Premature Ejaculation: Causes, Symptoms and treatment

Sexual dysfunction is an important area in the field of Psychology that has gained prominence and increased attention during the recent times. Sexual dysfunctions are commonly observed in both men and women. Fortunately, we have been paying attention to the causes and the possible treatment options available for the same off late. Premature Ejaculation is a sub- type that falls under the umbrella term, Sexual dysfunction. This article will take you through the causes, symptoms, consequences, treatment plan, and the relevance of knowing more about premature ejaculation during these times.

What is Premature Ejaculation?

Premature Ejaculation refers to a condition wherein the man ejaculates before he wishes to— due to which the quality of the couple’s sexual relationship/ intercourse might get affected. However, according to DSM 5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), an individual can also be diagnosed with premature ejaculation if he happens to be ejaculating within 1 minute of penetration into the vagina (Parnham and Serefoglu, 2016).

If this condition persists for six or more number of months, a diagnosis of the same can be given and appropriate management plans can be applied. Premature Ejaculation, just like any other sexual dysfunctions often causes strain in relationships, and this is one of the main reasons as to why there has been growing research in this field.

Symptoms

The inability to delay ejaculation for more than 1 minute during sexual intercourse is the primary symptom of premature ejaculation.

In certain cases, the individual may ejaculate earlier than he wishes to while masturbating as well. This is also a growing concern these days.

It is important to distinguish between lifelong and acquired Premature Ejaculation, especially when it comes to deciding the treatment plan for the individual: If the individual has always faced the problem of early ejaculation ever since the primary sexual encounter, this is a case of lifelong premature ejaculation. In acquired form, the person has at some point in his early life had longer lasting ejaculations. In this scenario, the condition is one that’s been developed over time as a result of various factors (Roland 2018)

Causes of Premature Ejaculation

Although, researchers have been conducting studies on this topic, the possible causal factors of premature ejaculation are still in the preliminary stages of study. According to Mayo Clinic (2020), there are certain psychological factors that could be contributing towards the development of premature ejaculation among men:

• Poor self- esteem, especially with regard to one’s body image
• Past traumatic incidents/ incidents of abuse particularly during childhood
• Sexual experiences that haven’t been successful in the past/ not up to the mark
• Cognition could also play a role in premature ejaculation: If the individual worries/ thinks too much about ejaculating early, there are possibilities of that happening.

According to the research done by WebMD, biological factors are also often responsible for causing early ejaculation:

• Hormonal imbalances and neurotransmitter imbalances.
• Medications taken for other illnesses could sometimes affect sexual performance as well.
• If there is pain or any form of infection around the prostrate or urethra, there could be a possibility of unsatisfactory sexual performance and early ejaculation—- mostly due to the pain.
• Genetics also plays a role: If there has been a history of premature ejaculation in the individual’s family, the individual is likely to inherit the same. However, this is not always the case.

Stress, anxiety about performance, and poor relationship with the partner could also be possible causal factors.

Treatment options

• Psycho-sexual counselling: In most of the cases, premature ejaculation may lead to problems between the two individuals which may worsen the anxiety levels of the individual going through the condition. Therefore, it is always a good beginning to focus on the relationship between the partners in order to understand whether there are factors within the relationship itself that could be causing the condition.
• Seman’s start- and- stop technique (McMahon 2017): In this method, the partner stimulates the penis until a point reaches where the man is close to ejaculation. This is stopped for a while. When the individual gradually feels the urge weaken, this is repeated by the partner. Usually, the ejaculation is allowed to happen the fourth time.
• Masters and Johnson’s Squeeze technique (McMahon 2017): This is almost similar to start- and- stop technique. The only difference is that the partner squeezes the man’s penis to let his erection weaken gradually, after stimulating it. This technique helps the individual have a better understand of the sensation that comes in right before ejaculation. Once the awareness occurs, it becomes easier to control or delay ejaculation.
• Medication: SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors) consist of components that could help delay ejaculating by causing certain changes to the levels of neurotransmitters. Medication is a very novel mode of treatment. When combines with psycho-sexual counselling, this works better.
• In some cases, Erectile Dysfunction happens to be the reason behind the individual experiencing premature ejaculation. In those cases, drugs that are used to maintain erection, such as Viagra might prove to be helpful.
• Exercises may help to a certain extent: Tightening the pelvic floor muscles and relaxing them several times a day for a set number of seconds may help alleviate the condition at times. (Roland 2018)

Conclusion: What makes it relevance in today’s times

Here’s what makes reading about similar sexual dysfunctions is important: Very few people in a country like India knows about these conditions. In addition to the extent of oblivion, conditions such as premature ejaculation do play a very significant role in determining the quality of relationships.

In a country like India, where arranged marriages are the norm set by the society, most women get into the institution of marriage without having any prior knowledge about these conditions or their partner. When there is no bond between the partners, it becomes even more difficult to cope up with sexual dysfunctions.

Secondly, this has been adversely affecting the mental health of many individuals. An individual’s self- esteem could be hampered upon the inability to perform well during sexual intercourse. This could in turn contribute to anxiety disorders or depressive disorders.

Thirdly, it is very important to de-stigmatise sexual dysfunctions. In most of the conservative societies, this is viewed as a problem—which isn’t the case. As we have already read, the possible causal factors could vary from individual to individual. Therefore, de-stigmatising it is the first step towards getting adequate support for the person. In addition to that, educating youngsters on all types of sexual dysfunctions is also important. It needs to be viewed as a temporary concern, and not a factor that defines the individual’s worth.

References

Mayo Clinic (n.d). Premature Ejaculation. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/premature-ejaculation/symptoms-causes/syc-20354900.

McMahon, Chris. G. (2007, April). Premature Ejaculation. U.S National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2721550/.

Parnham, Arie & Serefoglu, Ege Can. (2016, Aug). Classification and definition of premature ejaculation. U.S National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5001991/.

Premature Ejaculation: Symptoms, causes, treatment and prevention. (2020, July 7). WebMD. Retrieved 8 December 2020. https://www.webmd.com/men/what-is-premature-ejaculation#1

Roland, James. (2018, Aug 10). Everything you should know about premature ejaculation. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/mens-health/premature-ejaculation