Vaccines Do Not Cause Erectile Dysfunction and Male Infertility – But COVID-19 Could

New research has found that some men who have had COVID-19 may experience unwanted sexual side effects.

Contrary to the myths circulating on social media, COVID-19 vaccines do not cause erectile dysfunction and male infertility.

What’s true: SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, poses a risk for both conditions.

So far, little research has been done on how the virus or vaccines affect the male reproductive system. But recent studies by doctors and researchers here at the University of Miami have shed new light on these questions.

The team, of which I am also a part, has discovered potentially far-reaching implications for men of all ages, including younger and middle-aged men who want children.

Some men who had the COVID-19 virus may experience reduced sperm production and fertility.

What the team thought

I am the director of the reproductive urology program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. My colleagues and I analyzed the autopsy tissues from the testicles of six men who died of COVID-19 infection.

The result: The COVID-19 virus appeared in the tissues of one of the men; reduced numbers of sperm appeared in three.

Another patient — this one who survived COVID-19 — underwent a testicular biopsy about three months after his initial COVID-19 infection cleared up. The biopsy showed that the coronavirus was still in his testicles.

Our team also found that COVID-19 affects the penis. An analysis of penile tissue from two men who received penile implants showed that the virus was present seven to nine months after their COVID-19 diagnosis. Both men had developed severe erectile dysfunction, probably because the infection reduced blood flow to the penis.

Strikingly, one of the men had only mild COVID-19 symptoms. The other was hospitalized. This suggests that even those with a relatively mild case of the virus can experience severe erectile dysfunction after recovery.

These findings are not entirely surprising. After all, scientists know that other viruses invade the testicles and affect sperm production and fertility.

Case in point: Researchers studying testes from six patients who died of the 2006 SARS-CoV virus found that all of them had widespread cell destruction, with little to no sperm.

Mumps and Zika viruses are also known to invade the testicles and cause inflammation. Up to 20% of men infected with these viruses will have reduced sperm production.

Early findings suggest that neither the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccine affects male fertility.

A new study on vaccine safety

Additional research by my team brought welcome news. A study of 45 men showed that the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna appear to be safe for the male reproductive system.

So this is another reason to get the vaccinations – to preserve male fertility and sexual function.

Admittedly, the research is just a first step into how COVID-19 may affect men’s sexual health; the samples were small. Studies should be continued.

Still, for men who have had COVID-19 and subsequently experienced testicular pain, it is reasonable to assume that the virus has entered testicular tissue. Erectile dysfunction can result. Those men should see a urologist.

I also believe the study sends an urgent public health message to the US regarding the COVID-19 vaccines.

For the millions of American men who have not been vaccinated, you may want to rethink the consequences if and when this highly aggressive virus finds you.

One reason for vaccine hesitancy is the perception by many that COVID-19 injections can affect male fertility. Our research shows the opposite. There is no evidence that the vaccine harms a man’s reproductive system. But ignoring the vaccine and contracting COVID-19 could very well be.

Written by Ranjith Ramasamy, associate professor of urology, University of Miami.

Originally published on The Conversation.