Patients often ask us if they can have sex with kidney stones. Let's get straight to the point because this is a hot topic... Yes, you can! And what's more, if practiced enough, it could be the best "medication" to expel them. ;)
If you want to learn a new excuse to have sex with your partner tonight, keep reading.
A Groundbreaking Clinical Study
In 2015, researchers from Ankara Training and Research Hospital (Turkey) set out to determine whether sexual activity in male patients could promote the expulsion of kidney stones in the ureter.
To do this, they conducted an interesting study with 90 male patients aged 20-40, whom they divided into 3 groups.
- Patients in Group 1 were asked to have sex 3 times a week.
- Patients in Group 2 were given tamsulosin (0.4 mg daily).
- Patients in Group 3 received their usual medication.
All 3 groups of patients were evaluated at 2 and 4 weeks to determine how many patients in each group had expelled their stones.
Surprising Results
The study results were surprising. Although the average stone size in all groups was the same (approximately 5 mm), the ratio of patients who expelled their stones after 2 weeks in Group 1 was 83.9%, compared to 47.6% in Group 2 and 34.8% in Group 3.
Group 1 also showed better results when analyzing the average expulsion time; 10 days in Group 1, 16.6 days in Group 2, and 18 days in Group 3, and when analyzing the need for painkiller injections; which was lower in Group 1.
The researchers concluded that having sex at least 3 times a week is the best medicine to facilitate the spontaneous expulsion of ureteral stones smaller than 6 mm.
But why can sex facilitate stone expulsion?
According to the researchers of this study, one explanation is that the nitric oxide released during male erection and sexual activity can relax the ureteral muscle, facilitating the spontaneous expulsion of small ureteral stones.
The reality is that more studies are needed to corroborate these results, but in the meantime, you have a perfect excuse to ask your partner for more sex. It's up to you whether to confess that you've expelled the stone or keep it a secret for a couple more weeks. ;)
References
Doluoglu, O. G., Demirbas, A., Kilinc, M. F., Karakan, T., Kabar, M., Bozkurt, S., & Resorlu, B. (2015). Can Sexual Intercourse Be an Alternative Therapy for Distal Ureteral Stones? A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Study. Urology.
