Premature Ejaculation
What is premature ejaculation?
Premature ejaculation, or PE as it is commonly know, is a condition where by its sufferers are unable to maintain an erection during penetrative sex due to them ejaculation too quickly. Although it is difficult to categorically define what is considered as premature ejaculation, with varying opinions ranging from ejaculating within a number of thrusts to being able to hold an orgasm for less than two minutes qualifying you as a sufferer, it is widely excepted that if you ejaculate sooner than you’d like and are unable to control when you ejaculate that you may indeed be a sufferer of this condition.
The condition is most prevalent amongst young men, which is by new means surprising as with age the ability to control an orgasm can drastically improve as a result of continual practice. However, there are still a large number of older men who still find themselves unable to exercise the level of control required to prolong their orgasms.
How common is premature ejaculation?
Premature ejaculation as a condition is increasingly common, although there is some debate on how many PE sufferers there may be. The lack of clarity seen within these figures can be directly attributed to the nature of the condition, with many men unwilling to seek help or advice about their condition due to the intimate and some times embarrassing nature of this problem. Recent studies have hinted at as many as 1 in 3 men may suffer, at least occasionally, with this problem throughout their lifetimes.
What are the causes of premature ejaculation?
For many years the medical community have been trying to pin point the exact cause behind premature ejaculation, without too much success. There are however a number of possible factors which can effect the time in which it takes a man to ejaculate. We will start with the most common and obvious one, Anxiety of some sort can played a major part in the developing of this condition. Generally, if a man is nervous about a particular sexual encounter or is suffering from other psychological ailments including stress, resulting from either the situation or in general. Many men who find that there PE is caused as a result of this find that a small amount of alcohol is sufficient enough to prolong there erection with little difficulty. There are of course other reasons, these can include early conditioning, where it is thought that previous sexual encounters which may have had to be rushed in a bid of concealment may have caused an individual to learn how to ejaculate faster that normal, as well as simply not being able to identify the ‘point of inevitability’. This is where a man is unable to successfully identify the early signs that they are about to ejaculate and so are unable to exercise any control in time to prevent an orgasm. This is by far the most common cause of the condition, however there has also been some research to indicate a possible hereditary link although this is not by any means conclusive.
What are the health impacts of premature ejaculation?
Premature ejaculation can be a very stressful and demoralising condition to have, due to its intimate and embarrassing nature. Many sufferers can develop psychological ailments as a direct result of their condition, including forms of depression and anxiety. These conditions can be very serious and can, if left untreated, develop into other physical problems including aches and pains, loss of appetite, constant tiredness or insomnia as well as a lack of sex drive.
How is premature ejaculation treated?
Presently, the treatment options for people with premature ejaculation are limited, with drug therapy currently in its final stages and not yet released. Dapoxetine, the drug therapy mentioned, will be the first of its kind when it finally reaches the market towards the end of this year. It is basically a low dose anti-depressant SSRI drug, which have historically had the unexpected side effect of prolonged ejaculation on male patients. However, there are alternative options for sufferers available, most commonly special condoms or gels which work by numbing the penis to prevent feeling which can prolong ejaculation considerably. There are drawbacks with this method, most notably the reduction of sensation experienced during sexual intercourse which can have a negative impact on not only the sexual experience but also in some cases their relationship as a whole.