Premature Ejaculation; Meaning, Causes, Prevention and Treatment

 Premature Ejaculation In Men Between the Age of 18 to 70 Years

Premature ejaculation in men

Ejaculation is normally linked with orgasm and involves involuntary contractions of the pelvic floor. It is the discharge of semen from the penis through the urethra. Ejaculation is the final stage and natural objective of male sexual stimulation and an essential component of natural conception. 

Ejaculation can occur involuntary during sleep (wet dream) or in rare cases because of prostatic disease. There are four types of ejaculation which include; Anejaculation (a condition of being unable to ejaculate), Dysejaculation (a condition where the ejaculation process appear to be painful), Retrograde (a type of ejaculation where the semen flows back to the bladder from the urethra), Delayed (a condition where the ejaculation period takes longer than expected, ejaculation takes 20 to 25 minutes to occur after erection) and Premature ejaculation (a condition where ejaculation occurs shortly after the initiation of sexual activity, and hinders prolonged sexual intercourse).

In this article, we will centralise on premature ejaculation, its causes, prevention and adequate treatment. 

What Is Premature Ejaculation?

Premature Ejaculation in men

Some people think Premature Ejaculation (PE) is a disease or a problem that cannot be fixed while others may think certain men living with PE cannot impregnate a woman. These ideas are simply not true. Sometimes PE is a problem for men who have erection problems like Erectile Dysfunction (ED). Erectile Dysfunction occurs when a man is not able to get or keep an erection that is firm enough for sex. It can be tough to know if the problem is PE or ED because erection goes away after ejaculation. Experts suggest it's best to treat ED first because PE may not be a problem once the ED is treated.

Premature Ejaculation is when a man climaxes and ejaculates (releases semen) sooner than he would like during sex. It is a common sexual issue. In the world today, about 40% of men are dealing with PE. It can either be primary or acquired and accrued over time. When ejaculation happens sooner than a man or his partner would like during sex, within a defined period of time, usually less than 2 to 5 minutes, it is termed premature ejaculation. 

Occasionally, PE is also known as Rapid Ejaculation, Premature Climax or Early Ejaculation or Quick Ejaculation. Men with PE and their partners can feel unhappy or embarrassed about their sexual relations. If partners feel stressed or worrying about PE, then involving a healthcare provider is considered. There's absolutely control measures for PE and the underlying cause can be found with your healthcare provider and be treated or managed depending on the causative factor. 

Causes of Premature Ejaculation 

Premature Ejaculation has no known particular cause but there are many factors why a man may have PE. These factors may be biological, psychological, physical or chemical factors. Below are some of the directive causes of premature ejaculation.

Biological Factors 

Serotonin is a hormone present in the body and made by nerve. It is responsible for controlling the way the brain manages mood, emotion, sleep and sexual desire. Researchers concluded that high amounts of serotonin in the brain increase the time to ejaculation. Low amounts can shorten the time to ejaculate, and lead to PE. Other biological factors include swelling and infection of the prostate or urethra, inherited traits and thyroid problems (an overactive or an under active thyroid).

Psychological Factors 

Mental breakdown can be associated as one of the causes of PE. Psychological issues involved with PE include depression, anxiety, stress, guilt, unrealistic expectations about sex, relationship problems, lack of confidence and history of sexual repression (blocked or bottle-up sexual feelings). It is advisable to take our emotional problems serious and provide adequate solution or meet a therapist. 

Physical Factors 

The physical factor to consider here is age. Premature ejaculation can happen at any age but there's possibility for it increment to be observed at older age. For some older men(55 years and above), erection may not be as firm or as large. Erections may not last as long as before ejaculation occurs. The feeling that ejaculation is about to happen may be shorter. These changes can lead to an older man ejaculating earlier. 

Chemical Factors 

Premature Ejaculation can be caused by some recreational drugs such as cocaine and amphetamine. Some medicines (example is cabergoline used for the treatment of illnesses such as Parkinson's disease) can possibly cause early ejaculation. Evidence showed that men with a history of drug use are more likely to suffer from premature ejaculation and high level of anxiety. At the time of withdrawal, ejaculation does not improve leading to the belief that drug users have personality traits that facilitate premature ejaculation. The neurological damages caused by these drugs contribute to a decrease in the intravaginal ejaculatory latency.

Methods Of Preventing Premature Ejaculation 

There are many methods that men can practice to gain more control over ejaculation. Meanwhile, there's no concluded research on how effective these techniques are. Men can try out various techniques to better control their ejaculations overtime, either alone or with their partner. Below are the prevention methods for premature ejaculation for premature ejaculation.

Squeeze Method 

In this method, the penis is stimulated until just before ejaculation. Then the man or his partner will gently squeeze the head of the penis until the urge for ejaculation is gone. This action is done by placing the index finger on the backside of the penis (where the head joins the shaft) and placing the thumb on the other side of the penis. This method can be repeated severally until both parties are satisfied. 

Start-stop Method 

Start-stop method involves stimulation of the penis until just before orgasm and then stopping until the urge to ejaculate is gone. This is achieved by the process of pulling out the penis from the stimulant and pulling in at interval of time. The level of arousal can still be controlled and ejaculation can still be delayed for certain time.

Pelvic-floor Exercises 

Doing pelvic floor exercises regularly is another option. This is also called Kegel exercises. The pelvic floor is the layer of muscles that support things like the sphincter muscle of the urethra (pee tube). The exercises are done to learn how to gain control over the pelvic floor muscles and then strengthen them through training.

Psychological therapy 

Sometimes, men are advised to distract their mind by thinking about something else to prolong ejaculation during sexual intercourse. Researchers concluded that this method is not adequate for all men because some men get weaker erection or loose it completely. Some men think is not right to think about something else during sex, as it makes their partner feels bad.

What you can do on your own is to inculcate the use of condom during sex. This makes the penis less sensitive to the walls of the vagina. Others find it helpful to masturbate before sex. Researchers concluded that if a man can achieve second erection, that ejaculation will be delayed.

How Can Premature Ejaculation Be Treated?

Studies have shown that there's no known cure for premature ejaculation except for the one caused by some treatable infection. The disorder can either be prevented or controlled by some practices, exercises, certain drugs and spray.
Professionals had it that Dapoxetine (a new Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) tablet has the potentials of controlling PE. It starts to work very quickly and is advisable to take it 1 to 3 hours before having sex.

In a situation where one does not want to take tablets, the local anaesthetic creams and sprays are available which help reduce the stimulation of the penis. Researchers proved that medicines like lidocaine or prilocaine and some other "bought-over-the-counter" drugs are available on prescription by professionals. Other antidepressants such as paroxetine, citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine and sertraline have been offered in the past even though they are prohibited drugs. They are needed to be taken one or two weeks for full effect and they can last in the body for a period of 6 - 12 months. The serious side effects they possess included dizziness and sickness. Though, they are not advisable to be taken due to their side effects but they were used in the past for the treatment of premature ejaculation.

Conclusion 

Premature Ejaculation does not have any permanent cure. In a situation where one is sick before experiencing premature ejaculation, one is advised to treat the sickness first as there's every possibility that the PE will go. Couple can unite to support each other emotionally to achieve satisfaction during sexual intercourse. In a situation where one experiences PE, he is advised to seek the attention of a medical practitioner for the possible control technique to practice depending on the causative factor. There are certain foods that can help men living with PE regain their confidence and manage their health. Such foods are discussed on the next topic.