What protocols did the studies use?
The trials that put shockwave for ED on the map used 12 sessions. Later studies have tried shorter courses, and the details vary from device to device.
| Study | Men | Sessions | When the result was judged |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 sham-controlled trial, men who responded to ED pills | 67 | 12 | 1 month after the final session |
| 2016 sham-controlled trial, men who did not respond to ED pills | 58 | 12, each 1,500 pulses | 1 month after the final session |
| Cleveland Clinic description of clinical practice | n/a | A series spanning more than a month, about 15 minutes each | Not specified |
In the 2012 trial, men who had the real treatment improved their erectile function scores by an average of 6.7 points, against 3.0 with sham. In the 2016 trial of men for whom pills had stopped working, 54.1% could achieve an erection firm enough for penetration (with their pills) after treatment, compared with none in the sham group.
What schedule does Ultimate Male use?
Ultimate Male’s course is six to twelve sessions over several weeks, then maintenance only if it is needed. Each session takes about 20 minutes in a private room, with no anesthesia and no downtime. Our guide to what to expect at a shockwave session walks through a visit.
Where you land in that range depends on the evaluation. The factors your provider weighs include how severe your ED is, whether pills still help, whether diabetes or another vascular condition is involved, and how you respond in the first weeks. The number is set for you, not picked from a menu.
When do maintenance sessions come up?
When the benefit starts to fade, which happens in some men and not others. In a two-year follow-up of men who had responded to shockwave, about half still had the benefit at two years. Men with milder ED and no diabetes held on to it more often: 76% kept the benefit at two years. Men with severe ED faded sooner.
Cleveland Clinic puts the usual duration at about one to two years. So maintenance is not built in from day one; it is a decision made at follow-up, based on whether your symptoms are returning. Our page on how long shockwave results last covers this in detail.
When can you judge whether it worked?
About a month after the final session. That is when both 12-session trials took their first measurement, and judging earlier risks underestimating the result. Keep a simple record of erection quality before you start so the comparison is honest.
It is also fair to know the limits going in. Shockwave is not FDA-cleared for ED, and the AUA guideline still calls it investigational. A 2026 systematic review of restorative ED therapies found that most studies used focused shockwave, that results against sham were mixed, and that treatment protocols varied too much to name a single correct course. No session count can promise a result, and a longer series is not automatically a better one.
Related question: am I the right candidate?
Session count matters less than whether shockwave suits your type of ED. Our page on who is a good candidate for shockwave explains which men tend to respond, and our comparison of shockwave vs ED pills helps if you are deciding between the two.
Your next step at Ultimate Male
Book the free 10-minute phone call, then labs at our San Gabriel or Downey clinic and a consultation with a PA-C or MD. If shockwave fits, you will know your planned number of sessions, how they are spaced and when your progress will be reviewed before the first one. Learn more on our shockwave therapy page.
