Is it normal to have premature ejaculation

And, in some cases, your partner may also have their own problems that are contributing towards problems with your sex life. For example, some women are unable to reach climax during "normal" intercourse and require manual or oral stimulation. Read more about why talking about sex is important. Finding blood in your semen haematospermia can be alarming. However, in most cases it's not serious and will pass within a few days. The most likely cause is infection of your urethra urethritis or prostate prostatitis.

See your GP or visit your local genito-urinary medicine GUM clinic if the symptoms persist, because the causes may be more serious. Page last reviewed: 24 July Next review due: 24 July Ejaculation problems. Ejaculation problems are common sexual problems in men. The 3 main types of ejacualtion problems are: premature ejaculation delayed ejaculation retrograde ejaculation If you have a persistent problem with ejaculation, visit your GP, who will discuss the problem with you and may examine you or refer you to a specialist.

Premature ejaculation Premature ejaculation is the most common ejaculation problem. Causes of premature ejaculation Various psychological and physical factors can cause a man to suddenly experience premature ejaculation. Common physical causes include: prostate problems thyroid problems — an overactive or underactive thyroid gland using recreational drugs Common psychological causes include: depression stress relationship problems anxiety about sexual performance particularly at the start of a new relationship, or when a man has had previous problems with sexual performance It's possible, but less common, for a man to have always experienced premature ejaculation since becoming sexually active.

A number of possible causes for this are: conditioning — it's possible that early sexual experiences can influence future sexual behaviour. For example, if a teenager conditions himself to ejaculate quickly to avoid being caught masturbating, it may later be difficult to break the habit a traumatic sexual experience from childhood — this can range from being caught masturbating to sexual abuse a strict upbringing and beliefs about sex biological reasons — some men may find their penis is extra sensitive Treating premature ejaculation There are a number of things you can try yourself before seeking medical help.

Measures you can try yourself It can sometimes help to: masturbate an hour or 2 before having sex use a thick condom to help decrease sensation take a deep breath to briefly shut down the ejaculatory reflex an automatic reflex of the body during which ejaculation occurs have sex with your partner on top to allow them to pull away when you are close to ejaculating take breaks during sex and think about something boring Couples therapy If you're in a long-term relationship, you may benefit from having couples therapy.

During these sessions, the therapist will: encourage couples to explore any relationship issues they have, and give them advice about resolving them show the couple techniques that can help you "unlearn" the habit of premature ejaculation the 2 most popular techniques are the "squeeze" and "stop-go" techniques In the squeeze technique, your partner masturbates you, but stops before the point of ejaculation and squeezes the head of your penis for between 10 to 20 seconds.

These techniques may sound simple, but they require lots of practice. SSRIs used for this purpose include: paroxetine sertraline fluoxetine Some men may experience an improvement as soon as treatment begins. Side effects of SSRIs are usually mild and should improve after 2 to 3 weeks.

They include: fatigue feeling sick and being sick diarrhoea excessive sweating Read more about the side effects of SSRIs. Common side effects include: headaches dizziness feeling sick Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors, such as sildenafil sold as Viagra , are a class of medicine used to treat erectile dysfunction.

Topical anaesthetics and condoms The use of topical anaesthetics such as lidocaine or prilocaine can help but may be transferred and absorbed to the vagina, causing decreased sensation. Delayed ejaculation Delayed ejaculation male orgasmic disorder is classed as either: experiencing a significant delay before ejaculation being unable to ejaculate at all, even though the man wants to and his erection is normal You may have delayed ejaculation if: you experience a repeated and unwanted delay before ejaculation lasting for 30 to 60 minutes you're unable to ejaculate at least half the times you have sex Causes of delayed ejaculation Like premature ejaculation, delayed ejaculation can be caused by psychological and physical factors.

Physical causes of delayed ejaculation include: diabetes usually only type 1 diabetes spinal cord injuries multiple sclerosis surgery to the bladder or prostate gland increasing age Many medicines are known to cause delayed ejaculation, including: antidepressants , particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs medicines to treat high blood pressure , such as beta-blockers antipsychotics , used to treat episodes of psychosis muscle relaxants such as baclofen, which is widely used to treat motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis powerful painkillers , such as methadone which is also widely used to treat people addicted to heroin Delayed ejaculation can suddenly start to happen after previously having no problems, or less commonly the man may have always experienced it.

