Dear Doctor;

I am 28 years old and single. I suffer premature ejaculation during sexual intercourse and usually I cannot get another erection soon after. This has always left women I engage with disappointed and they never come back again. Is premature ejaculation a disease? If so, can it be treated?

Concerned Man.

Dear Concerned Man, 

Premature ejaculation is a fairly common problem and more than 20 per cent men worldwide suffer from this problem. Premature ejaculation is usually referred to the ejaculation which occurs within a minute or less than it after arousal. Exact cause of premature ejaculation is not known, but there are many theories to it. Masturbating as an adolescent and then ejaculating for fear of being caught could set the entire body’s sexual system in that pattern, that is to say, one would just get aroused sexually. Anxiety, mental tension and depression are other conditions which can lead to premature ejaculation. In no way is it a physical health problem.

Antidepressant drugs of the group serotinin selective receptor inhibitor (SSRI) have been tried with varying success in treatment of premature ejaculation. Counselling of the individual is useful. He needs to be relaxed mentally and physically at that moment. Counselling of the couple is also important. The partners need to understand that mutual adjustment and cooperation can solve this problem. Foreplay and sufficient stimulation of the partner without penetration immediate can arouse her sufficiently to achieve orgasm in a short time. The two can take a pause in between sexual intercourse to delay the ejaculation.