Premature ejaculation is one of the most common, male, sexual disorders along with impotence. Health care professionals talk about premature ejaculation in case of permanent difficulty in voluntary control of ejaculation, which comes after a minimal stimulation and before a male desires it, often before his partner reaches the orgasm.
The Normal Sequence of Sexual Intercourse
It is difficult, and even ineffective, to define in minutes what is the normal time of sexual intercourse from penetration to ejaculation because this figure is extremely variable from couple to couple.
However, a recent study has shown that in some couples this time is a little over a minute (and it isn’t perceived as a problem) and in others it is 30 minutes, while the average time is around 5-6 minutes.
Except from the extreme cases when ejaculation occurs before penetration, or a few seconds later, it is crucial to determine whether the ejaculation times decrease the quality of sexual intercourse and the satisfaction of one or both partners in a particular couple.
Causes of the Disorder
Some ejaculatory disorders may be a feature of early relationships in younger males, and this disorder usually tends to regress with sexual experience. In other cases, especially if the problem is not correctly solved with the help of an andrologist, the situation may stabilize and last for years or even for the rest of life (in this case premature ejaculation is defined as a lifetime condition). In other men, premature ejaculation may appear later in time, after many years of completely normal and satisfying sexual intercourses. In these cases (the so-called secondary premature ejaculation), the origin of the problem often lies in the loss of confidence, either consciously or unconsciously, inability to maintain an erection throughout the sexual intercourse. More rarely, premature ejaculation is caused by anatomical anomalies, such as shortness of penis frenulum, or inflammatory prostatic diseases. In these situations, the role of a doctor is also crucial, as a proper diagnosis allows to solve the problem brilliantly with simple pharmacological therapy or a small, surgical intervention.
Behavioral Treatment of Premature Ejaculation
Treatment of early ejaculation is usually based on different strategies, depending on the characteristics of the individual patient. First of all, the supportive work should be done by the specialist to develop in the patient those potentials useful to bring the relationship back to normality. It is important to keep in mind that premature ejaculation is first and foremost a problem of the couple, so it is important to involve both partners in the course of treatment.
Often the couple is taught a “behavioral therapy,” which consists of a series of progressive exercises to improve ejaculation control. In the most enduring cases, it may also be useful to resort to psycho-sexual support, and it is important that the andrologist knows how to play in the team with the other medical specialists that may be involved in the treatment process.
Treatment of Premature Ejaculation with Medications
Creams and condoms based on anesthetic substances that reduce the intensity of the sensations were very popular in the past. The major limitation of these therapies is that it was difficult to measure anesthetic activity correctly, and often the lengthening of ejaculation times is paid in terms of loss of pleasure or even decrease in the time of an erection.
Until a few years ago, oral medications for premature ejaculation did not exist. Today, however, there is a modern and innovative drug for treating the disorder. It can be taken as needed prior to sexual intercourse, without the need for continuous therapies. This drug has been proven to be a safe and effective remedy in the preclinical tests and in the experience of the first years of large scale use, especially for the most serious cases of premature ejaculation. The main problem with drug therapy is that the efficacy is limited to hours following the intake of the tablet, and therefore, this therapy itself cannot resolve the problem definitively.
The mentioned drug is called dapoxetine. Despite its positive aspects, Dapoxetine (like any other medical remedy) can cause some side effects.
Among them are:
1) anxiety, restlessness, unusual dreams, decreased libido, depression, depressed mood, euphoria, mood changes, nervousness, indifference, apathy, confusion, disorientation;
2) dizziness, headache, drowsiness, impaired concentration, tremor, paresthesia, fainting, blurred vision, pain in the eye, vision impairment;
3) nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal pain, dyspepsia, flatulence,
4) erectile dysfunction, absence of ejaculation, deteriorations of orgasm.
Therefore, you should consult a health care professional before starting treatment with dapoxetine.