Retarded Ejaculation


How the medical profession see retarded ejaculation

Dr D Richardson and Dr D Goldmeier, produced a report for the The British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) special interest group on the recommendations of how retarded ejaculation should be managed. International Journal of STD and AIDS, 2006, 17, 7-13.

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It may not be too cynical to suggest that the attitude summed up even in the name they give to the condition might hint at a slightly old-fashioned approach. I prefer to use the expression "delayed ejaculation" or "male orgasmic disorder".

What follows is an interpretation of the paper produced by the two authors mentioned.

Male orgasm usually has two components - an extremely pleasurable sets of sensations, due in part to muscle contractions, as orgasm takes place, together with the ejaculation of semen. Ejaculation takes place when the various components of semen enter the end of the urethra and create a build up of pressure, which triggers the neck of the bladder to close; this is followed by a series of coordinated contractions of the pelvic muscles, which force the semen out of the body. This process is  under the control of the autonomic nervous system, with the hypogastric (sympathetic) and the pudendal (parasympathetic) nerves playing the major role in co-ordinating ejaculation.

Some men have trouble ejaculating, a condition which is sometimes associated with subjective orgasmic difficulties.

Retarded ejaculation is also known as

  • male orgasmic disorder

  • inhibited ejaculation

  • impaired ejaculation

  • delayed ejaculation

  • ejaculatory incompetence

  • anejaculation

  • impaired orgasm

  • inhibited male orgasm

  • ejaculatory overcontrol

Delayed ejaculation, the term I prefer to use, is defined by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) as "persistent or recurrent difficulty or delay attaining orgasm or the absence of orgasm following sufficient sexual stimulation".

How common is delayed ejaculation?

Estimates vary widely. Masters and Johnson found 17 cases out of 448 they assessed over 11 years - 3.7%

In 2003 a study of men attending GPs in London reported a rate of 11%.

A representative sample of American men aged  between 18 and 59 years discovered that 7.8% of men reported delayed ejaculation for at least one month over the previous year.

A study in the UK of men aged between 16 and 44 found that 5.3% had been unable to reach orgasm for at least one month in the previous year. A lower proportion of 2.9% had the problem for at least six months in the previous year.

What causes delayed ejaculation (retarded ejaculation)?

Men with delayed ejaculation may have slower bulbo-cavernous reflexes, lower penile sensitivity, reduced spinal stimulation and a higher penile sensory threshold compared to men who ejaculate normally. Indeed, the bulbo-cavernosus reflex has been found to be absent in some men with complete primary ejaculatory failure.

Some authors have suggested that insufficient sexual stimulation may be the problem. Men who prefer autosexual stimulation - that is, by their own hand - to any kind of partnered sex may have a constant and physically hard way of manipulating their penis during masturbation to which they have become habituated. Some men have an 'idiosyncratic style' of penile stimulation during masturbation, which lowers their ability to ejaculate during intercourse.

And some evidence suggests that sexual organs atrophy, testosterone levels decrease, and erections are harder to get, and intensity of orgasm declines with age, pointing to an age related decline in intensity of orgasm. This may be  associated with progressive loss of peripheral sensory axons, producing difficulty in reaching the ejaculatory threshold.

There may be congenital abnormalities which could lead to the inability to ejaculate, such as cyst formation between the ejaculatory ducts due to congenital anomalies of the Mullerian or Wolffian ducts.

Pelvic surgery may affect a man's ability to ejaculate. In particular, radical prostatectomy often resulted in loss of erectile function and ejaculation. And trans-urethral resection of the prostate can cause delayed ejaculation.

Other factors associated with delayed ejaculation include peripheral vascular disease, smoking, alcohol, physical inactivity, other psychological factors, and possibly decreased sensitivity of the penis as a man gets older. In addition, many drugs approved for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression, together with antiadrenergic, anticholinergic, psychoactive and antihypertensive drugs, are associated with orgasmic and/or ejaculatory difficulty. 

Two researchers have observed that almost every psychological problem has been associated with delayed ejaculation.

For example, a man who is ambivalent about his sexual relationship may 'hold back' not only his presence in the relationship but also his semen. This can be seen as a type of overcontrol, a way of assuming power in a difficult relationship during intercourse. This is, of course, a hostile act, a position which assumes that men with this problem are overcontrolled and resist "letting themselves go".

But there again, as one author has observed, the creaking bed, thin walls, and children wandering about may inhibit orgasm and ejaculation very effectively. So can penile pain: a phimotic foreskin, painfully stretched over an erection, or a recurrent painful torn frenulum.

In getting to the bottom of what's going on, a clinician needs to consider whether the problem is orgasmic or ejaculatory. An assessment of the penis and nervous system can exclude peripheral neuropathy, autonomic dysfunction, and spinal cord pathology.

Treatment of delayed ejaculation

Retarded ejaculation may be due to drug therapy: a variety of drugs are available which are reputed not to interfere with the ejaculatory mechanism. For example, amantadine may be used to treat fluoxetine-induced retarded ejaculation. And Bupropion has been suggested as allowing a reversal of SSRI-induced delayed ejaculation. Again, Yohimbine has been observed to reverse the delayed ejaculation caused by clomipramine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, sertraline and paroxetine.

But here of course, we are mainly concerned with psychological therapies for delayed ejaculation

The classic method of treatment involves extra vigorous stimulation by hand to the penis using a lube to overcome the "block", and ejaculation by this method nearer and nearer to the vagina, in an attempt to "decondition" the non-ejaculatory response.

Other suggestions have included the use of masturbatory exercises, missionary position sex, and the use of vibrators to increase sexual arousal.

In reality, these are crude and old-fashioned approaches which do not take account of fears or anxieties which may be inhibiting ejaculation: fear of pregnancy and STI are high on this list.  and sexually transmitted diseases should be discussed at the outset. Hypnosis may be helpful for relaxing a man an encouraging him to "let go" during sex.

In summary, retarded ejaculation is not particularly common, and few case-controlled studies have been done. Many psychoactive drugs cause retarded ejaculation, and this needs to be considered. A lot of anecdotal and expert opinion from psychologists and psychosexual therapists suggest treatment focusing on the emotional and behavioral. Treatment must address both organic and psychosocial factors, and therapy must be tailored to the individual's needs. In men who also have erectile dysfunction, the erectile dysfunction should be treated first.
 

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Your boyfriend or husband can't come during sex or orgasm during intercourse ] What is delayed ejaculation? Why you can't ejaculate during sex ] Stopping delayed ejaculation ] Causes and effects of delayed ejaculation - retarded ejaculation ] Treatment of delayed ejaculation ] Dealing with male anorgasmia ] Cure for delayed ejaculation (male orgasmic disorder) ] Treatment for retarded ejaculation - delayed ejaculation ] What causes delayed ejaculation? ] Case study of delayed ejaculation - a couple with retarded ejaculation ] Boyfriend unable to orgasm during sex, husband unable to ejaculate ] Case history of delayed ejaculation ] Sexual therapy for delayed ejaculation ] Causes of DE ] The causes and treatment of delayed ejaculation ] Scientific research on DE ] Causes and treatment of DE ] [ Medical view of delayed ejaculation / retarded ejaculation ] Personal experiences of delayed ejaculation ]

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Can't ejaculate during sex?

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