The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives dramatically. With ‘work from home' being the norm, couples see each other more than usual. But they are not having a lot of sex, says noted sexologist Prakash Kothari.
Fear of contracting COVID-19 from the partner is the single most reason for avoiding conjugal sex, says Kothari, who has over five decades of experience in sexology.
People are masturbating more during the pandemic, he says. “They look at pornographic material, clips and films that are easily available now and indulge in solo sex.”
Sexual response includes three components—desire, arousal (erection in men and lubrication in women), and orgasm,” explains Kothari. “Post COVID-19 anxiety, depression and psychosis do lead to a decline in desire which, in turn, may cause erectile dysfunction. Desire and arousal do get affected during the pandemic. That said, the ability of orgasmic pleasure remains unaltered.’’
COVID-19 could take a toll on a survivor’s sexual life. “Physical fatigue, general weakness and pulmonary problems (breathing difficulty) may severely affect erectile dysfunction,” he says.
Do vaccines affect libido? “Not at all. Vaccines don’t cause any decline in desire. Quality of erection and pleasure at the time of orgasm remain unaltered,” says Kothari, adding that indulgence has increased among the partners post vaccination. “However, people who are vaccinated also sometimes get infected and the fear doesn’t go away completely. There are people having multiple partners. If a person gets COVID-19, his partners may also get infected. So, people are tremendously worried.’’
Following concerns over COVID-19 vaccines leading to infertility, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had recently clarified in an official release that vaccines are authorised for use only after their safety and efficacy are assured.