Premature Ejaculation Treatment - Oakwood Health Network

What is premature ejaculation?

Premature ejaculation (sometimes called PE) happens when a man ejaculates sooner than he or his partner would like during sexual intercourse. Infrequent occurrences of premature ejaculation are considered normal and are more common than you may think.

However, suppose you almost always ejaculate prematurely (typically within 1 to 3 minutes of penetration) or cannot delay ejaculation most of the time during intercourse. In that case, a health care provider may diagnose you with premature ejaculation.

Diagnosed premature ejaculation falls into two different classifications:

Lifelong (primary): As the name implies, lifelong premature ejaculation is something a man has experienced from the start of becoming sexually active.
Acquired (secondary): Acquired premature ejaculation occurs after you’ve had sexual encounters without any ejaculatory issues.

Both of these classifications of premature ejaculation can be treated.

What causes premature ejaculation?

The exact causes of premature ejaculation are unknown; however, some possible causes may play a role in premature ejaculation, such as:

Erectile dysfunction: If you have erectile dysfunction, you may also experience premature ejaculation. This often comes from feeling anxious about getting or maintaining an erection.
Hormone imbalances: Low testosterone is a cause of erectile dysfunction, a common cause of premature ejaculation.
Psychological problems: The state of your mental health can play a role in when you ejaculate. Dealing with extra stress or having an anxiety disorder or depression can impact your sexual performance. Even feeling guilty or less confident than usual can result in ejaculating too early.
Relationship issues: If sexual experiences and relationships with other partners rarely had occurrences of premature ejaculation, there may be underlying problems in your current relationship that are to blame.

Am I at risk for premature ejaculation?

Premature ejaculation may occur more frequently with age. Certain mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression increase premature ejaculation. A history of sexual abuse or trauma may also increase your risk.

What are the signs and symptoms of premature ejaculation?

Premature ejaculation signs and symptoms include the following:

Ejaculating earlier than you or your partner desire
Ejaculating frequently with minimal stimulation and control
Being unable to delay ejaculation (nearly) all of the time
Decreased pleasure due to poor control
Feeling guilty, embarrassed, or frustrated
Avoiding sexual intimacy due to ejaculating prematurely
Fertility problems

What premature ejaculation treatment options are available in Toronto?

Exercises to improve pelvic floor health

Pelvic floor exercises: Having a weak pelvic floor may be what’s keeping you from delaying ejaculation. Doing pelvic floor exercises to strengthen pelvic floor muscles can help prevent premature ejaculation.

Kegel Exercises

Intra-coital techniques to delay ejaculation

Pause and squeeze technique: This method involves your partner squeezing the head of your penis before until you no longer feel the need to ejaculate. You and your partner may have to repeat this several times until you start entering your partner without ejaculating.

ICU Technique

Condoms: Sometimes, sensitivity can contribute to premature ejaculation. In general, condoms can help decrease that sensitivity and delay ejaculation. You can easily find over-the-counter condoms containing numbing agents that control when you climax and delay ejaculation.

Pharmaceutical assistance

Topical medications: Numbing creams or sprays may be applied to the penis 20 to 30 minutes before sex and removed 5 to 10 minutes before intercourse.

SSRIs

Lifestyle advice

Therapy: Speaking with professional psychologists specializing in mental health and sexual health can address potential mental health issues causing premature ejaculation. Many kinds of therapies may treat premature ejaculation, such as behaviour therapy and psychological therapy.

Regular Exercise

Aerobic exercise prior to intercourse