate the penis by doing what's called a "penis push-up," which involves turning on the device to encourage blood flow in her reply to the man’s problem.  Can COVID-19 Vaccine Increase Penis Length by 3 Inches? Fact Check to Analyse the Claims Made in a 'Medical Journal'

"These are easy things you can do at home to either prevent shortening or actually get back length that you've lost," she concluded.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 13, 2022 04:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).