https://doi.org/10.4081/aiua.2021.3.341

Male sexual functions and behaviors in the age of COVID-19: Evaluation of mid-term effects with online cross-sectional survey study

Vol. 93 No. 3 (2021)
Submitted: March 1, 2021
Accepted: April 21, 2021
Published: October 1, 2021
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Erectile dysfunction, Premature ejaculation, Sexual behavior, Mid-term effect
Abstract Views: 1152
PDF: 592
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

Erhan Ates
drerhanates@yahoo.com
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9677-5673
Aydin Adnan Menderes University School of Medicine, Department of Urology, Aydin, Turkey.
Hakan Gorkem Kazici
Aydin Adnan Menderes University School of Medicine, Department of Urology, Aydin, Turkey.
Ahmet Emre Yildiz
Aydin Adnan Menderes University School of Medicine, Department of Urology, Aydin, Turkey.
Saparali Sulaimanov
Aydin Adnan Menderes University School of Medicine, Department of Urology, Aydin, Turkey.
Arif Kol
Aydin Adnan Menderes University School of Medicine, Department of Urology, Aydin, Turkey.
Haluk Erol
Aydin Adnan Menderes University School of Medicine, Department of Urology, Aydin, Turkey.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on sexual functions and behavior in men with heterosexual partners.
Materials and methods: A total of 602 participants completed an online questionnaire, shared via social networks, between November 20 and December 20, 2020. Pre-pandemic sexual intercourse frequency, International Erectile Dysfunction Index (IIEF-15) score, intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT), premature ejaculation diagnostic tool (PEDT) score, and activities during sexual intercourse were compared to the ones during the pandemic. In addition, the effects of various variables on participants’ sexual functions were evaluated and analyzed according to age groups.
Results: The mean number of weekly sexual intercourse during the pandemic was 1.7+1.7, which was significantly lower than in the pre-pandemic period (p < 0.001). The ED score was significantly lower during the pandemic (p < 0.001) compared to the pre-pandemic period, however orgasmic function (p = 0.016), sexual intercourse satisfaction (p < 0.001), general satisfaction (p < 0.001), and PEDT scores (p = 0.004) were significantly higher. There was no significant difference in IELT before and during the pandemic (p = 0.391). Full-time employment and low education level were risk factors for developing ED and PE. The negative affect of the pandemic on sexual life was most prominent in the > 65 age group. Although kissing, oral and anal sex, and face-to-face sex positions decreased during the pandemic in all age groups, kissing and face-to-face sex positions remained the most preferred sexual behavior pattern (p = 0.002). There was no reduction in risky sexual behavior in the majority of the participants.
Conclusions: At the end of one year with COVID-19, a decrease in erectile function and an increase in PE incidence were observed in men. Despite this, there was an increase in sexual desire and satisfaction. Although there were some changes in sexual behavior, the majority of pre-pandemic habits continued.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC
Zhu N, Zhang D, Wang W, et al. A novel Coronavirus from patients with pneumonia in China. N Engl J Med. 2019;382:727-33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2001017
World Health Organization, (2020). (March 11, 2020). Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-generals-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-oncovid-19---11-march-2020.
World Health Organization, (2020). (December 22, 2020). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Weekly Epidemiological Update and Weekly Operational Update-22 December 2020. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publication/m/item/weekly-epidemiologicalupdate--22-december-2020.
Glasier A, Gülmezoglu AM, Schmid GP, et al. Sexual and reproductive health: a matter of life and death. Lancet. 2006; 368:1595-607. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69478-6
Brook SK, Webster RK, Smith LE, et al. The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. Lancet 2020; 395:912-20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30460-8
Maretti C, Privitera S, Arcaniolo D, et al. COVID-19 pandemic and its implications on sexual life: Recommendations from the Italian Society of Andrology. Arch Ital Urol Androl. 2020; 92:73-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/aiua.2020.2.73
Jacob L, Smith L, Butler L, et al. Challenges in the practice of sexual medicine in the time of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom. J Sex Med. 2020; 17:1229-36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.05.001
