Understanding Premature Ejaculation
When conducting a medical evaluation both individuals involved in the sexual relationship will be interviewed because the issue could also be that the female has a delayed orgasm rather than it being a premature ejaculation problem with the male. The problem could also be both with the male and with the female.
Premature ejaculation (PE) is a sexual dysfunction that is common in men younger than 40 years of age. Premature ejaculation is when ejaculation occurs sooner that the individual or couple wishes it to. It is a dysfunctional pattern that disrupts the sexual relationship. The amount of time it takes to reach ejaculation is not the issue it is that ejaculation occurs before the timing is right for the couple.
When conducting a medical evaluation both individuals involved in the sexual relationship will be interviewed because the issue could also be that the female has a delayed orgasm rather than it being a premature ejaculation problem with the male. The problem could also be both with the male and with the female.
There are 3 phases involved in the sexual response that occurs during intercourse. The first is desire (libido), the second is excitement (arousal), and last there is orgasm.
There are 4 categories of sexual dysfunctions (disorders): primary, general medical condition-related, substance-induced and other.
Premature ejaculation can be either primary or secondary and is usually a psychological problem with no known organic disease or physical structural damage connected to the dysfunction.
Premature ejaculation affects the penis, prostate, seminal vesicles, and the testicles.
A contributing factor to premature ejaculation is that typically the young male is used to having to achieve ejaculation early in order to not be caught in the act. He becomes conditioned to having to reach the point of ejaculation fast and when he becomes involved in a stable long-term sexual relationship where it is no longer necessary to have to reach the point of ejaculation quickly, he is unable to change the pattern. Most females typically take longer to reach the stage of organism and when the male is in a long-term relationship and not required to reach climax fast anymore the desired point of ejaculation becomes prolonged over past experiences.
Other than psychological, another theory is that men who experience premature ejaculation have differences in their nerve conduction/latency times and hormonal levels from those men who do not experience premature ejaculation. The men who experience premature ejaculation may have a hyper excitability or oversensitive genitalia that react in a heightened manner to sexual stimulation causing the premature ejaculation to occur.
Statistics:
The U.S. prevalence rate for premature ejaculation is 30% of all American males according to The National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS). It is difficult to know the exact figures because the situation is one that males may not be willing to admit to due to embarrassment. The real statistic for American males could be as high as 70%.
European countries and India report similar statistics as their American counterparts. There are no available statistics for Asia, Africa or Australia or any other not mentioned country.
Premature ejaculation is likely to have a direct impact on self-esteem, marital function, and may also factor into episodes of depression or other anxiety issues.
A telephone survey conducted by Carson and associates found during conducting 1,320 phone interviews with males that 21% of non-Hispanic African Americans reported premature ejaculation and 29% of Hispanics, and 16% of non-Hispanics whites reported having premature ejaculation.
A NHSLS analysis conducted by Laumann found that premature ejaculation was more prevalent among those of African American males (34%) and white males (29%) as opposed to Hispanic males (27%). There are however too small number of studies and a lack of suitable controls to draw any reliable conclusions from these studies.
Premature ejaculation has been noted to occur at any age in a male's life, but is more common in younger males, aged 18 to 30 years of age. It has also been noted to occur as a secondary condition to impotence in men aged 45 to 65.