title: Role of ejaculation in the treatment of chronic non-bacterial prostatitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic non-bacterial prostatitis (NBP) is the most common prostatitis syndrome. Prevention and cure are not possible because the cause of NBP is unknown. However, patients may benefit from supportive measures. The impact of the frequency of ejaculation alone on the course of NBP was evaluated in the present study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-four single male patients who avoided masturbation and extramarital sexual intercourse for personal and/or religious beliefs and who did not respond to a clinical trial of doxycycline hydrochloride therapy (200 mg daily for 4 weeks) directed against mycoplasmas, chlamydiae and ureaplasmas were enrolled in the study. They were encouraged to masturbate regularly at least twice a week and were re-evaluated at the end of a 6 month period, including a complete inquiry regarding their sexual function during this time. Response was assessed by a symptom severity index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Clinical and laboratory re-evaluation could be performed in 28 patients. Of 18 patients who adhered to the recommendations, two (11%) experienced complete relief of symptoms, whereas six (33%) had marked improvement, six had moderate improvement and four (22%) did not benefit. In contrast, three of seven patients who masturbated less frequently reported partial improvement. Three patients who did not ejaculate other than during wet dreams had a worse prognosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Young men who are single and suffering from NBP must be informed about their illness in detail and, if they are not doing so, they should be encouraged to ejaculate regularly, for example by masturbation in the absence of a sexual relationship with a partner. We believe that normal sexual activity decreases the incidence of NBP in some cases.
authors.affiliation: Uludağ University Department of Urology, Bursa, Turkey. ismet@uludag.edu.tr
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yavaşçaoğlu
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Oktay
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Simşek
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ozyurt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003075:Coitus; D004542:Ejaculation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008418:Masturbation; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000628:therapy*; D011776:Pyuria; D016896:Treatment Outcome