Pelvic Floor Exercises Effective in Treating Premature Ejaculation in Men

A new study states pelvic floor exercises are effective in treating men who suffer from premature ejaculation.

Also known as rapid ejaculation or early ejaculation, premature ejaculation (PE) is a common cause of sexual dysfunction in men. Though there are certain treatments available, most of them don't seem to be effective enough. In the United States, PE affects 1 in 5 men of ages 18-59.

Most often the perceptions linked to PE are subjective as men mostly assume they have PE inappropriately. PE, according to the International Society of Sexual Medicine is 'ejaculation within a minute'.

The current study led by Dr. Antonio Pastore at the Sapienza University of Rome showed for the first time how pelvic floor exercise help in treating lifelong premature ejaculation. The finding is based on the study conducted on a group of 40 men of ages 19-46 who were suffering from PE. As a part of the study, these subjects were trained to exercise their pelvic floor muscles over a 12-week period.

The time taken to orgasm was also measured.  Prior to this, the men had tried several therapies but did not see any improvement in the condition. At the beginning of the trial, the average ejaculation time was 31.7 seconds. There was a four- fold increase in the average ejaculation time at the end of 12 weeks.  After performing the pelvic floor exercise the time increased to 146.2 seconds.

Out of 40 men, 33 experienced significant improvement in 12 weeks. No major improvement was seen in five men. Two men dropped out of the trial early after showing an improvement. The six month trial was continued by 13 of the 33 patients and they confirmed that that with the help of pelvic floor exercises, they were able to maintain the extended ejaculation time.

According to Dr Pastore, "This is a small study, so the effects need to be verified in a bigger trial. Nevertheless, the results are very positive. The rehabilitation exercises are easy to perform, with no reported adverse effects. Previously the men in the trial had tried a variety of treatments, including creams, behavioural therapy, SSRIs and psychological treatments - with little success. However, we found that 33 of the 40 men in our trial improved their ejaculation time within 12 weeks. We also found that the fact that the men were able to improve their sex-lives through their own efforts helped their self-confidence."

This new treatment promises to offer major benefits compared to the other existing techniques. It not just saves men from unwanted side effects but is also a cost saving technique to tackle the condition.

Speaking for the European Association of Urology, Professor Carlo Bettocchi (Bari) said; "This is an interesting study. Premature ejaculation is a real problem for many men, and any way which we can find to help this condition is welcome. This method particularly welcome because it is the sufferers themselves who overcome the problem through their own efforts - which will have additional psychological benefits".

It will be published after peer-review in the journal of Urology.