Every time you turn on the TV or go online, it feels like you are inundated with ads for erectile dysfunction medication. And yet, there are still millions of men who are going untreated.
Many men don’t seek treatment because of social stigma and embarrassment, despite the University of Chicago reporting that the condition affects about 50 percent of men between the ages of 40 and 70.
This is a shame since not only are there plenty of medications on the market that can help manage symptoms, but there are other treatment options available too. There is penile Botox, pelvic floor exercises, and even the P-Shot.
We’ve already given you the lowdown on how Botox and exercise can help, but what about the P-Shot? What are the benefits and drawbacks, and should you book an appointment today?
What is the P-Shot?
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The P-Shot is a non-surgical male enhancement treatment where a small tube of a patient’s own blood is drawn and then spun in a centrifuge to create platelet-rich plasma (PRP) before being injected back into the patient. With the P-Shot, short for Priapus Shot, the PRP is injected into three main locations: multiple points along the shaft, one into the corpora cavernosa, and one at the base of the glans.
“The way I explain this to patients is with a gym analogy,” says Dr. Shiv Kumar Goel, who is the founder and medical director at Prime Vitality Wellness. “When you lift weights, you create small amounts of trauma to the muscle, and if you give it the right nutrients, the muscle rebuilds bigger and stronger. The corpora cavernosa contains smooth muscle cells. When we inject PRP, we’re creating a small amount of controlled trauma, but more importantly, we’re delivering the growth factors that signal those cells to repair, remodel, and improve their blood supply.”
The P-Shot is mainly used to promote tissue healing, microvascular remodeling, and nerve sensitivity, which can help to improve, restore, and enhance sexual performance.
“This natural injectable solution is ideal for men struggling with erectile dysfunction, decreased sensitivity, or performance issues,” says Chris Bustamante, an aesthetic nurse practitioner. Bustamante is also the owner and CEO of Lushful Aesthetics, a men's clinic that offers personalized P-Shot injections to help “men achieve harder, longer-lasting erections.”
Goel says he treats patients using the P-Shot in conjunction with “a medical-grade penile pump at a specific pressure for 10 minutes, twice a day, for a month following the procedure” alongside a prescription for low-dose daily Cialis for “older men or those with diabetes or other vascular issues.”
Who is a good candidate for the P-Shot?
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“The patients who do best are men with mild-to-moderate vasculogenic ED, post-SSRI, or post-finasteride sexual dysfunction, and men whose oral medications have plateaued," Goel explains. "Most see meaningful change by 8 to12 weeks, peaking around the three-month mark. The P-Shot doesn’t replace a real medical workup — if the underlying driver is low testosterone, untreated diabetes, severe pelvic floor dysfunction, or depression, PRP alone won’t fix it. The best results come from combining it with hormone optimization, the pump protocol, and the lifestyle work.”
Before getting the P-Shot, or any other alternative sexual dysfunction treatments, you should get a full medical workup to ensure there isn’t an underlying health problem causing the issue. Suzannah Weiss, a sex therapist and the resident sexologist at sex toy company Fleshy, warns that men looking to get the P-Shot should also examine the root cause in case it’s more of a mental issue than a physical one.
“I often advise people, before seeking potentially risky solutions like this to sexual problems, to go to sex therapy and learn natural techniques to treat ED and other sexual dysfunctions, including mindfulness and sensate focus,” she says. “In addition, sometimes sexual issues reflect relationship issues, so the priority is resolving conflicts with the partner and creating a sense of emotional safety. Sometimes, the cause of sexual difficulties is mental or emotional, so a physical solution is not always appropriate, especially if there is the potential of unwanted side effects.”
How will the P-Shot improve your sex life?
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Look, there are plenty of things you can do in the sack that don’t involve your penis, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want it to be part of the action — especially if you’re a top. Modern medicine is a beautiful thing, and now you have the option of trying the P-Shot to help you get harder and longer-lasting erections.
“P-Shot is a revolutionary solution for enhancing erection firmness and longevity, improving sensitivity and sexual pleasure, supporting natural erectile function without medications, increasing blood flow and stimulating tissue regeneration, and supporting recovery from Peyronie’s Disease or penile trauma,” Bustamente says.
The injections can provide meaningful improvement for people with erectile dysfunction, but Goel says his patients also report feeling like “the glans and shaft start feeling more ‘online’ during sex” within 4 to 8 weeks after getting the P-Shot.
