Effect of COVID-19 On the Sexual Activity of Men

Abstract

In December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome COVID-19 was found in China. This virus can affect different organs depending on the coronavirus receptors on the cell surface, which allows the organ to be attacked by the coronavirus. Psychological distress and impaired pulmonary hemodynamics seem to be the cause of decreasing libido or sexual dysfunction after contracting COVID-19. This study was performed to assess the effect of coronavirus on the sexual activity of men. We enrolled 200 men with COVID-19, confirmed by an oropharyngeal sample, who had recovered from the coronavirus for 3 months. These men filled out the International Index of Erectile Function 5 (IIEF-5) questionnaire for their current and previous sexual status. Then, according to their IIEF-5 score, sexual activity before and after corona infection was compared. The mean age of the participants was 31.5 ±3.2 years. This study showed a significant difference between the IIEF-5 mean scores before and after COVID-19, which were 20.4 and 18.6, respectively ( p = .000). The condition of 56.1% of the patients did not change; however, coronavirus did have a negative effect on 39.6% of the patients. 4.1% of patients reported improvement in sexual performance. 45% of the patients reported no erectile dysfunction (ED) before contracting the coronavirus; while only 27.7% reported no ED after getting COVID-19. Our findings show that COVID-19 could influence the sexual activity of infected men, who also showed a higher ED prevalence after COVID-19 infection; however, hormonal assessment should be observed in the follow-up.