Efficacy of sexual intercosurse in the spontaneous passage of distal or intramural ureteral stones: a randomsized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: The role of sexual intercourse as an alternative treatment approach for ureteral stones (UTSs) is a recent area of investigation with only small sample-sized studies. This study aims to evaluate the role of sexual intercourse in the spontaneous passage of distal or intramural UTSs via a larger sample size. Materials and methods: The study population included cases that had either a distal ureteric or an intramural radiopaque stone. The patients were divided into two groups; group A was instructed to engage in sexual intercourse two to three times per week while also receiving symptomatic treatment for 4 weeks. Group B received symptomatic treatment alone and was instructed to abstain from sexual intercourse or masturbation for the same period. Results: A total of 160 male patients were enrolled in this study. The ages of the patients ranged from 21 to 58 years. The rate of stone expulsion after 2 weeks was 68.18% in group A and 53% in group B (P=0.053). The expulsion rate after 4 weeks was 80% in group A and 68.4% in group B (P=0.072). The mean expulsion time was 13.9±5.4 days for the experimental group and 15.2±6.7 days for the control group (P=0.179). The experimental group required fewer analgesic injections in comparison to the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: While the role of sexual intercourse in facilitating the passage of distal or intramural UTSs cannot be fully established, it may aid to some extent. However, it should not be relied upon as a standalone treatment modality.