Do Kegels Work for Erectile Dysfunction? What 3 Studies Found [CURRENT_MONTH_YEAR]

Yes. A randomized controlled trial – the gold standard of clinical research – found that 40% of men with ED fully regained normal erectile function through pelvic floor exercises alone. No medication.

Here's the evidence.

Study 1: Dorey et al. (2005) – The Landmark Trial

Published in BJU International, this is the most rigorous clinical evidence for kegels and ED:

• Design: Randomized controlled trial (the highest level of clinical evidence)
• Participants: Men with erectile dysfunction for at least 6 months
• Protocol: Pelvic floor exercises plus lifestyle modifications (limiting alcohol, losing weight if overweight, being physically active)
• Results after 3 months:
  • 40% regained normal erectile function (no medication needed)
  • 35.5% improved significantly (but didn't fully recover)
  • 24.5% showed no change
• Additional finding: 65.5% of participants also had post-void dribble (leaking after urination), which was resolved by the same training

Key detail: Morning erections returned 1-4 weeks before functional improvement during sex. This is a leading indicator – if your morning erections start coming back, the training is working even if you haven't seen performance changes yet.

Study 2: Lavoisier et al. (2014)

An observational study of 230 men with either ED or PE:

• Protocol: 20 sessions of structured pelvic floor training with biofeedback
• Results: 87% of ED patients and 88% of PE patients showed positive trends in pelvic floor muscle function
• Sessions involved approximately 300 contractions per 30-minute clinical session – far more intensive than home training, but demonstrating the muscle's capacity for improvement

Study 3: Myers & Smith (2019) – Systematic Review

A systematic review analyzing 10 trials with 668 total participants:

• Finding: Pelvic floor muscle training is effective for both ED and PE
• Key insight: Physical biofeedback (feeling the muscle work through devices or haptic cues) produces better results than verbal instruction alone
• Recommendation: Combination approaches (pelvic floor training plus lifestyle changes) show the strongest results

How Pelvic Floor Exercises Help Erections

The mechanism is straightforward: the ischiocavernosus and bulbocavernosus muscles – muscles of the pelvic floor – compress the veins that drain blood from the penis during erection. When these muscles are strong, they maintain higher pressure, keeping the erection firmer. When they're weak, blood drains faster and the erection is less rigid.

Training these muscles increases their strength and endurance, improving their ability to maintain blood flow pressure during arousal.

Kegels vs Medication

Pelvic floor training and ED medication (PDE5 inhibitors like Viagra and Cialis) work through different mechanisms. Medication increases blood flow. Exercises strengthen the muscles that retain blood flow. They can work independently or complement each other.

Some men in the Dorey study were able to achieve normal function without medication. Others improved but continued medication at a reduced dose. The combination approach – training plus medication as needed – showed the strongest results in the Myers systematic review.

Important: Never stop or reduce medication without discussing it with your doctor. This is a medical decision that requires professional guidance. (Learn about training options in our complete exercise guide.)

Choosing an App for ED

Based on the evidence, an ED-focused kegel app should:

1. Emphasize sustained maximum-effort holds – the Dorey protocol used slow-twitch endurance training, not rapid pulses
2. Include progressive difficulty – building from basic activation to advanced endurance over weeks
3. Adapt the protocol for ED specifically – not the same generic workout everyone else gets
4. Support 12+ weeks of consistent training – the minimum timeline the studies used

Kegel King implements the Dorey protocol with ED-specific exercise ratios and progressive difficulty across 25 levels. See our full comparison of kegel apps for how it stacks up.