Premature ejaculation affects a surprisingly large number of men. Dr Joe Kosterich defines premature ejaculation and when it may be considered a problem. There are some simple ways that it can be approached and treated, but care must be taken when seeking a cure.

Premature ejaculation is a topic that sometimes flies a little bit under the radar. Even though it affects as many as 25% of men at some point in their life, people often think that it must be just them. So what are we actually talking about? In terms of defining premature ejaculation, essentially it's a subjective call, where people are ejaculating within, generally, less than two minutes of intercourse (so entrance into the vagina). Now, it's not generally defined as a problem unless it's causing distress or problems to either the man or his partner.

There is primary and secondary premature ejaculation. Primary is where it's been going on pretty much since the beginning of sexual activity; secondary is where it started at some point after there has been commencement of sexual activity – things might have been going quite smoothly for a while before premature ejaculation occurs. Nobody seems to really quite know why it occurs; in virtually all men, there is no physical abnormality although it can be associated with other erectile issues, and sometimes can be associated with certain underlying diseases. But in the main primary and even secondary forms, nobody seems to quite know.

There are fairly strong psychological issues with it and often if becomes a little bit self-propelling; where there have been circumstances of premature ejaculation, that can become a worry and that of itself will sometimes propel it.

First and foremost, it is important for men – and their partners – to know that they are not alone. That of itself may not make it any better, but it means that it's not just you. There is help at hand; sometimes just talking about the problem, even in the first instance just with your partner, can take a lot of the pressure off the man and that's quite important. In going along and seeing your doctor about this, there are some fairly simple and basic ways it can be approached. Again, sometimes just being aware of the problem, addressing and de-stressing can be a very big first step. Something very simple like the use of a condom can help (and sometimes should be used anyway) because it reduces the sensation on the head of the penis. That's a very simple approach.

There are some topical anaesthetic gels that are sometimes used to reduce the sensation, and a lot of people find these helpful. There are other psychological type measures, and sometimes talking to a counsellor, GP or psychologist can help overcome some mental blocks or issues that people may have about sexual activity in general. That's a line to proceed down for some people.

There are also medications that are sometimes used. Now, I must say there are no specific medications or drugs on the market to treat premature ejaculation, but there are a few classes of medications that are sometimes used and can have a beneficial effect. These are not the first thing to use and they are not always going to work for all people. Medication is not always a big part of the treatment but can be used in some circumstances.

A lot of claims are made in the media and on the internet about cures for premature ejaculation; you just need to be very careful as many of these claims are inflated and often involve you spending significant amounts of money to buy products that may or may not do anything. So if somebody is offering a miracle cure for premature ejaculation, you probably want to be declining that.

To summarise, premature ejaculation is a common occurrence and will happen to a large number of men at some point in their lives. Particularly to people who have had a few too many to drink, if you're a little bit stressed, and other things like that, it can occur. It's a little bit like having a bad day at the office or getting out for a duck if you're playing cricket: it may happen at some point. For those where it's happening on an ongoing basis, there are some simple ways of looking to approach it and, like with most things to do with the body, step number one is to acknowledge that there is an issue and then perhaps to seek out some assistance so you are back on the way to doing things the way you'd like to.

More information

For more information, see Premature Ejaculation.

For more information on erectile dysfunction, types, causes and treatments of erectile dysfunction, and tips for dealing with it, see Erectile Dysfunction.