Premature ejaculation (PE) is a sexual dysfunction affecting many adult males. Men with PE have great difficulty in delaying or controlling ejaculation during sexual intercourse. As a result, sexual intercourse only lasts a short time and finishes much earlier than the couple wish. This is distressing for both the man and his partner and can lead to low self-esteem, difficulty in relationships and avoidance of intimacy. For many men PE is a condition they have throughout their adult life, but for some men the condition can be triggered by other factors (e.g. some men with erectile dysfunction also develop PE).
Clinicians diagnose PE when patients speak of concerns about their inability to control ejaculation during sexual activity and the associated distress. The prevalence of PE depends on the definition used but many surveys have estimated that approximately 20% of the adult population have PE. The proportion of the adult male population for whom sexual intercourse lasts less than one minute is approximately 5%. Current treatment options are relatively limited and largely unsatisfactory. There is no approved pharmacological treatment for PE in the USA.
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