Running and pelvic floor exercises could be an effective way to treat premature ejaculation, according to a comprehensive review of previous research.
Physical activity was found to have as beneficial an effect as drugs but without the associated side-effects, researchers who reviewed 54 studies found.
One small study established that running for 30 minutes five times a week had as much effect as dapoxetine, a commonly prescribed drug.
Another looked at carrying out pelvic floor exercises three times a day for three months, which increased the time taken to ejaculate from a median of one minute to three minutes.
Lead author Lee Smith, professor of public health at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: “We know premature ejaculation is a common complaint among men worldwide. The lack of a clear definition of what is or isn’t premature ejaculation has repercussions in terms of treatment, and there are relatively few effective drugs available.
“There are clear indications that physical exercise, including running and engaging the pelvic floor muscles, show promise in several studies. Given that drugs often have side-effects, it appears that after all, the best medicine for avoiding premature ejaculation may well lie in exercise, and this possibility requires larger studies and further investigation.”
The research, published in the journal Trends in Urology and Men’s Health, was based on a review of 54 studies involving 3,485 participants from across the world, published over the past 49 years. It notes that despite a high number of scientific research, “there is no general consensus on the gold standard for people suffering with this condition”, and that “no attempt has been made to collate and evaluate the literature on non-pharmacological interventions” previously, despite the clear benefits for patients.
Premature ejaculation is the most common sexual dysfunction for men, estimated to affect anywhere between 30% and 83% of men. The varying definitions and reluctance in some cultures to report the problem makes study design difficult.
There are few drugs for treating the condition, apart from the drug dapoxetine – which has to be taken one to three hours before sex – as well as local anaesthetics, clomipramine and tramadol, many of which have unpleasant side-effects.
The research also looked at approaches using various forms of psychotherapy, including sex therapy and couples’ therapy, which also showed generally positive results in delaying ejaculation time.
