A lot of men around the world would be suffering from a common sexual dysfunction called premature ejaculation. The condition may arise due to several physical, medical, and psychological reasons.
Thus, men should have a brief idea of different symptoms, causes, and treatments related to premature ejaculation to experience satisfactory sexual activities.
This article will cover all the essential information associated with premature ejaculation that a man should know for the best response to the condition.
What Is Premature Ejaculation?
Premature ejaculation is a sexual dysfunction in which a man ejaculates before or immediately after penetration. Such a condition may vary among patients depending on the severity, i.e., mild, moderate, and severe.
Generally, people suffering from mild PE may ejaculate between 30-60 seconds of penetration. But, moderate premature ejaculation may make a man ejaculate within 15-30 seconds.
Patients with severe premature ejaculation problems may ejaculate within 15 seconds or during foreplay or minimum sexual sensations. Premature ejaculation has been classified into two categories, i.e., lifelong and acquired.
- Lifelong PE could be defined as a man having premature ejaculation problems almost always since his first sexual experience.
- Acquired PE could be defined as a man having acquired or developed premature ejaculation at a later stage in his life.
Premature ejaculation isn’t a rare sexual dysfunction, as most men may be affected by premature ejaculation at some point in their life.
Usually, one-third of adult males experience a condition with varying severity. But, it could be recovered with immediate diagnosis and medication.
Symptoms
Premature ejaculation could be identified by observing specific changes in an individual’s sexual life. The symptoms related to premature ejaculation could be physical and psychological, which are as follows:
- A man experiences early ejaculation before or immediately after penetration during sexual activities.
- A man fails to control and delay ejaculation every time after penetration.
- Some other observable symptoms include avoidance of sexual intimacy, frustration, and other psychological effects.
Generally, the psychological symptoms observed due to premature ejaculation are considered secondary. These symptoms could be seen in both man and his partner.Some of the psychological symptoms observed due to premature ejaculation problems include:
- Decreasing confidence during intimacy
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Embarrassment
- Issues between the man and his partner
Causes
Premature ejaculation in men may occur due to several reasons. But no particular reason for faster ejaculation has been mentioned. It is believed that the common causes of premature ejaculation could be psychological and physical.
Psychological Causes
An individual’s mental health may impact his orgasm and ejaculation duration after penetration. Generally, people suffer from stress, anxiety, depression, poor self-esteem, guilt, low confidence, etc.
Besides, some men with a history of sexual abuse, either as the culprit, victim, or survivor, may experience such a sexual health condition.
Sexual performance anxiety could be another potential cause of premature education and erectile dysfunction in men.
In such a condition, men experience nervousness or anxiety on or before sexual activities. Thus, they fail to relax and enjoy leading to severe conditions like premature ejaculation.
Physical Causes
Some physical causes of premature ejaculation include:
- Changes In Hormone Levels
Abnormal increase or decrease in certain hormone levels may cause premature ejaculation.
These hormones include prolactin, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH).Moreover, changes in some other hormone levels, like oxytocin, may cause ejaculation problems as they regulate orgasm and ejaculation through the central, spinal, and peripheral mechanisms.
- Serotonin Levels
Serotonin deficiency has been another potential cause of premature ejaculation in men.
It is believed that people with PE may have low serotonin concentrations between nerves in the brain that controls orgasm and ejaculation.Thus, lower concentrations restrict the signal transfer resulting in symptoms of premature ejaculation.
- Infection Or Inflammation In Certain Regions
Some men with infection or inflammation affecting the urethra or prostate may experience problems with ejaculation.
Moreover, such conditions may impact an individual’s sexual function. - Responsible Genes
A gene called 5-HTTLPR could be responsible for regulating serotonin levels and their activity, thus, controlling the duration of ejaculation.
The 5-HTTLPR gene contains three allele pairs or genes, including LL, SS, and SL. It is believed that people with LL ejaculate faster than the other two genes.
- Changes In Hormone Levels
Medical Causes
Some men suffering from certain medical conditions may experience premature ejaculation problems. Some of these medical conditions cause PE are listed below:
- Prostate Disease
- Diabetes
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Thyroid Disease
- Drug Abuse or Excessive Alcohol Consumption
Treatments
Stop-Start Method
It is a convenient method to avoid premature ejaculation in men. An individual is advised to stop sexual activities just before ejaculation to reset and control arousal during such a technique.
Stopping or pausing allows for lowering the level of arousal that helps delay ejaculation. You may continue to restart the sexual activity after returning to the normal state.
Pause-Squeeze Technique
Healthcare professionals highly advise the pause-squeeze technique to delay ejaculation in men.
In such a technique, men are allowed to have penetrative intercourse until they get the ejaculation sensation.Then, the patient or the partner is advised to squeeze the penis end, i.e., the joining point of the glans penis and shaft, until the urge to ejaculate fades away.
You may continue the technique a few times a day to make a habit of delayed ejaculation. But, excessive squeezing may cause pain or discomfort in the penis.
Reducing Sensitivity
Lowering penis sensitivity could help delay ejaculation in men. Generally, such a reduction could be achieved by using thick barriers like condoms resulting in low sensation.
Moreover, some people prefer using local anesthetics like gels, sprays, topical creams, etc., which may help suppress the feeling.
You may reduce the sensation by masturbating or ejaculating just before sexual activities.
Such a technique may help delay an individual’s ejaculation period.
Lowering The Tempo
People struggling with mild or low premature ejaculation symptoms may recover themselves by lowering the tempo during sexual intercourse.
They may reduce the speed of pelvic thrusting and change the angle and depth of penetration before orgasm to lessen the sensation and avoid ejaculation.
Diverting Your Thoughts
Thinking of ejaculation during sexual intercourse may make you ejaculate faster than usual. Thus, people suffering from premature ejaculation problems should avoid having thoughts of ejaculation.
They may concentrate on other things or opt for techniques like counting backward to divert their thoughts. But, such thoughts during sexual intimacy may affect pleasure and satisfaction.
Pelvic Floor Exercises
Pelvic floor or kegel exercises are one of the best methods to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and delay ejaculation.
You may perform the exercise efficiently at home by identifying the pelvic floor muscles.
Generally, you could quickly identify these muscles by stopping urination midstream. You would feel tightened muscles in the pelvic region which is your pelvic floor muscles.
To perform the pelvic floor exercise, you may have to tighten and hold the pelvic floor muscles for a few seconds and relax them. Perform the exercise a few times daily to get stronger pelvic floor muscles.
Medications
Medicines or pills that treat erectile dysfunction may help treat acquired premature ejaculation. Some antidepressants, like SSRIs, may help treat premature ejaculation.
People consuming these antidepressants may experience delayed orgasms as the medicine’s side effects. Pain relievers like Tramadol could be beneficial in delaying ejaculation in men.
Counseling
Generally, counseling is required by individuals suffering from premature ejaculation due to psychological causes.
These sessions include private discussions with mental healthcare professionals about relationships, experiences, traumas, etc.
In some cases, psychological counseling could be combined with drug therapy to improve the condition quickly and effectively.
Conclusion
Premature ejaculation isn’t a permanent condition unless it is severe. It could quickly be recovered by trying different therapies, exercises, techniques, medication, home remedies, etc.
Hence, you should stay calm and avoid mental stress to worsen the condition and take necessary actions. Talk to your partner about the condition to avoid problems in your relationship.
Moreover, discussing things would allow you to undergo treatment positively and regain a healthy physical relationship.