A narrative review of acupuncture for sexual dysfunction: perspective of traditional Chinese medicine

Despite the growing popularity of acupuncture for sexual dysfunction (SD) in the Western world, many clinicians struggle to understand the exact therapeutic mechanism of acupuncture which is based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This study aims to describe the fundamentals of acupuncture theory from TCM perspectives and its relevance to SD; evaluate the current state of acupuncture research within literature evidence; and critically analyze its therapeutic effects in premature ejaculation (PE), erectile dysfunction (ED), and female SD.

All published English-language SD clinical studies treated by acupuncture were searched in PubMed from database inception to 1 April 2024. Articles in non-English languages, case reports, letters, comments and review articles were excluded. Data accrued from the related studies were extracted by sample, disease, study type, age, acupoints, interventions and clinical outcomes.

Out of the 64 articles identified in the database, 15 studies were included in this final review. Acupuncture is effective in improving SD. Of the 114 acupoints identified, the ren meridian had the highest number of occurrences, followed by the liver meridian of foot-jueyin, the kidney meridian of foot-shaoyin, the stomach meridian of foot-yangming and the spleen meridian of foot-taiyin.

While acupuncture therapy has its characteristics in treating PE, ED, and female SD, the specific mechanisms should be further explored and validated in larger multicenter clinical trials.