NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Roughly one in four men identify themselves as having a problem with premature ejaculation, according to the results of a Canadian survey. The good news is that premature ejaculation does not appear to have a major impact on a man's functioning, the investigators pointed out.

"Men with self-identified (premature ejaculation) perceived the problem as having only a slightly negative impact on their self-esteem, sexual pleasure, sexual relationship or romantic relationship," study co-authors Guy Grenier and E. Sandra Byers of the University of New Brunswick in Canada, reported in The Journal of Sex Research.

"Further, few men avoided or declined intercourse opportunities because of the concerns about (premature) ejaculation," the authors added.

In their investigation, Grenier and Byers evaluated questionnaires completed by 260 men about premature ejaculation and their sexual habits and functioning in general. Most (82%) were married or living with a partner. The men were between the ages of 23 and 78 and reported having sex, on average, about six times in a 4-week period.

The men's average time from initiation of intercourse to ejaculation was 8 minutes.

The respondents said ejaculation occurred "sooner or faster than desired" about one third of the time, "and during half of all intercourse experiences they specifically attempt to delay the occurrence of their ejaculation."

Grenier and Byers noted that there are several different working definitions for premature or rapid ejaculation, but in general the time to first ejaculation upon initiation of vaginal penetration and the amount of control a man has over his first ejaculation are the two most important criteria to consider.

The less time to first ejaculation and less reported control of ejaculation the more likely a man is to report a premature ejaculation problem, according to the report.

In the present investigation, when the men were allowed to classify themselves, 24% reported a current difficulty with premature ejaculation.

While men experiencing a current problem with premature ejaculation reported having sex less often, on average--about four times in a 4-week period--very few of them reported seeking help from published information or a healthcare professional.

"It may be that only the relatively few men who experience emotional or relationship distress associated with sexual dysfunction or who experience significant concern about their sexual functioning seek professional help," Grenier and Byers explained.

Therefore, the authors noted, information from people who do seek professional help may not be applicable to the sexual experience of men in general.

SOURCE: The Journal of Sex Research 2001;38:369-378.

Reference Source 89

For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick Prevention Resources".