Only 15% of men admit to premature ejaculation

Premature ejaculation (PE) can be a common problem for men at any age throughout there lives, and with a recent study in Malaysian only 15% of men confessed to have experienced it.
Another 14 per cent had "probable PE", said consultant urological surgeon and Monash University Sunway campus clinical associate professor Dr George Lee. He said a recent Asia-Pacific study showed that PE affects approximately 30 per cent of men in this region. "The Asia-Pacific PEPA (Premature Ejaculation Prevalence and Attitude) study showed that 15 per cent of Malaysian men confessed to having PE and 14 per cent probable PE," he said.

In simple terms, premature ejaculation is when a man ejaculates within about one minute from the point of penetration. This usually causes distress among sufferers.

Dr Lee said the average time for a man to ejaculate from the point of penetration is between four to eight minutes. "Some men ejaculate much faster than the average time and this has a huge negative impact on their self-confidence and relationship," he said at an NST Live session recently. He said men who were bothered by this may suffer from PE. "Open and honest communication with their partner is the step in the right direction," he said, noting that unlike erectile dysfunction (ED), the prevalence of PE remains constant from age 18 to 80.

He said ED was when a man could not get an erection to have sex or can't keep an erection long enough to finish having sex. PE is by far the biggest complaint that men have about their sexual performance. They want to last longer during intercourse to prolong the pleasure, for themselves and their partners.
Dr Lee said many men who see their doctors for sexual dysfunction cannot differentiate between PE and ED and, therefore, are given the wrong treatment and never go back to see their doctors again. "We are fortunate that more and more research is ongoing to help identify treatment strategies, to improve men's sexual and overall health." When asked if PE could be treated, Dr Lee said since the 1950s, PE had been treated with stop-start, and squeezing techniques.

This was popularised by sexologists Masters and Johnson. However, such treatment has poor efficacy and low compliance. "Fortunately, there is pharmaceutical treatment for PE these days," he said.
Among the treatments include topical cream to numb the penis and medications to increase 5HT neuro transmitters. However, he said, topical creams were very undesirable as they numb the vagina too. Treatment can also include behavioural, pharmaceutical interventions and use of dapoxetine. Another treatment that can be used is a pill called Priligy that is capable of increasing the duration of intercourse by three to four folds in scientific trials.

Priligy

On whether alternative methods, including the use of "Gambir Sarawak" would work, Dr Lee said it only numbed the penis. "The effect from its use is not well received." He said the use of Tongkat Ali definitely did not work for PE. "Some Chinese traditional medicines claim to improve the interval of intercourse, however, there are no clinical trials to support it, he said.

Dr Lee said the psychological impact of PE was also substantial for the partners of those with the condition.
"It is only a cause for divorce if the couples do not address the issues." Dr Lee said the real cause of PE was unknown. Some believe it is caused by psychological trauma during sexual maturity.