Simply put, premature ejaculation is ejaculating earlier than you or your partner would like. As you can see, this is a very broad definition, and under this umbrella, probably every man in the world can claim to have suffered premature ejaculation at some time or other!

Medical authorities and sex therapists are in some disagreement as to a precise definition, but most would agree upon a diagnosis of premature ejaculation if a man regularly ejaculates within two to three minutes of penetration. Surveys have suggested that as many as 30% of men fall into this category, with a smaller minority (approximately 5%) suffering from ‘severe’ premature ejaculation, which most experts class as regularly ejaculating as soon as penetration occurs, or even before.

Premature ejaculation can become a very stressful, embarrassing and debilitating problem if no action is taken to remedy it. Many men are too proud or too embarrassed to discuss their problem openly, or in some cases even to recognise that they have a problem at all. Premature ejaculation can lead to a vicious spiral of increasing sexual dysfunction, which in turn can lead to emotional problems such as stress, anxiety and depression. Fear of a poor performance often exacerbates the problem, with ‘performance anxiety’ creating further problems such as erectile dysfunction. In some cases sufferers try to avoid sex completely, and this can put a strain on even the strongest of relationships.

For many years until quite recently, premature ejaculation (like other sexual problems) was a taboo subject, making it very difficult for men who thought they might have a problem to seek help and advice. The recent rise in the branch of psychology known as sex therapy has made it a lot easier for many men to recognise their problem and to seek advice or treatment, and resulted in a proliferation of treatments, psychological techniques and therapies of varying efficacy.

In most cases, premature ejaculation is caused by a too-rapid release of the neurotransmitters and pituitary hormones associated with sexual arousal. Whereas in ‘normal’ men these chemicals are usually released at a steady rate, it has been demonstrated that these chemicals flood the system of sufferers of premature ejaculation too quickly, leading to a loss of control and involuntary orgasm. Most treatments therefore work on the principal of reducing the rate that these chemicals are released or bind to their receptors. Temporary premature ejaculation can also be brought on by stress, anxiety, or even excess excitement – for example many men find that they lose control too quickly when they first have sex with a new partner, but are better able to control their timing on subsequent occasions.