Yoga Improves Premature Ejaculation

Premature ejaculation (also known as rapid ejaculation) occurs in 20 to 30 percent of men. SSRI antidepressants such as fluoxetine (Prozac) are commonly prescribed to help delay ejaculation. Now research reports that yoga practice can improve premature ejaculation in men more effectively than SSRI drug treatment.

The Study

The study, published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, compared the effects of yoga practice and fluoxetine (Prozac) SSRI drug treatment in men with premature ejaculation. Researchers from All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India, administered either fluoxetine (Prozac) or yoga to 68 men with premature ejaculation attending an outpatient psychiatric program. Three men dropped out of the yoga group due to scheduling problems. The researchers evaluated the participants' premature ejaculation with subjective and objective assessment tools including psychological tests, questionnaires and study diaries.

The Results

The researchers found that yoga was a more effective treatment than SSRI drug Prozac. Findings revealed that 100 percent of the men in the yoga group reported improvement in premature ejaculation and sexual satisfaction, compared to 82 percent of the drug group.

"Yoga appears to be a feasible, safe, effective and acceptable nonpharmacological option for premature ejaculation," the study authors conclude. "More studies involving larger patients could be carried out to establish its utility in this condition."

The Main Point

This study is significant because it suggests that yoga can help improve premature ejaculation and enhance men's sexual satisfaction. One way yoga practice may help improve premature ejaculation is by turning on the parasympathetic nervous system's relaxation response.

The sympathetic nervous system activates the ejaculatory reflex, while the parasympathetic controls ejaculatory response. Since yoga turns on the parasympathetic nervous system, this may help men have more ejaculatory control during intercourse.

Yoga practice may also help promote sexual function by increasing circulation through the pelvis, improving the health of the reproductive organs and strengthening the sexual system.

Sources

Dhikav V et al. Yoga in premature ejaculation: a comparative trial with fluoxetine. J Sex Med 2007 Nov;4(6):1726-32..

Gavalas, Elaine. The Yoga Minibook for Longevity. Simon & Schuster Fireside. elainegavalas.com .

Gavalas, Elaine. The Yoga Minibook for Stress Relief. Simon & Schuster Fireside. elainegavalas.com .