“For queer men specifically, sex isn’t just about whether penetration happens — it’s about confidence, sensitivity, recovery time between encounters, and how present you feel during intimacy,” he says. “Patients tell me their erections are firmer and last longer, the glans feels more sensitive, and they bounce back faster between rounds.”
Some people also get the injections in the hopes of enhancing the size of their penis, but Goel says that while it can help with girth, if you’re looking for dramatic results, you’re better off getting penis filler.
“What patients perceive — and what they consistently report — is an increase in girth and fullness compared to before,” he says. “That’s a real perception, but it’s coming from improved circulation and healthier tissue, not from physically adding volume. So when patients say ‘it feels bigger,’ they’re not wrong, but the mechanism is vascular and tissue-quality, not enlargement. Anyone promising actual size gains from PRP alone is overselling it. That’s a filler conversation.”
Is the P-Shot becoming more popular among gay and bisexual men?
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Much like other sexual wellness procedures like HoleTox, Scrotox, and penile Botox, queer men are generally seeking the P-Shot out more than straight men.
“The LGBTQ+ community is especially in the know due to greater sex positivity and awareness of sexual trends as well as the lesser stigma among gay and bi men compared to straight men around body alterations,” explains Weiss. “There is a culture among queer men where sexual performance is seen as important and men are more often evaluated as objects of sexual desire, which may increase the desire to improve one’s sexual functioning.”
This may be true, but Bustamente says that lately he’s also been seeing “an increase in heterosexual men seeking treatments as well.”
Goel says that “the taboo around men’s sexual wellness has been breaking down faster in queer communities than in straight ones," but that there still isn’t enough awareness about regenerative injections. Instead of using treatment options like the P-Shot, he says a lot of gay and bi men are risking their lives by taking large doses of erectile dysfunction medications without doctor supervision.
“There’s a lack of awareness about regenerative options, and at the same time, high doses of Viagra and Cialis are being passed around — sometimes sold informally on dating and hookup apps — without medical supervision,” Goel warns. “That carries real cardiovascular morbidity, especially when combined with poppers or other substances. The P-Shot is a natural alternative — it uses the patient’s own biology, doesn’t require planning ahead before sex, and doesn’t carry the cardiac risk profile of repeatedly mega-dosing PDE5 inhibitors.”
How much does it cost?
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The P-Shot will run you anywhere from $1200 to $2500, depending on who is performing the procedure and what is included.
“I charge around $2,000 at Prime Vitality Wellness, but that’s not just an injection,” Goel says. "It includes the initial consultation, the pre-procedure lab workup (testosterone, free testosterone, estradiol, metabolic panel, and others as indicated), the procedure itself, the medical-grade penile pump, prescriptions if indicated (like the low-dose Cialis), and follow-up visits.”
The procedure may be expensive, but results last 12 to 18 months, with some patients receiving annual maintenance P-Shots.
“Many patients experience noticeable results after a single injection; however, a follow-up series or combination therapies may be recommended for even more enhanced outcomes,” Bustamante says. “P-Shot results may last up to a year or longer, depending on lifestyle, health, and combination therapies like vacuum or shockwave therapy.”
What are the side effects?
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Risks and side effects are minimal if you go to a reputable provider and have a full medical workup beforehand so that you know what is causing your ED and whether or not you have any underlying health conditions, like a problem with your heart.
“Because we’re using the patient’s own blood, allergic and rejection reactions are essentially off the table,” Goel says. “That’s the safety advantage of PRP. The realistic risks are the ones that come with any injection: temporary bruising, mild swelling, soreness for 24 to 48 hours, and rarely a small hematoma.”
Bustamente says that serious complications are very rare, but most patients are likely to have “some temporary swelling, mild bruising, or soreness at the injection sites.”
It’s also important to remember that the P-Shot is still considered an off-label use of PRP and is not FDA-approved to treat erectile dysfunction.
Sources cited:
Chris Bustamante is an aesthetic nurse practitioner, as well as the owner and CEO of Lushful Aesthetics.
Dr. Shiv Kumar Goel is the founder and medical director at Prime Vitality Wellness.
Suzannah Weiss is a sex therapist and the resident sexologist at sex toy company Fleshy.
Why would someone do this to someone they are dating or married to?Aleksey Matrenin/Shutterstock
