Premature Ejaculation - What Is It And What Can You Do About It

Mar 08, 2022 Premature Ejaculation

Premature ejaculation usually occurs during sexual activity when a man reaches a sexual climax earlier than anticipated. 

Doctors define it as coming within 90 seconds of intercourse, but it is purely subjective.

How and when it happens may differ from one man to another. 

Premature ejaculation is one of the most common forms of sexual dysfunction. It is encountered by most men at some point in their lives. 

Some men ever experience feelings of anxiety because of it.

The condition doesn’t affect fertility but definitely makes sex more difficult.  

Premature ejaculation is not a physical illness. In most cases, the cause is psychological or lack of experience.

Some experts suggest lifelong PE has a genetic element to it.

Often times though, it comes down to technique and understanding how to control your orgasm. 

Types of premature ejaculation

We always imagine premature ejaculation to be exclusively a teenage boy issue. However, the condition affects men of all ages.  

The two types of PE affect men at different times in their lives, and both cause distress. 

The cause is unlikely to be due to an underlying health condition, and your doctor will rule that possibility out before suggesting treatment.

Life-Long

Early sexual experience and negative family attitudes to sex deeply influence the occurrence of lifelong PE. 

Guilty feelings about sex and sexual abuse at a young age may cause lifelong premature ejaculation.  

However, it is more likely lack of experience and technique are the main reason men come too quickly. 

There is also the suggestion of a genetic link that increases the chances of men having it. 

This type of premature ejaculation is most difficult to treat because it involves a lot of retraining.

Acquired

New relationships, failing relationships, stress, anxiety and depression are the main reasons men encounter acquired PE. 

It occurs sporadically and unexpectedly after many years of satisfying sex. It is also down to a perception of how long men expect intercourse to last. 

Men who believe they come too soon also seek treatment to increase the length of time they have an erection. 

Treating acquired PE is more straightforward because men have good experiences to boost their confidence.

What are the causes of premature ejaculation?

There isn’t a definitive reason as to why premature ejaculation happens, but there are several circumstances that can cause it to happen. 

Most of the time, premature ejaculation is because the man does not realise he is going to come. 

If there are no physical reasons for PE overcoming this hurdle will be the main focus of treatment.

A doctor will examine you to identify possible physical and psychological issues. Once a possible cause is identified, the condition can be treated.  

Although there appears to be no clear causes or indication of symptoms, there are a few guidelines that may indicate the presence of premature ejaculation. 

For example, frequent occurrence instead of a one-off event. 

Primary or lifelong premature ejaculation starts in adolescence and continues throughout your adult life.

Men who have this type of PE will have never had a satisfying sex life until they seek treatment.

This type of PE is very complex because it involves changing learned behaviours and changing attitudes to sex.

As well as psychological causes, it is possibly an inherited condition. 

Acquired premature ejaculation happens unexpectedly after many years of satisfactory sex. 

Life changes such as excitement about a new relationship, worry about an old relationship, stress at work, or a medical condition can be triggers. 

There is no cause for concern if it is just a one-off occurrence. 

Repeated premature ejaculation could indicate an underlying health condition. 

Psychological causes include; negative early sexual experience, sexual abuse, being self-conscious, low moods and guilty attitudes towards sex. 

Impotence, stress, and unhappy relationships are also contributing factors to premature ejaculation. 

Fluctuating hormone levels, neurological problems, prostate or urethra infections and genetic traits.

Lifelong PE begins in adolescence and may have genetics as its root cause. 

Causes of lifelong premature ejaculation include; sexual abuse, a difficult first encounter, guilty attitudes towards sex and having to come quickly to avoid getting caught. 

Doctors also believe there is a genetic link to the condition, making some men more likely to have it than others. 

This is the most complex version of premature ejaculation to treat. 

Some other common causes of PE include:

Lack Of Experience

Often young men suffer premature ejaculation because they have not learnt how to delay their orgasm. 

This can be caused by over-excitement, nerves and having to come quickly during masturbation (because they fear being caught). 

Premature ejaculation can be controlled through stimulation and stopping just before orgasm, resting then being able to recognise what it feels like just before you climax.

A New Partner

If you have been celibate for a long time, the sheer excitement of being in a new relationship can provoke premature ejaculation.  