Treating delayed ejaculation Sex therapy Sex therapy is a form of counselling that uses a combination of psychotherapy and structured changes in your sex life.

These may include: viewing erotic videos and magazines before having sex to increase the feeling of stimulation erotic fantasies and "sex games" to make your lovemaking more exciting using lubricating creams, or jellies, to make the physical act of sex more comfortable and relaxing using sexual aids, such as vibrators, to increase pleasure Read more information about what a sex therapist can do.

Premature ejaculation is the most common sexual problem for men. It is a lack of control over ejaculation so that it often happens sooner than the man or his partner wants, causing distress for one or both partners. Some men ejaculate as soon as foreplay starts. Others lose control when they try to insert their penis, while some ejaculate very quickly after penetration. Whatever the case, premature ejaculation can cause distress and create tension between a man and his partner.

Some men will have premature ejaculation from the time of their first sexual experience lifelong , while in others, it will develop after a period of normal sexual activity acquired. Occasionally losing control over ejaculation is normal. Premature ejaculation is only a problem if it happens frequently. Most men occasionally reach orgasm sooner than they'd like. For example, it is common for a man to ejaculate quickly the first time he has sex.

It is also common if a man hasn't ejaculated for a long time. The occasional loss of control doesn't mean the man has a sexual problem. In the past, premature ejaculation was thought to be entirely psychological. However, it is now thought that some men particularly those with lifelong premature ejaculation have a chemical imbalance in the brain centres controlling this function this is called a neurobiological cause. This can, in turn, lead to associated psychological problems, such as performance anxiety.

Some men develop acquired premature ejaculation because they have erectile dysfunction are unable to get or keep an erection than enables them to have sex. Seeking help for premature ejaculation from a doctor or sex therapist is a good idea.

Ejaculation is controlled by the central nervous system. When men are sexually stimulated, signals are sent to your spinal cord and brain. When men reach a certain level of excitement, signals are then sent from your brain to your reproductive organs.

This causes semen to be ejected through the penis ejaculation. Emission is when sperm moves from the testicles to the prostate and mixes with seminal fluid to make semen. The vasa deferentia are tubes that help move the sperm from the testicles through the prostate to the base of the penis. When you are talking about just 1 of these tubes, it is called a vas deferens. Expulsion is when the muscles at the base of the penis contract. This forces semen out of the penis. Mostly, ejaculation and orgasm climax happen at the same time.

Some men climax without ejaculating. In most cases, erections go away after this step. Sometimes PE is a problem for men who have erection problems erectile dysfunction or ED. This is when men are not able to get or keep an erection that's firm enough for sex. Since an erection goes away after ejaculation, it can be tough to know if the problem is PE or ED.

ED should be treated first. Premature ejaculation may not be a problem once the ED is treated. Though the exact cause of PE is not known, serotonin may play a role. Serotonin is a natural substance in your body made by nerves. High amounts of serotonin in the brain increase the time to ejaculation.

Low amounts can shorten the time to ejaculation, and lead to PE. PE can happen at any age. Aging is not a direct cause of PE, though aging does cause changes in erections and ejaculation. For older men, erections may not be as firm or as large. Erections may not last as long before ejaculation occurs. The feeling that ejaculation is about to happen may be shorter. These changes can lead to an older man ejaculating earlier.

With PE, you may feel you lose some of the closeness shared with a sexual partner. You might feel angry, ashamed or upset, and turn away from your partner. A study involving couples found the average time for ejaculation was about 5-and-a-half minutes after starting sex.

This time could be longer for men who have sex with men. International guidelines define premature ejaculation as regularly ejaculating within 1 minute of entering your partner. However, it's up to you and your partner to decide if you're happy with the time it takes you to ejaculate. If ejaculation times are causing you persistent distress then it's a problem that can be helped with treatment.

The causes of primary premature ejaculation are often psychological, such as having a traumatic sexual experience at an early age. Secondary premature ejaculation can be caused by both psychological and physical factors.

Physical causes can include drinking too much alcohol and inflammation of the prostate gland prostatitis. If your premature ejaculation is caused by a physical condition, treating the underlying condition should help.