Many believe that porn is to blame for the number of men who suffer from premature ejaculation, as they are programmed to believe that men can last for hours in the bedroom without reaching climax. In reality, this isn’t true – which begs the question, are men truly suffering with premature ejaculation or are they simply comparing themselves to unrealistic people when it comes to sex? Premature or rapid ejaculation refers to the event where a man ejaculates before he feels ready to do so – the condition is more prominent in people’s sex lives than we are aware of. In fact, it is the most commonly reported sexual problem, irrespective of one’s age. It’s more common in younger men, which is thought to be because of a lack of experience or insecurity about sex.
The timing of ejaculation tends to be used as a measure of the ejaculatory control a man has. This means that there is no fixed time for defining whether a man is coming too soon, as it varied between individuals and couples. For example, if a man or couple wants to ejaculate after 40 minutes of intercourse and he ejaculates at 25 minutes, that is premature ejaculation for him or them. But if a man wants to ejaculate after 3 minutes, but does so after 1 minute, that too is a premature ejaculation. Studies show that most men ejaculate within 3 to 5 minutes after penetration. There are two categories for premature ejaculation – primary or lifelong PE, which is where the man has never had control over ejaculation, and acquired PE – where previously the condition has been fine, but has developed later on in life.
There are various causes for premature ejaculation, from psychological to physical ailments. The most common include anxiety, which can be triggered by having sex with someone for the first time or the desire to have ‘perfect’ sex with your partner. The sexual partner you’re having intercourse with could also be the cause, as sometimes people put pressure on their partner which can lead to further anxiety to perform as well as they’d like. Neurological problems are sometimes to blame, due to a chemical imbalance that lowers the ejaculatory threshold. Lastly, erectile dysfunction could also be a cause.