Getting vaccinated is the key to society getting back to normal and ending this vicious cycle of lockdowns.
But for some people that’s not convincing enough.
Now, ethical and political views aside, some new research has since come out that men may pay to listen to, as it could be the difference between you being able to perform where it matters most.
USA Today recently published a story, citing research from a team of Italian researchers, that found the Covid-19 virus could be a contributor towards erectile dysfunction.
The study took a sample of 2,000 sexually active Italian men, some who had contracted the Covid-19 virus and some who hadn’t, and ultimately found, “Logistic regression models confirmed a significant effect of COVID-19 on the development of ED, independently of other variables affecting erectile function, such as psychological status, age, and BMI.”
Logically, then, by getting yourself vaccinated, you’re far less likely to either contract the virus all together, or if you do, the symptoms you experience will be far lessened, both of which could mean you’re less likely to experience ED.
Dr Joseph Santos, a registered GP and medical director at Rosemary Health provided DMARGE with further explanation, with regards to how Covid-19 may impact ED and if getting vaccinated is the best course of action to prevent it from happening.
“There are case reports documenting how Covid-19 survivors are experiencing sexual difficulties such as erectile dysfunction. Directly, it is believed that the virus can affect our vascular system through an inflammatory process which impacts blood flow to the penis.”
“Indirectly, ED occurs due to the widespread effect the virus has on a patient’s overall health which infected, but also the impact of a post viral syndrome being dubbed ‘long Covid’ has during a patient’s recovery. Let us not forget as well the psychological shock the pandemic has had on people’s mental health.”
However, Dr Santos is keen to stress the vaccination is by no means a cure (for ED directly), “There is no evidence to suggest that the Covid-19 vaccination should be used for the purpose of ED treatment. Vaccination reduces the chance a person will develop ED by minimising the impact the disease will have on their health.”
For Dr Santos, treatment of ED is far more likely to be psychologically-based, although adds getting vaccinated could play a part within that:
“Mental health is important for good, strong erections and psychological conditions like anxiety and depression have been shown to be direct causes for ED. It is important to address symptoms of anxiety and depression with psychological support, counselling and medical review. While Covid-19 vaccination is not used to treat mental health conditions, its ability to protect and reduce health complications from infection will indirectly improve psychological recovery.”
Ultimately, Dr Santos says effective treatment for ED “involves addressing lifestyle and psychological issues, as well as the use of prescription medications like PDE-5 inhibitors (such as Sildenafil, Tadalafil and Avanafil) which improve blood flow to the penis.”
“Even though ED affects up to 40% of Australian men, it remains a sensitive issue. The first step is to ask for help, and before starting any treatment, it is important to be assessed by a healthcare profession to decide what would be the most appropriate treatment.”