Premature Ejaculation

Premature ejaculation is a sexual condition that occurs when a man ejaculates earlier than he or his partner would like him to during sexual activity. It interferes with sexual as well as psychological factors for both men and their partners. Some men also achieve orgasm in response to minimal sexual stimulation and in the absence of vaginal penetration; this can also be labelled as premature ejaculation.

The average time before ejaculation during sexual activity differs for everyone. While some men last for couple of minutes, others are able to hold their ejaculation for more than 20. Men who can normally last for more than 5 minutes during sex may suffer from premature ejaculation if they ejaculate quicker. Similarly, men who normally last for 20 minutes before ejaculating may complain if they ejaculate in a shorter period during sexual activity. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the cut-off point for men who suffer from premature ejaculation and those who don't.

You can find out more about premature ejaculation, its causes and treatments, below.

What is premature ejaculation?

Premature ejaculation is a common sexual problem which 30% of men suffer from. It is a highly dissatisfying and distressing condition. If you suffer from premature ejaculation you may also experience psychological factors such as low self-esteem and anxiety. It is sometimes characterised as ejaculating during sex before a woman reaches orgasm, or ejaculating in only 8 to 15 vaginal thrusts. However, scientists and researchers define premature ejaculation as a condition wherein men achieve orgasm in about 120 seconds or 2 minutes. If these conditions affect you, you may wish to seek treatment for premature ejaculation.

Causes of premature ejaculation

Several factors can cause premature ejaculation. Stress, low confidence, neurological problems, vascular conditions, spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, certain medications, guilt, fear, performance anxiety and interpersonal issues are common causes of premature ejaculation. Inexperienced, young men are most likely to face this problems during sex. If you are new to sexual intercourse or faced with a young and inexperienced partner, you could also suffer from premature ejaculation. This problem however is temporary and should go away with time.

Find out the cause of your problem, before you seek premature ejaculation treatment.

Determine the following issues before you go to a doctor for premature ejaculation treatment:

• Is the problem caused due to psychological factors or a combination of psychological and physical factors?
• Is the problem lifelong or have you been experiencing it recently?
• Does it occur regularly or is situational?

Treatment for premature ejaculation

It becomes easier to opt for selective premature ejaculation treatment if you know the cause behind it. For instance, if your problem is psychological in nature, you can opt for counselling or psychotherapy. If you rule out psychological factors, then you may seek other premature ejaculation treatments. The 'stop and start' method and the ‘squeeze’ method are 2 other common behavioural techniques. However, these 2 techniques are not highly desirable, in which case you may wish to look for pharmacological premature ejaculation treatments.

Doctors can prescribe anti-depressants for premature ejaculation treatment off-label. There is now a new drug on the horizon for premature ejaculation treatment, so there is hope if you suffer from this problem. The new drug Priligy is approved for sale in 2 European countries. Consult a doctor to find out if you can use this premature ejaculation treatment when it becomes more widely available.