This may only happen the first time but it can affect your confidence in the future.  

Anxiety, Guilt Or Depression

The way you feel inside has a huge impact on your sexual performance.

If you are confident and sure of yourself, you are not likely to encounter any problems in the bedroom.  

Niggling negative emotions can possess your mind causing you to suffer premature ejaculation.  

Medical Conditions

Neurological conditions where the nervous system is affected may cause you to suffer from premature ejaculation. 

Messages from your brain may be sent the wrong information. 

Diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid problems, prostate disease and binge drinking can also affect your ability to control your orgasm.

Relationships and Premature Ejaculation

If you are encountering relationship issues, problems can occur in the bedroom.  

You both may have different expectations as to how long intercourse should last. 

You may not be communicating how you would like your relationship to be.  

Your partner may be extremely demanding, and you may not be able to perform on-demand.

Treatments

If premature ejaculation persists, then you may need to consider medication that will prevent it from happening. 

Treatment involves the form of an antidepressant that can fix the problem, it is not known how it works, but studies have shown that there is a high success rate. 

If you are suffering from premature ejaculation and would like to seek advice about treatment, click here for a consultation, and the best course of action will be decided for you.

Can premature ejaculation be treated?

There are a variety of ways to treat premature ejaculation, many of them focusing on learning how to control ejaculation. 

However, before taking to self-treatment, it is advised that you seek medical help from your health practitioner first.

This will help determine if there are any possible medical, psychological or lifestyle causes. 

Priligy

If your doctor is satisfied that there are no exact causes, he can prescribe medication to treat premature ejaculation, such as Priligy (Dapoxetine).

This treatment belongs to a class of medicines known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (or SSRI’s), which can aid with performance anxiety. 

It also actively encourages a delay in ejaculation during sexual activity. 

Priligy is an SSRI that is taken between one and three hours before intercourse. 

It is believed that it helps to delay orgasms because serotonin plays a part in premature ejaculation. 

Other reasons could relate to reducing anxiety and feeling more relaxed.

While it is difficult for men to talk about premature ejaculation or seek medical help, Dapoxetine is available from selected online pharmacies in the UK.

Relationship Counselling And Talk Therapy

If either a new or old relationship is the main cause of your premature ejaculation, couples counselling helps you to address relationship issues.  

Talking therapy helps you to release stress and develop strategies to deal with stress, anxiety, depression and anything that bothers you.

There are a variety of different treatments that improve the length of time it takes to ejaculate.  

Some require medication, while others involve stopping yourself from coming and taking control of your orgasm. 

Non-medical treatments include; masturbating an hour before sexual intercourse, wearing a condom and anaesthetic creams.  

Delay Methods

Masturbating beforehand often delays orgasm so that PE is less likely to occur during intercourse.  

Desensitizing the penis with a thick condom also delays ejaculation because the penis is less responsive.  

Men can also stop the ejaculation reflex by taking a deep breath just before climaxing and prolonging intercourse.  

Sexual positions that make the penis less sensitive also delay orgasm.  

Reduce excitement by thinking about the washing up or putting the bin bags out. 

Men can train themselves to delay their climax by doing exercises that help them to recognise when they are about to come.  

Understanding how their body works gives men control over their orgasm and eventually delays it. 

These methods are particularly useful if PE is due to conditioning and a negative attitude to sex. 

More Delay Methods To Try

The following suggestions are fun and practical ways to help you to delay your orgasm:

• Masturbate a couple of hours before you intend to have sex. This removes some of the excitement and desire, enabling you to delay orgasm with your partner.

• Stop/start method - this involves pleasuring yourself until just before you climax. After plenty of practice, this method should help you last longer.

• Squeeze method - involves squeezing the area of the penis between the shaft and the glans 30 seconds before orgasm. This teaches men to know what it feels like just before ejaculation. The squeeze method can be repeated four or five times until you are ready to come.

• Exercises- We are not referring to running around the park type of exercise here, however, any exercise is good for you. This type of exercise refers to training yourself to understand your body and recognise the feelings before ejaculation. Couples can enjoy exercising together which will improve their relationship and boost their sex lives.

Ready To Treat Your PE?

Now you know a little more about the causes of premature ejaculation and the steps you can take to help yourself, why not head over to our premature ejaculation treatments section to see if we have the right medication for you.