Delayed ejaculation (DE) is a common medical condition. Also called' retarded ejaculation', this condition occurs when it takes a prolonged period of sexual stimulation for a man to ejaculate.
Signs and Symptoms
Delayed ejaculation can be mild (men who still experience orgasm during intercourse, but only under certain conditions), moderate (cannot ejaculate during intercourse, but can during fellatio or manual stimulation), severe (can ejaculate only when alone), or most severe (cannot ejaculate at all).
Causes
Medical conditions that can cause delayed ejaculation include hypogonadism, thyroid disorders, pituitary disorders such as Cushing's disease, prostate surgery outcome, and drug and alcohol use. Difficulty in achieving orgasm can also result from pelvic surgery that involved trauma to pelvic nerves responsible for orgasm. Some men report a lack of sensation in the nerves of the glans penis, which may or may not be related to external factors, including a history of circumcision.
Delayed ejaculation is a possible side effect of certain medications, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), opiates such as morphine or oxycodone, many benzodiazepines such as Valium, certain antipsychotics, and antihypertensives.
Psychological and lifestyle factors have been discussed as potential contributors, including insufficient sleep, distraction due to worry, distraction from the environment, anxiety about pleasing their partner and anxiety about relationship problems.
One proposed cause of delayed ejaculation is adaptation to a certain masturbatory technique.
The sensations a man feels when masturbating may bear little resemblance to the sensations he experiences during intercourse. Factors such as pressure, angle and grip during masturbation can make for an experience so different from sex with a partner that the ability to ejaculate is reduced or eliminated.
On the same note, it may be the visual factor present in masturbation that may delay vaginal ejaculation. As the sensation during masturbation is intrinsically linked with the visual input of a sexual model, be it male or female, the diminished view during sex may result in the loss of that link, and as such, delay ejaculation in the man. A possible cure for this may be a better view of the partner during intercourse.
Treatment : Sex Therapy
Therapy usually involves homework assignments and exercises intended to help a man get used to having orgasms through insertional intercourse, vaginal, anal, or oral, that is through the way to which he is not accustomed. Commonly, the couple is advised to go through three stages. At the first stage, a man masturbates in the presence of his partner. Sometimes, this is not an easy matter as a man may be used to having orgasms alone. After a man learns to ejaculate in the presence of his partner, the man's hand is replaced with the hand of his partner. In the final stage, the receptive partner inserts the insertive partner's penis into the partner's vagina, anus, or mouth as soon as the ejaculation is felt to be imminent. Thus, a man gradually learns to ejaculate inside the desired orifice by an incremental process.
Treatment : Other
Meditation has demonstrated effectiveness in case studies. There is yet no reliable medication for delayed ejaculation. PDE5 inhibitors such as Viagra have little effect. In fact, Viagra has a delaying effect on ejaculation, possibly through additional effect in the brain or decrease of sensitivity in the head of the penis.