What is Premature Ejaculation & How To Fix It?

You’ve been dating for a while. Thanks to your problem, you have been making excuses to avoid seeing her. Even though you really want to. She’s beginning to get uninterested.

The problem is you have premature ejaculation or PE. The act itself is really short. You have had it your whole life but you still don’t know how to explain it to her.

“What is the premature ejaculation definition?”

How could you, you don’t even know how to explain it to yourself. Read on to get the answers.

What is Premature Ejaculation (PE)?

As many as 20% of men have experienced premature ejaculation at least once in their lifetime. As the most common sexual dysfunctional condition befalling men, a lot of interest surrounds premature ejaculation (PE).

Nevertheless, there isn’t a single encompassing definition to describe the condition. The premature ejaculation definition changes quite often. However, at least now it is considered a serious medical condition and not a psychological problem.

Scientists have carried out various studies to examine the condition and come up with definitions that try to do justice to the condition.

However, these premature ejaculation definitions are varied as can be seen with the different criteria laid out by the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, International Society of Sexual Medicine, European Association of Urology and the American Urological Association.

All the same, this boils down to one fact. Premature ejaculation is a condition when you reach climax during the act faster than you would like to. This causes some personal distress like a bruised ego and a feeling of diminished masculinity.

How Does Normal Ejaculation Occur?

Ejaculation is under the control of the autonomic nervous system, meaning that you have no conscious control over it. Ejaculation occurs in two phases – emission and expulsion. Here is a closer look at the mechanism of ejaculation.

1. Emission stage

During this stage, the sphincter around the bladder closes so that the seminal fluid doesn’t flow back into it.

Following this closure, the prostate gland secretes a nutrient-rich fluid into which the sperms from the vasa deferentia mix. Down the urethra, the seminal vesicle adds its seminal fluid.

Further stimulation triggers the expulsion of the semen.

2. Expulsion

At the peak of stimulation – also known as orgasm – the muscles around the pelvis contract, forcing the semen out of the uterus. 

During all this, the bladder remains closed so that there’s no retrograde flow of semen into it.

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Premature Ejaculation?

Despite the lack of a medical consensus on the exact clinical definition of premature ejaculation, there are some signs and symptoms that point to potential PE.3 

Premature ejaculation is normal if it is an infrequent occurrence. However, if this occurs frequently, one might have to get checked out for PE by a sexual health doctor.

Here are some of the symptoms and conditions that point to premature ejaculation:

• ejaculation during foreplay or before penetration is completed
• ejaculation within one minute of penetrating since one’s first act of intercourse
• significant reduction in the intravaginal ejaculation latency time to about 3 minutes or less
• unable to stop or delay ejaculations whenever there is penetration

If any of these holds, there’s bound to be some psychological implications on the man, including:

• frustration
• bruised ego
• avoidance of sexual encounters
• personal distress

What are the Main Causes of Premature Ejaculation?

Many of the causes of premature ejaculation have been attributed to mental and psychological factors associated with anxiety. However, there are other causes that are biogenic.4

Anxiety-related causes

These causes of Premature Ejaculation (PE) include:

• Performance anxiety
• Being very arousable
• Limited sexual experience
• Worrying about the PE itself
• Lack of knowledge about the techniques that can prolong intercourse
  

Biogenic causes

Some of the causes of Premature Ejaculation (PE) are physical. These include:

• Having high penile sensitivity, where the penis is very responsive to stimulation
• Erectile dysfunction makes one eager to orgasm before the penis becomes flaccid
• Abusing drugs like amphetamines, cocaine, alcohol and opiates
• Sometimes the cause is genetic, like the variations in the 5-HTTLPR gene
• Prostatitis, a condition where the prostate gland is swollen
• Diseases of the nervous system like multiple sclerosis
• Chemical and hormonal imbalances
• Testosterone deficiency

How is Premature Ejaculation Diagnosed?

As we have already seen, discussing matters relating to your sexual performance can be quite bruising to your ego if you believe you have premature ejaculation. 

However, if you want to solve the problem, you need to be honest when talking to a doctor so that they can correctly diagnose your condition.

The doctor will ask for your history and you should lay it out in its entirety. Even the smallest of seemingly irrelevant details can point to why you’re ejaculating before you want to.

Let’s be clear, having premature ejaculation is nothing to be ashamed of. Not seeking help is.

