Regular penis-root masturbation: a promising behavioral treatment method for lifelong premature ejaculation

Abstract Purpose Premature ejaculation (PE) is a common male sexual dysfunction. Various treatments have been proposed for PE, including pharmacotherapy, behavioral therapy (BT), and combined BT and pharmacotherapy. Although pharmacotherapy is accepted as the first-line treatment for lifelong PE, high rates of discontinuation occur due to variable efficacy and side effects. In this study, the efficacy of penis-root masturbation (PRM), a newly described BT technique, was investigated in patients in whom medical treatment for PE was not successful. Material and Methods The study included 35 patients aged 25-43 years, who were diagnosed with lifelong PE. Patients and their partners were informed about the PRM technique and asked to practice PRM three times a week for three months, with or without sexual intercourse. The patients' Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) scores and intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT) were recorded and compared before PRM training (T0) and at the third (T3) month after the start of PRM training. Results The mean±SD PEDT scores were 16.26±1.94 at T0, 10.63±1.14 at T3. When compared to T0, the PEDT values at T3 were significantly lower (p=0.021). In terms of IELT, the mean T3 values (192.43±56.71) were significantly longer (p=0.035) than at T0 (50.43±13.84 seconds). Conclusion PRM BT shows promise for lifelong PE patients who do not benefit from or discontinue to pharmacotherapy. Larger prospective trials are required to confirm these findings. Key words: Life-long premature ejaculation, penis root masturbation, behavioral therapy