A smartphone app designed to address the underlying psychological causes of premature ejaculation can significantly improve sex life and delay ejaculation while offering a way to reduce the stigma surrounding the condition, researchers say.
Data from the CLIMACS study are presented today [Saturday 14 March 2026] at the Annual Conference of the European Association of Urology (EAU26) in London. It is the first study to test a digital approach to treating premature ejaculation at home.
The app teaches men various treatment techniques, tips and exercises designed by urologists and psychologists, as well as offers evidence-based information to men about the condition.
This guided training is designed to help men manage arousal and better control when they ejaculate. It includes mindfulness, arousal awareness exercises and cognitive behavioral therapy, as well as practical physical exercises to improve ejaculation control, such as the start-stop technique.
Premature ejaculation is a painful issue between the sheets and everyone’s experience is different. Men with the condition usually ejaculate earlier than desired during sex and within 60 seconds of penetration. It affects up to 30% of men, is highly stigmatized and only 9% of men seek medical help.
The causes of premature ejaculation are complex and include relationship issues and psychological factors such as anxiety, stress and depression. For many men, this leads to anxiety and performance anxiety and can affect relationships, but the most common treatments, such as pills or creams, only reduce the symptoms.
The German CLIMACS study examined whether information and therapeutic techniques taught to men through the Melonga® app could help delay ejaculation. The researchers recruited 80 men with no other underlying medical conditions to the 12-week program. They were given a series of health questionnaires about their physical and psychological experiences during sex and were asked to use a timer to measure the time from penetration to ejaculation. After 12 weeks, men in the control group – who had not been given any other support from the study to manage their condition – were offered access to the app and followed for 12 weeks. 66 patients submitted complete questionnaires.
For app users in the study, the total time from penetration to ejaculation doubled after 12 weeks, increasing by an average of 64 seconds (from 61 seconds to 125 seconds). Men in the control group saw an increase of just 0.5 seconds on average.
Men using the app reported significantly improved control of their ejaculation during sex, reduced ejaculation-related anxiety, and had a reduced impact on their relationship. There was also significant improvement in sex-related quality of life measures, such as enjoyment and confidence, in men using the app, compared to no change in the control group.
After 12 weeks, 22% of men who used the app no longer had premature ejaculation, based on self-reported measures.
The study’s lead researcher, Dr Christer Groeben from the University of Marburg and the Heidelberg Medical School at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, is presenting the study’s findings at EAU26. He said, “Many men living with premature ejaculation do not seek help because of the shame associated with the condition. Our study shows that, as a self-help tool at home, this can help men improve their ejaculation control and achieve a satisfying sex life without losing spontaneity.
“The most common over-the-counter treatments are only designed to treat the symptoms, not the cause, which means many men stop taking them after a while. These men can remain undertreated and live with a significant psychological burden that really starts to affect the quality of their relationships. Going to a doctor for help can be a big first step.
Dr Giorgio Russo, Associate Professor of Urology at the University of Catania, Italy, and President of the EAU’s Office of Young Academic Urologists, said: “There is a lot of information and misinformation out there about men who find they have premature ejaculation and so this app was devised by urologists and psychologists as a new, easily accessible and reliable advice to gather Research shows that it can completely cure almost the a quarter of the patients, which is a huge improvement because these men were treated without pills.
The final results of the CLIMACS study, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, are expected to be published later this year. The app is available in Ireland, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Belgium.
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