Premature Ejaculation: Signs, Symptoms, Types, and Treatments

It’s time to touch on a sensitive topic (pun not intended) - premature ejaculation. It needs no introduction - it’s an absolute nightmare scenario for men, the worst possible thing that can happen to you if you value your sexual health and performance. It’s also something that you’re not alone in experiencing: premature ejaculaton affects as much as 39 percent of the male population at one point or another in life according to the Boston University School of Medicine (Ducharme & Munarriz, 2003).

Despite how common it can be, suffering from a premature ejaculation issue is about as bad as it gets for men, as it can impact so many different facets of your life. This goes beyond impacting your sexual health, though that is a major problem in and of itself; the inability to tolerate sex with a partner because you suffer from premature ejaculation can and does ruin relationships. The inability to maintain a healthy sexual relationship because of premature ejaculation can lead to extreme losses of overall confidence, resulting in a spiral of shame, depression, and anxiety that can leave you feeling miserable and useless.

Many men who suffer from premature ejaculation are much too embarrassed to seek medical help. This can make things even worse, though, considering how premature ejaculation can be an underlying symptom of more serious health issues; inflammation in the urethra or the prostate gland can sometimes contribute to premature ejaculation, and these underlying causes may be symptoms of an underlying cause that might not present any other symptoms, such as prostate cancer. As if premature ejaculation wasn’t a big enough problem!

How to Know if You’re Experiencing Premature Ejaculation

It’s a pretty straightforward process when it comes to identifying whether you’re experiencing premature ejaculation or not. It doesn’t take a medical degree to notice that you can’t stop yourself from ejaculating early during sex. The medical threshold for premature ejaculation is experiencing an ejaculation after one minute of penetration. It doesn’t have to be during sex, however; you can also experience premature ejaculation during masturbation as well.

There are two types of premature ejaculation: lifelong, or primary premature ejaculation, and acquired, or secondary premature ejaculation. Lifelong premature ejaculation is exactly what it says: having a premature ejaculation problem from the very beginning of sexual activity from your adolescence. Acquired premature ejaculation, meanwhile, is classified as developing premature ejaculation problems after having sexual experiences in the past that didn’t result in any ejaculation problems.

Finally, it’s important to note that there’s something called variable premature ejaculation, which is when you may periodically experience periods of rapid ejaculation as well as normal ejaculation periods as well. This is, believe it or not, pretty normal and not necessarily something to worry about. If you find yourself regularly impossible to delay ejaculation longer than a minute during intercourse, though, you’re firmly in premature ejaculation territory.

Sex Therapy for Premature Ejaculation

If you’re suffering from premature ejaculation, you’re not bereft of hope. There are a number of different therapy techniques that can be helpful in treating premature ejaculation. We’ve separated them into the three most common branches of therapy in order to provide you a quick and easy overview of the techniques each type of therapy relies upon.

Treating Premature Ejaculation On Your Own

While it’s always a good idea to seek professional medical treatment for premature ejaculation, some men just can’t bring themselves to talk about such an acutely personal problem. Suffering from premature ejaculation can make you feel like less of a man to be sure, and admitting that problem - even to someone who has the ability to help you, like your doctor - can be supremely embarrassing. Is it any wonder why so many men try to treat premature ejaculation on their own?

We don’t necessarily recommend trying to go it alone when it comes to attempting to manage your premature ejaculation. Because of the many different things that can cause premature ejaculation, it’s important to rule out both physiological and psychological causes before adopting any home remedies. That being said, many of the techniques we’ve described above can be done without speaking to a medical professional first. Most notably, the behavioral therapy methods listed above, such as the Stop-and-Start Method, the Squeeze Method, and practicing Kegel Exercises can all be done more or less without interaction with anyone besides your sexual partner.

If your premature ejaculation is getting in the way of your relationships to the point you don’t have a partner currently, or if it’s put your current relationship through the wringer, it might be difficult to do at-home behavioral therapy. In this case, you might need to take things, ahem, into your own hands: one way that men have used to make themselves last longer during sex include masturbating up to an hour prior to sexual activity. Additionally, wearing a condom is a proven technique that can help prolong ejaculation and reduce sensitivity. Over-the-counter topical creams that can numb the penis can also help prolong ejaculation, though, as noted above, reliance on such creams can contribute to other problems altogether, including erectile dysfunction.

Changing your diet may also play a role in better sexual health and performance as well. Specifically, increasing the amount of magnesium in your diet might help reduce the effects of premature ejaculation, as research has found a link between low levels of magnesium and premature ejaculation (Omu et al., 2001, p. 60).

Finally, while we really can’t show you any specific scientific research as to how effective it is, many men turn to holistic healing methods for treating their premature ejaculation. Ayurvedic medicine, for example, boasts many different herbal remedies for prolonging ejaculation; some feel these techniques work. Whether or not they do, or if it’s just a placebo effect, is for you to decide yourself, though

The Last Word on Premature Ejaculation

Premature ejaculation is the one thing no man ever wants to think about, let alone have to deal with. Yet the truth is that with this condition affecting so many men at least once during their lifetime, the stigma associated with it is one of our own making. If you’re finding yourself dealing with premature ejaculation, you’re not alone. There are treatments that can help, but only if you seek them out. Don’t suffer in silence - reach out to a trusted medical professional and you’ll get the best advice you can use in managing or even curing your condition, or at the very least conduct your own research and choose an at-home technique you feel will be safe and effective.

Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.