What is premature ejaculation?

Premature ejaculation is a common sexual disorder. Estimates vary, but some experts think it affects as many as one out of three men. Even though it's a common problem that can be treated, many men feel embarrassed to talk to their doctors about it or seek treatment.

Premature ejaculation (PE), also known as rapid ejaculation, premature climax, early ejaculation, or by the Latin term ejaculatio praecox, is the most common sexual problem in men, affecting 25%-40% of men. It is characterized by a lack of voluntary control over ejaculation. Masters and Johnson stated that a man suffers from premature ejaculation if he ejaculates before his partner achieves orgasm in more than fifty percent of his sexual encounters. Other sex researchers have defined premature ejaculation as occurring if the man ejaculates within two minutes or less of penetration; however, a survey by Alfred Kinsey in the 1950s demonstrated that three quarters of men ejaculated within two minutes of penetration in over half of their sexual encounters. Today, most sex therapists understand premature ejaculation as occurring when a lack of ejaculatory control interferes with sexual or emotional well-being in one or both partners.

Once thought to be purely psychological, experts now know that biological factors also play an important role in premature ejaculation. In some men, premature ejaculation is related to erectile dysfunction.

Premature ejaculation may be primary or secondary. Primary applies to individuals who have had the condition since they became capable of functioning sexually (ie, postpuberty). Secondary indicates that the condition began in an individual who previously experienced an acceptable level of ejaculatory control, and, for unknown reasons, he began experiencing premature ejaculation later in life. With secondary premature ejaculation, the problem does not relate to a general medical disorder, and it is usually not related to substance inducement, although, rarely, hyperexcitability might relate to a psychotropic drug and resolves when the drug is withdrawn. Premature ejaculation fits best into the category of not otherwise specified because no one really knows what causes it, although psychological factors are suggested in most cases.

Source: Wikipedia