Rapid or premature ejaculation has been reported to affect as many as one third of all men at some point in their lives. It can be a very distressing condition for both the man and his partner. Not a day goes by where we do not have a man seeking help in controlling his ejaculation and climax.
The definition for premature ejaculation is highly subjective. Basically, premature ejaculation is defined as “when a man ejaculates sooner than he desires, and this causes distress to him or his partner.” In other words, if the man ejaculates in 10 seconds and it does not bother him nor his partner, it’s not a problem. We have some men who are convinced they have premature ejaculation because they ejaculate in 15 or 20 minutes. If this causes distress to him or his partner, it is a problem.
The good news is there are effective treatments! As with virtually every aspect of sexual medicine this involves treating the whole person. A combination approach of medication and behavioral therapy results in an effective and long-lasting solution. In many cases we recommend medication which will slow down the ejaculation. At the same time, we begin exploring how the man is having sex and how we can modify his sexual expression to help him learn to control ejaculation. Once therapeutic approaches are mastered, we can explore tapering off the medication.
There are several home remedies for premature ejaculation patients can try. For some men, these will be effective, however, many men will need to incorporate some sort of medical treatment in the beginning. We find that the inclusion of medicine stops the downward spiral and helps men find success quickly. Once we are out of the “acute stage” of treatment, we begin therapy.
Part of the treatment must always include looking at underlying causes. For many men we discover an underlying anxiety disorder. Anxiety frequently exacerbates premature ejaculation. Ejaculation is a lower spinal cord reflex and is part of the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is the part of us that is ticklish, skittish, nervous, or jumpy. Anxiety is an integral part of this nervous system. The anxiety can be situational, such as around sexual activity, or generalized anxiety that might be negatively affecting life in general.
If you find yourself struggling with premature ejaculation, or any ejaculatory issue, there is help available – contact us to schedule an appointment.
