Overview of the relevant literature on the possible role of acupuncture in treating male sexual dysfunction

Objective: To systematically review scientific reports on the effectiveness of acupuncture to treat male sexual dysfunction. Methods: The Medline database was searched for published clinical trials of acupuncture for erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation (PE) with English abstracts. Risk of bias was assessed for randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Results: Seven studies on two conditions of male sexual dysfunction met the inclusion criteria. Three out of four RCTs were patient-blinded, but all had a high risk of bias. Three suggested that acupuncture has a therapeutic effect as compared with sham acupuncture. Comparisons with paroxetine were inconsistent. Other uncontrolled studies and case series suggested satisfactory improvements of ED and PE after acupuncture. Conclusions: Acupuncture appears to have promise for treating male sexual dysfunction, but in view of the small number of studies and their variable quality, doubts remain about its effectiveness. Further studies are justified.