Acupuncture for premature ejaculation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Area of Science:

• Integrative and Complementary Medicine
• Men's Health
• Urology

Background:

• Premature ejaculation (PE) is a common condition affecting men's sexual health.
• Acupuncture is a frequently utilized treatment for PE, yet its efficacy is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for treating premature ejaculation (PE).
• To synthesize findings from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing acupuncture with other treatments or sham acupuncture.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of 11 major English and Chinese databases was conducted for RCTs on acupuncture for PE.
• The GRADEpro tool was used to assess the quality of evidence across the included studies.
• Outcome measures included intravaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT), PE diagnostic tools (PEDT, CIPE-5), and treatment success rates.

Main Results:

• Acupuncture significantly improved IELT and PEDT scores compared to sham acupuncture.
• Compared to other treatments, acupuncture combined with other therapies improved IELT, CIPE-5 scores, and treatment success rates.
• Acupuncture was associated with lower CIPE-5 scores compared to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, but evidence quality was low.

Conclusions:

• Acupuncture demonstrates a significant effect on several subjective parameters of PE, particularly when used adjunctively.
• The current evidence base is limited by the low quality of included RCTs.
• Larger, well-designed RCTs are required to confirm the therapeutic role of acupuncture in PE management.