Symptoms and causes

Premature Ejaculation

Symptoms of premature ejaculation

Premature ejaculation produces three symptoms, although the first is the one that essentially defines the disease:

• The first symptom is a lack of control over the timing of orgasm, usually associated with low intercourse time. It usually occurs in most sexual relations, although many men explain that in some situations or with some practices they are able to acquire more control than with others. This lack of control leads to performance anxiety. Performance anxiety is a negative feeling accompanied by an organic response (increased catecholamines, increased cortisol, tachycardia), which can further aggravate premature ejaculation.

•  Second, it is common for many men with premature ejaculation to have psychological erectile dysfunction. The mechanism that produces this is performance anxiety, which shifts the focus of attention from the erotic to the worry and negative feelings that accompany performance anxiety. In either case, the effect is worsening sexual control and, in many cases, the onset of erectile problems. In addition, a premature ejaculation problem can lead to sexual problems in the relationship, as well as difficulties in meeting potential sexual partners. As a result, some men develop performance anxiety and a certain avoidance of sexual intercourse, which can lead to erection problems.

• Finally, in very advanced cases, when anxiety becomes generalized, it is even possible that behaviors are generated in which the man avoids sexual relations with his partner or the approach to people he believes may have a sexual interest in him and reduces his sexual desire due to anxiety and the "fear of failure".

Causes of Premature Ejaculation

The causes of premature ejaculation depend basically on the type of premature ejaculation:

• Genetic causes. Men with primary premature ejaculation appear to have some congenital propensity for low intercourse time. This situation is related to the serotonin receptor subtype that regulates sexual response, so the cause could be genetic. This makes its solution more complex and its prognosis worse than that of other forms of premature ejaculation. It has also been hypothesized with a certain component of learning deficit, in the context of restrictive educations and masturbatory habits in which the priority is to finish very quickly for fear of being discovered.
• Prostate problems. Men with prostate problems are at increased risk for ejaculatory problems such as premature ejaculation, anorgasmia, painful orgasm and hemospermia. All of these may contribute to worsening sexual control and increased premature ejaculation.
• Erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction affects 50% of men in their 50s. One of the first symptoms of this condition is the fact of not being able to maintain penile rigidity long enough. This leads some men to explain erectile dysfunction as premature ejaculation, when the main problem is impotence.
• Lifestyle changes. Certain changes in a man's life can produce stress or performance anxiety, such as job changes, family stressors, a new relationship.
• Others. As for natural variable premature ejaculation and premature pseudoejaculation, they are considered variants of normality and are usually resolved satisfactorily with a series of general sex education measures and with a series of tips on how to delay the moment of orgasm.