All over the world, millions of men sometimes or frequently struggle with premature ejaculation. In fact, around 30% of men are thought to have some degree of problem in this department. Despite having no absolutely certain definition, most medical authorities and therapists agree that if a man sometimes or regularly ejaculates within two and a half minutes of penetration, he could be diagnosed as suffering from this often embarrassing and distressing problem.

For many men in this situation the overwhelming temptation is often to ignore the problem or simply pretend that one does not exist, and while in the short term this pampering to male pride might provide some comfort, eventually one must realise that running or hiding rarely if ever solves a problem – particularly a problem with sexual function – and some action must eventually be taken.

Happily, many sufferers of premature ejaculation are able to overcome or at least gain some degree of control over their problem simply through the implementation, practice and discipline of certain mental and physical techniques to delay ejaculation. These techniques to delay ejaculation involve focussing one’s attention upon the matter at hand, and learning how to recognise and eventually control one’s function before it becomes too late. Because these techniques require time and discipline to be truly effective, it is very helpful for the man to have a fully supportive partner, who can both help and encourage the man to improve his performance over time.

Many men however find that techniques of mental discipline do not always work for them, and that other methods to delay ejaculation may be more effective. Physical methods such as wearing thick condoms or using mildly anaesthetic creams or sprays can be very effective ways of delaying ejaculation, but come with the slight cost of a reduction in sensation and thus pleasure. Desensitizing creams and sprays may also have the unfortunate effect of also slightly reducing pleasure and sensation for the woman, too.

Doctors do not normally prescribe medication to sufferers of premature ejaculation, although in cases where there is a threat to the psychological health of the patient, or where the patient suffers from severe premature ejaculation, anti depressant SSRIs such as Prozac may sometimes be offered. SSRIs interfere with the normal process of ejaculation and make it harder to orgasm, with the sometimes unwanted and unfortunate effect that ejaculating becomes very difficult or even impossible.

Some men – discouraged by the time and discipline required by mental techniques, the loss of sensation that comes from using creams or sprays or the risk of anorgasmia brought by SSRIs, opt for herbal formulas designed to delay ejaculation. These herbal products often work by mimicking the ejaculation-suppressing effects of SSRIs but carry a much reduced risk of causing an inability to orgasm.