What Can You Do About Premature Ejaculation?

If you believe you have PE, there are various methods that may help you last longer. These methods range from simple things like dietary changes to exercise and control techniques all the way to clinical treatments.

As we saw earlier, one of the main causes of premature ejaculation is the excitement to experience the peak of sexual activity. However, you can curb this excitement by engaging in masturbation. an hour so before having intercourse.

When it’s time to engage in penetration, you won’t be so eager to climax. You will, therefore, last longer than you usually do.

Stop and Squeeze Technique

The stop and squeeze technique is also known as the Masters and Johnson method, after the two scientists who did extensive research on this topic.

This method entails stimulating the penis until a time when orgasm is near. You should then pause the sexual activity and squeeze the glans or tip of the penis. Once the climax subsides, your or your partner should engage in stimulation again and squeeze just before orgasm. 

After a few times, you can have more control over your orgasms, managing to delay them with the technique and eventually without it.

Kegel Exercises

Kegel exercises have also been suggested as a way of managing PE. This is because the ischiocavernosus and bulbocavernosus muscles of the pelvic area play a role in ejaculation.

The pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation therapy, therefore, enables you to recognize when an orgasm is approaching. 

You can then contract these muscles, closing off the urethral sphincter and preventing ejaculation. Consequently, you have more control over your ejaculation.

A study looking at the efficacy of these exercises showed significant improvement in the intravaginal ejaculation latency period.5 Therefore, kegel exercises can reduce your premature ejaculation.

Numbing Creams and Condoms

One of the causes of premature ejaculation is heightened sensitivity. This means that minimal stimulation can cause you to quickly reach your climax. 

However, there are some over-the-counter creams and sprays which you can use to decrease the sensitivity, helping you to last longer once you penetrate the vagina.

If you don’t opt for these anesthetizing creams, you can go with condoms that are made from a thicker kind of latex. This ensures that your penile sensitivity is reduced when you are having intercourse.

One drawback to these numbing methods is that they can greatly reduce the stimulation you feel, making you lose pleasure in the act altogether.

Treatments for Premature Ejaculation

Doctors may administer medication as they see fit.

Change in diet

Although seemingly far-fetched, a change in diet can also help in treating your premature ejaculation. This is especially so if your diet lacks foods rich in magnesium and zinc.

The two minerals are vital in the formation of healthy sperm and having a strong libido. Some research points at a magnesium having a significant role in semen transport during ejaculation.6

You should, therefore, incorporate foods that contain these minerals into your diet. A few of these foods include soybeans, yoghurt, dark chocolate, spinach, beef and almonds.

Studies also show that reducing animal fats and proteins helps with overall sexual health. 

If your premature ejaculation is causing you great discomfort, embarrassment and mental anguish it could be time to speak to a doctor about your options. At Men’s Health Clinic we offer the most advanced treatments for premature ejaculation at an affordable price.

References

• https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/premature-ejaculation-a-to-z
• Alwaal A, Breyer BN, Lue TF. Normal male sexual function: emphasis on orgasm and ejaculation. Fertil Steril. 2015;104(5):1051–1060. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0015028215018798
• Althof SE, McMahon CG, Waldinger MD, et al. An Update of the International Society of Sexual Medicine’s Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Premature Ejaculation (PE). Sex Med. 2014;2(2):60–90. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S174360951530789X
• El-Hamd MA, Saleh R, Majzoub A. Premature ejaculation: an update on definition and pathophysiology. Asian J Androl. 2019;21(5):425–432. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mohammed_Abu_El-Hamd/publication/331624177_Premature_ejaculation_an_update_on_definition_and_pathophysiology/links/5c853b9a92851c69506b12ef/Premature-ejaculation-an-update-on-definition-and-pathophysiology.pdf
• Pastore, A.L., Palleschi, G., Fuschi, A., Maggioni, C., Rago, R., Zucchi, A., Costantini, E. and Carbone, A., 2014. Pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation for patients with lifelong premature ejaculation: a novel therapeutic approach. Therapeutic advances in urology, 6(3), pp.83-88. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4003840/
• Omu, A.E., Al-Bader, A.A., Dashti, H. and Oriowo, M.A., 2001. Magnesium in human semen: possible role in premature ejaculation. Archives of andrology, 46(1), pp.59-66. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11204619