Pastore et al. – Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation for Premature Ejaculation
Citation
Pastore AL, Palleschi G, Fuschi A, Maggioni C, Rago R, Zucchi A, Costantini E, Carbone A. Pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation for patients with lifelong premature ejaculation: a novel therapeutic approach. Therapeutic Advances in Urology. 2014 Jun;6(3):83–88. View on PubMed →
Study Overview
This study examined whether a structured pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation program could help men with lifelong premature ejaculation (PE) gain better control over ejaculation timing, using rehabilitation techniques adapted from those used to treat urinary and fecal incontinence.
Methodology Summary
Forty men with lifelong PE (baseline intravaginal ejaculatory latency time, or IELT, of one minute or less) underwent a 12-week program combining pelvic floor exercises, electrostimulation, and biofeedback. IELT was measured before and after the 12-week program to assess whether ejaculatory control had improved.
Key Findings
- 33 of the 40 men (82.5%) gained control of their ejaculatory reflex by the end of the 12-week program.
- Mean IELT increased substantially, from a baseline in the tens of seconds to a mean of approximately 146 seconds (about 2.5 minutes) at the end of treatment.
- No adverse effects were reported from the rehabilitation exercises themselves.
- The authors proposed pelvic floor rehabilitation as a non-drug therapeutic option for lifelong PE.
Limitations
- Small sample size (40 men) and no control group — everyone in the study received the same treatment, so it's not a randomized comparison against a placebo or against no treatment.
- Treatment combined three techniques (exercises, electrostimulation, biofeedback), so this single study can't isolate how much benefit came from pelvic floor exercises alone versus the added electrostimulation and biofeedback.
- Short follow-up window (12 weeks) — long-term durability of the improvement wasn't assessed.
- Findings come from one research group and would benefit from independent replication in larger, controlled trials.
Practical Meaning
This is one of the main studies supporting pelvic floor rehabilitation as an option for lifelong premature ejaculation. The results are promising, but the lack of a control group and the combination with electrostimulation/biofeedback mean the effect of pelvic floor exercises done alone, at home, without clinical equipment, is less certain than these numbers alone suggest.
Men with lifelong PE who want to try a structured, non-drug approach may reasonably consider pelvic floor training as part of a broader plan, ideally with guidance from a pelvic floor physical therapist who can incorporate biofeedback — while understanding that most published evidence, including this study, involved supervised, multi-component treatment rather than exercises alone.