Premature Ejaculation

Premature Ejaculation: Causes and Treatment

Data shows that premature ejaculation (PE) affects 4-39% of men at one point in their life.  While many men initially feel embarrassed by this symptoms, it is much more common than you would expect.  Most men use the search term ‘premature ejaculation doctors near me’ to find timely help, but many psychiatrists will also treat this problem.

Men with an IELT (intravaginal ejaculation) of less than a minute suffer from “definite premature ejaculation.” In contrast, those with an IELT of 1 to 1.5 minutes have “probable PE.”

PE is “persistent or recurrent ejaculation with minimal stimulation before, on or shortly after penetration and before the person wishes it, over which the sufferer has little or no voluntary control," according to the World Health Organization.

Since people have varying expectations from their sex life, it is not easy to define premature ejaculation based on sexual performance. A typical ejaculation occurs five minutes after the inception of sexual activity. However, some people wish to ejaculate before or after five minutes. The difference in sexual preferences explains why the definition of PE relies on the time an individual desire to ejaculate. 

The majority of men have ejaculated before they wish, so doctors emphasize frequent unintentional ejaculations when diagnosing PE. 

​Causes of Premature Ejaculation

Premature ejaculation results from psychological as well as neurobiological causes. Some psychological factors include:

1. Religious beliefs
2. Expecting failure
3. Anxiety and depression 
4. Stress
5. Relationship problems

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Diagnosis for Premature Ejaculation

Men have varying degrees of control over when to ejaculate during sex.  PE can get in the way of your sexual pleasure, cause problems in intimate relationships, or prevent you from pursuing close relationships. 
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Premature ejaculation doctors conduct a physical exam before diagnosis. They also a multitude of questions like:

• The type of sexual activity you are currently involved in, e.g., foreplay, intercourse, masturbation, etc.
• How long the PE has been there 
• The time it takes to ejaculate during masturbation vs intercourse
• Whether you experience PE with all, some or, one partner
• Frequency of premature ejaculation
• The effects of PE on your life
• Whether you have had regular sexual encounters without PE. If yes, what you think made the intercourse regular. And, whether you had PE at the time of normal intercourse
• What you think makes your premature ejaculation worse or better

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Treatment options for PE

When you search for ‘premature ejaculation doctors near me’ or speak with your psychiatrist you will notice that doctors use the following treatment methods:

Behavioral therapy relies on exercise to train the body to delay ejaculation. The start-stop and squeeze method are the most common exercise routines for treating PE.  

Psychological treatment focuses on emotions and feelings that lead to sexual problems. The therapy aims to get the root of issues and find solutions. Psychological treatment can be used alone or with another treatment. 

There are no medications specifically FDA approved for PE, but premature ejaculation doctors often use some antidepressants to treat PE. Not all medications work for each person, so the physician might recommend a different drug if the first drug fails. Timing of when to take the medication should be discussed with your physician. 
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Specialists such as sex therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, or urologists provide treatment for premature ejaculation. To find a specialist in Houston, look for ‘Houston premature ejaculation doctors’ or talk to your psychiatrist at Your Family Psychiatrist.