Li W, Li G, Xin C, et al. Challenges in the practice of sexual medicine in the time of COVID-19 in China. J Sex Med. 2020; 17:1225-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.04.380
Brod S, Costa RM. Satisfaction (sexual, life, relationship, and mental health) is associated directly with penile-vaginal intercourse, but inversely with other sexual behavior frequencies. J Sex Med. 2009;6:1947-1954. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01303.x
Akkus E, Kadioglu A, Esen A, et al. Prevalence and correlates of erectile dysfunction in Turkey: a population-based study. Eur Urol. 2002; 41:298-304. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0302-2838(02)00027-1
Serefoglu EC, Cimen HI, Ozdemir AT, et al. Turkish validation of the premature ejaculation diagnostic tool and its association with intravaginal ejaculatory latency time. Int J Impot Res. 2009; 21:139-44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ijir.2008.58
Muise A, Schimmack U, Impett EA. Sexual frequency predicts greater well-being, but more is not always better. Soc Psychol Personal Sci. 2015; 7:295-302. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550615616462
Gillespie BJ. Correlates of sex frequency and sexual satisfaction among partnered older adults. J Sex Marital Ther. 2017; 43:403-23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2016.1176608
Palha-Fernandes E, Alves P, Lourenço M. Sexual satisfaction determinants and its relation with perfectionism: A cross-sectional study in an academic community. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, DOI: 10.1080/14681994.2019.1677884. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14681994.2019.1677884
Arafat SMY, Alradie-Mohamed A, Kar SK, et al. Does COVID-19 pandemic affect sexual behaviour? A cross-sectional, crossnational online survey. Psychiatry Res. 2020; 289:113050. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113050
Ko NY, Lu WH, Chen YL, et al. Changes in sex life among people in Taiwan during the COVID-19 pandemic: the roles of risk perception, general anxiety, and demographic characteristics. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17:5822. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17165822
Beutel ME, Burghardt J, Tibubos AN, et al. Declining sexual activity and desire in men-findings from representative German surveys, 2005 and 2016. J Sex Med. 2018; 15:750-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2018.03.010
Döring N. How Is the COVID-19 pandemic affecting our sexualities? An overview of the current media narratives and research hypotheses. Arch Sex Behav. 2020; 49:2765-78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01790-z
Mollaioli D, Sansone A, Ciocca G, et al. Benefits of sexual activity on psychological, relational, and sexual health during the COVID-19 breakout. J Sex Med. 2021; 18:35-49. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.10.008
Scorzolini L, Corpolongo A, Castilletti C, et al. Comment on the potential risks of sexual and vertical transmission of COVID-19. Clin Infect Dis. 2020; 71:2298. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa445
Culha MG, Demir O, Sahin O, Altunrende F. Sexual attitudes of healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 outbreak. Int J Impot Res. 2021; 33:102-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-020-00381-9
Baran O, Aykac A. The effect of fear of covid-19 transmission on male sexual behaviour: A cross-sectional survey study. Int J Clin Pract. 2021; 75:e13889. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcp.13889
Fang D, Peng J, Liao S, et al. An online questionnaire survey on the sexual life and sexual function of Chinese adult men during the Coronavirus disease 2019 Epidemic. Sex Med. 2021; 9:100293. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esxm.2020.100293
Salonia A, Bettocchi C, Carvalho J, et al. Sexual and reproductive health. EAU Guidelines 2020. Edn. Presented at the EAU Annual Congress Amsterdam 2020. ISBN 978-94-92671-07-3.
Forbes MK, Eaton NR, Krueger RF. Sexual quality of life and aging: a prospective study of a nationally representative sample. J Sex Res. 2017; 54:137-48. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2016.1233315

How to Cite

Ates, E., Kazici, H. G. ., Yildiz, A. E. ., Sulaimanov, S. ., Kol, A. ., & Erol, H. . (2021). Male sexual functions and behaviors in the age of COVID-19: Evaluation of mid-term effects with online cross-sectional survey study. Archivio Italiano Di Urologia E Andrologia, 93(3), 341–347. https://doi.org/10.4081/aiua.2021.3.341

PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.