According to the statistics of American Society for Men’s Health, 20-35% of men suffer from premature ejaculation. However, few of them come with a complaint to the doctor, living in stress and referring to friends and searching the web for the answers. So is premature ejaculation a disease? If so, is it treatable? Is it possible to deal with the problem on your own, without devoting anyone to intimate secrets?
We have asked Dr. Terry Brougham, an andrologist with 15 years of experience at Toronto Central Hospital, to share his vision of the problem and answer the questions so many men fear to ask openly.
– Dr. Brougham, how does modern medicine classify the phenomenon of premature ejaculation?
If ejaculation occurs before the start of sexual intercourse, then we deal with nothing but premature ejaculation. As for the clear criteria indicating the exact duration of friction – it doesn’t exist.
The concept of the norm itself is a subjective term. According to the classification of diseases ICD-10, premature ejaculation is considered to be the inability to control ejaculation sufficient to obtain satisfaction from sexual intercourse by both partners. But such a definition is very vague, especially given that many women never get orgasm during vaginal sex.
Currently, the terminology is still not well established. In practice, we are talking about premature ejaculation when ejaculation occurs either before or immediately after the introduction of the penis.
– Do you mean we deal with a purely psychological disorder?
Not exactly. Let’s have a closer look at the phenomenon. First of all, it is quite common for young men in the beginning of sexual activity, and in this case, the roots of the problem have mainly psychological reasons. Young men are greatly excited and at the same time, very nervous. The tension in the cerebral cortex increases rapidly and reaches the threshold very quickly… and ejaculation follows.
– So what is the reason for premature ejaculation in more experienced men?
It is oftentimes interconnected with physiological reasons as well. In some men, the penis glans is particularly sensitive from birth or as a result of an urological disease. In this case, even a slight stimulation may leads to ejaculation, and speaking of fully enjoyment is hardly possible.
There are other possible causes of premature ejaculation, for example, inflammatory diseases: prostatitis, vesicles (inflammation of the seminal vesicles) colliculitis (verumontanitis). During the inflammation the the walls of seminal vesicles, storing sperm, become very sensitive and easily reduced – ejaculation occurs even at low sexual arousal.
– How can a person figure out the reasons of premature ejaculation?
First of all, there’s a good number of characteristic features, allowing the doctor to significantly narrow the circle of possible problems. Thus, mental causes are characteristic of men who have little sexual experience. The timeframe until ejaculation can vary greatly depending on a bunch of factors. The situation is different in case of hypersensitivity of the penis glans: the length of sexual intercourse is constant and does not increase the accumulation of sexual experiences. Tellingly, ejaculation does not occur until the introduction of the penis, but after touching the vascular body. In inflammatory diseases premature ejaculation occurs in men that previously did not have problems in the sexual sphere. Ejaculation may be accompanied by pain and pleasure of sex can be lost.
As you can see, there are plenty of things that can be figured out after a conversation with the patient. For this reason we, even with the entire arsenal of modern methods of examination, do our best to avoid costly and nerve-wrecking researches. But in some cases, for example in inflammatory urological diseases, the diagnosis is required.
– What are the ways out? How can a person get back to normality?
If there is an organic disease, obviously, it must be treated. If that is the hypersensitivity of the penis glans, using a condom and gel with lidocaine – a means of reducing the sensitivity of the skin, could be a panacea. Premature ejaculation caused by psychological reasons for the accumulation of sexual experiences is cured by a therapist (with the use of medicines, if needed). Psychological assistance allows a man to go through a difficult period in the sexual life with minimal losses, in many cases that’s a highly underestimated weapon in fight against erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation in particular.
However, the selection of treatment methods is truly impressive: drugs, physical therapy, and, finally, surgical treatment.
– You’re talking about psychological help… where should a person go?
First of all, a person needs to visit a urologists or, ideally, andrologist. Seeking for psychological help or passing various tests from the very beginning may not be an optimal decision.
– Dr. Brougham, as many men find it extremely difficult to pull the trigger and book an appointment, perhaps, you can recommend some alternative direction that doesn’t involve healthcare professionals?
Well, of course you can take advantage of piles of information on the web. The resources dedicated to the issue are numerous and there’s plenty of valuable info you can get from the internet. However, you are going to plunge into self-treatment, which is not the best case scenario. Perhaps, the only option to escape a personal contact is online consultation – for example, a person can drop in at My Canadian Pharmacy – MyCanadianPharmacyMall.Com, as these guys provide free of charge professional consultations. Even though they provide you with decent pills options, this is where you deal with online pharmacy, so you are not likely to get psychological-focused assistance.
– So it seems that consulting a specialist is absolutely required…
Of course, after all, delaying the problem could mean more disastrous consequences. Seeking professional assistance is something you should never be afraid of – every man should take care of his health, even if the problem is not that obvious. The doctor has so many instruments to determine the cause of the disorder – so essential to indicate the optimal treatment strategy, otherwise you risk to waste your time, money and efforts.
– Thanks, Dr. Brougham, I’m sure our readers would be glad to learn the answers to the acute questions.
You are always welcome. I wish all the people having problems with erectile dysfunction muster up the courage and pay a visit to the doctor – that’s the only proven and, believe me, the safest way to get rid of the problem effectively.
