How to Treat Erectile Dysfunction After COVID-19

While the initial effects of COVID-19 ranged from mild to fatal, over the last few years the list of common symptoms has come to include the coronavirus disease’s effects on the vascular system — specifically, its connection to erectile dysfunction (ED).

Can long COVID or the variants of coronavirus cause problems like cardiovascular disease and, eventually, damage erectile function? The answer is complicated, but the simplest response starts with “yes.”

Below, we’ll share what the medical community knows so far about how and why COVID-19 may affect your sexual health (and your erections). 

We’ll also explain what to do if you’ve been diagnosed with COVID-19 and have had sexual dysfunction in the time since.

While there’s no strong consensus or proof that COVID-19 is linked to ED directly, several studies have found a possible indirect relationship between COVID and erectile dysfunction:

• One study published in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation in 2021 notes that ED might be a consequence of COVID-19 for some male patients, as it could contribute to endothelial dysfunction. (Endothelial cells line your blood vessels and regulate blood flow to your penile tissue.)

• One 2023 survey of over 40,000 men found an increased likelihood of ED diagnosis after COVID.

ED can occur for various reasons, from physical health issues to psychological ones like depression or anxiety. For instance, ED is a common sign of cardiovascular health issues, including high blood pressure (hypertension) and clogged blood vessels.

Because getting sick could potentially cause ED, and because COVID’s symptoms affect many bodily functions, including elements of your reproductive health, it’s possible that COVID could result in significantly increasing an otherwise low risk for ED.

Any number of COVID side effects could indirectly influence your erectile function for the worse, because your penis and testicles respond to your overall health the same way the rest of your body does. In other words, if you’re really sick, you might struggle to function normally — and that includes normal sexual functioning.

A lot of the potential explanations, however, center on the vascular system — the body’s system for pumping blood. 

Erections are all about blood flow. When blood flows to the soft tissue inside your penis, that penile tissue can form an erection. This is why erectile dysfunction is often linked to health issues that affect your blood flow.

Currently, researchers have several theories for why COVID-19 appears to cause ED in some men who are infected by the virus:

• The hyperinflammatory response and immunosuppression triggered by the virus can damage the vascular system — a factor that may affect blood flow to the penis during foreplay and sex. 

• COVID-19 may cause testicular damage in some men, affecting testosterone levels. Testosterone, which is produced in the testes, plays a major role in sexual desire. It also has a modulating effect on the function of the endothelium (a membrane found inside the heart and blood vessels).

• COVID-19’s tendency to worsen existing cardiovascular health issues might contribute to ED.

All these factors may play a role in erectile dysfunction — and all are serious concerns if you get COVID-19. Now let’s talk about what you can do about it.

Thankfully, post-pandemic medical treatment of COVID-19 patients is a lot easier than it used to be. And it’s much easier to visit a urology or andrology specialist for more information today than at the outset of the pandemic.

That’s promising news if you have sexual function problems associated with the long-term effects of COVID.

If you’re experiencing ED and think COVID-19 caused it, consider these two next steps. 

• Talk to a Healthcare Provider. Talking to a general practitioner, urologist or another healthcare professional should always be your first step in treating ED, regardless of the cause. While you might believe COVID is to blame, ED could be due to another cause, such as comorbidities like a high BMI (body mass index) or heart disease, not to mention the mental health risks associated with ED. Or, you might be experiencing temporary ED that needs no treatment at all. Erectile dysfunction often improves with lifestyle changes.

• Consider ED Medications. If you don’t notice any improvement after recovering from COVID-19, using ED medication may help you maintain an erection and improve your sexual performance, regardless of what caused it. Currently, several FDA-approved medications, called PDE5 inhibitors, are available to treat erectile dysfunction. These include sildenafil (the active ingredient in Viagra®), tadalafil (generic Cialis®), vardenafil (generic Levitra®), and avanafil (the generic version of Stendra®). It’s crucial to talk to a healthcare provider about your symptoms (for both ED and COVID) and share whether you’ve had a history of sexual function issues.

Even though the COVID-19 vaccine has undoubtedly saved millions of lives, the post-COVID world is still struggling with some of the long-hauler’s effects. Experts are continuing to make sense of an increasing number of PubMed and DOI studies and pathophysiology of ED as a symptom, but a systematic review or meta-analysis of the prevalence of ED due to Covid-19 infection doesn’t yet exist.

In other words, the men’s health data on Covid-19-related ED just isn’t enough to make strong conclusions about what’s going on.

What we can tell you is this:

• Erectile dysfunction is an extremely common issue for men of all ages. Research shows that about 30 million men in the United States are affected by ED, and a number of risk factors can contribute to it.

• Although erectile dysfunction isn’t a common symptom of a sars-cov-2 infection, some people have reported difficulty getting or maintaining an erection after catching the virus.

• Research suggests its effects on existing cardiovascular health issues may increase risk of ED for some men, as well as stress from the effects of COVID-19.

• A handful of studies suggest the possibility that COVID affects everything from endothelial cells to pulmonary health, but much more research is needed.

• If you’ve been affected by COVID-19 and now find it difficult to develop or maintain an erection, it’s best to talk to your healthcare provider about treating erectile dysfunction.

• Your provider can diagnose ED, help you understand if the signs point to COVID as a cause, and provide more information about your options for treating ED. 

We offer generic versions of many common ED pills online, following a quick questionnaire and a consultation with a healthcare provider who’ll determine if a prescription is appropriate. One option is our convenient and discreet chewable hard mint ED meds.

Life after COVID can be challenging for some, but those difficulties don’t have to be permanent.