Premature Ejaculation Can Be Treated! – Introduction
ED is a sexual illness against which millions of men worldwide are struggling. It is considered ED if one cannot attain or even maintain an erection that is appropriate for sex. This can lead to a tremendous physical, psychological and emotional burden that diminishes confidence, strained relationships and undermines the general standard of living. Though ED is being treated with a wide range of medications, lifestyle changes can be used as first line and management for ED. The authors present five lifestyle changes that could, at the moment, be expected to boost erectile function and re-establish general sexual health and well-being.
Premature Ejaculation Can Be Treated!
Understanding Premature Ejaculation:
PE comes in two main forms, primary (initiated) and secondary (acquired). Primary PE occurs at the beginning of a first sexual encounter, while secondary PE emerges following normal sexual functioning. We don’t know the exact cause of PE, but they think both psychological and biological factors are involved. The psychological factors that may play a role in PE include anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and past sexual abuse. Herbal causes include hormonal dysregulation, genetics, neurological dysfunction and abnormal levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. Additional risk factors for PE include prostatitis, hyperthyroidism, or drugs.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) has established the following criteria for premature ejaculation (PE):
In most sexual encounters, a jab is shed in the space of about a minute of vaginal penetration, if not earlier.
Most vaginal penetrations are unable to suppress or pause ejaculation.
The abused person feels negative consequences, including anxiety, disappointment or avoidance of sexual contact.
Physicians use an extensive history, physical exam and potentially laboratory tests to make a diagnosis of PE and rule out underlying illnesses. Additionally, validated self-report instruments, like the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) and Index of Premature Ejaculation (IPE), could be used to quantify the extent of the condition and make treatment recommendations.
Treatment Options:
1. Behavioral Techniques:
Several behavioural interventions have been put in place to assist men with PE in regulating their ejaculatory reflex. These methods usually involve training to recognise and regulate the body’s physical experience before ejaculation, and exercising pelvic floor muscles. Some of the most commonly employed behavioural interventions are:
a. The Stop-Start Technique: It involves stopping sex prior to the ejaculation and resuming it after the feeling subsides. As you learn, this practice extends the time to ejaculation and enhances control.
b. The Squeeze Method: Like the stop-start method, the squeeze involves pressing on the frenulum, or the bottom of the penis head, to stop the ejaculatory response. Combining with the stop-start trick gives additional control.
c. Pelvic Floor exercises: Kegel exercises are the movements where you contract and relax the muscles that control your urination. Regular pelvic floor exercises have also been shown to enhance ejaculatory control and sexual enjoyment.
2. Pharmacological Treatments:
Medications are available to treat premature ejaculation. These drugs specifically affect the serotonin system, which is involved in ejaculatory regulation. On-label PE drugs that stall ejaculation include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like paroxetine, fluoxetine and sertraline. We can also administer topical anaesthetics (such as lidocaine and prilocaine creams) to reduce penile irritation and delay the time to ejaculate. But these medicines should be taken under the direct care of a medical professional because they can have unwanted effects and interactions with other drugs.
3. Psychological Interventions:
Psychological therapy is an effective adjunct to PE treatment, especially for people suffering from anxiety, depression or relationship problems. Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), sex therapy and counselling can help counter negative thoughts, beliefs and behaviors that fuel PE. Additionally, communication skills training, sexual response and function education, and techniques to help ease performance anxiety may be discussed during these sessions.
4. Lifestyle Modifications:
Exercise: In addition to being an important component of a healthy body, regular exercise is essential to sexual health. In fact, exercise increases cardiovascular function, alleviates stress and anxiety, and boosts self-confidence – all of which contribute to increased sex performance and ejaculatory control. The exercises most explicitly emphasized for being useful in facilitating the control of ejaculation in men with PE are pelvic floor exercises, or Kegel exercises. These include contracting and relaxing the muscles that control urine flow to support the pelvic floor as a means of preventing ejaculation.
5. Stress Management
Stress and anxiety are both associated with PE symptoms, and these should be addressed as part of managing the disorder. Stress can be calmed, and mental balance restored, by any number of different ways of handling stress: meditation, yoga, deep breathing. Among the interventions that have been examined so far, mindfulness-based interventions are most likely to have the potential to effectively address PE: they encourage individuals to develop present-moment awareness and an agnostic perspective on thoughts and emotions. Stress-reduction and emotion control induced by mindfulness-based interventions can have beneficial effects on PE-related ejaculatory control.
6. Principle of Balanced Diet
Eating well is important for both the body and mind, not to mention sex. A diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fat can support cardiovascular health, boost energy levels, and build mood-states that translate into increased sexual activity. Other supplements also include zinc, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, which are also implicated in sexual health and may help alleviate PE symptoms.
7. Reduction of Alcohol Consumption, Smoking Cessation, and Abstention from Recreational Drugs:
Sex dysfunction, such as PE, has been influenced by excessive drinking, smoking and drug abuse. Alcohol, for instance, makes the nervous system weak; if the nervous system was weak, ejaculation during stimulation might become difficult to regulate. Conversely, smoking cigarettes and taking recreational drugs were both linked to vascular damage due to low erectile function, which may, in turn, have been responsible for PE. Limiting alcohol consumption, quitting smoking and abstaining from recreational drugs could thus be suggested as a strategy for maintaining ejaculatory control in PE men.
Conclusion: Premature Ejaculation Can Be Treated!
Premature ejaculation, in other words, is completely curable and can make a profound difference to a person’s socio-sexual health and wellbeing. In particular, professional assistance through multidisciplinary care in the form of behavioural therapy, medication, psychotherapy and lifestyle changes would increase ejaculatory control in men with PE, which would enhance good sexual satisfaction. Above all, strengthening their connections, this is the first stage in preventing PE: acknowledging it and having a candid conversation with a healthcare provider. With early treatment and acceptance of a wide range of interventions, the sexual life and enjoyment of the patient who seeks care (and of his partner) could be enhanced.
