DELAYED EJACULATION PART 1 – THISDAYLIVE

Delayed ejaculation, also known as impaired ejaculation, is a common medical condition that occurs when a man require a prolonged period of sexual stimulation before reaching sexual climax and releasing semen from the penis. Some men with delayed ejaculation are completely unable to ejaculate.

Delayed ejaculation can be defined when a person with a penis takes more than 30 minutes to ejaculate despite having a normal erection. Around 1–4% of the male population suffers from delayed ejaculation. This condition can be very uncomfortable and even embarrassing for the affected man, as it prevents him from experiencing orgasm at the same time as his partner, necessitating extra stimulation. While this condition poses no serious medical risks, it can be stressful and trigger health anxiety, low libido, sexual dissatisfaction, relationship issues and raise a concern for couples who want to start a family.

Most men will experience delayed ejaculation at some point in their lives, but it can be a lifelong issue for some.

Causes of Delayed Ejaculation

Certain medications, chronic health conditions, surgery, substance abuse or a mental health issue such as depression, anxiety, or stress may lead to delayed ejaculation. Causes of delayed ejaculation can be categorized into two: psychological and physical issues.

Psychological causes of delayed ejaculation include:

• Low self-esteem.
• Depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
• Relationship issues caused by stress or poor communication.
• Disappointment in sexual realities with a partner compared to sexual fantasies.
• Some antidepressants, seizure, hypertension, antipsychotic or diuretics medications.
• Excessive alcohol use.
• Religious or cultural taboos.

Physical causes of delayed ejaculation include:

• Some birth defects that affect the male reproductive system.
• Damage to the pelvic nerves that control orgasm.
• Prostate surgery.
• Stroke or spinal cord nerve damage.
• Infections such as urinary tract infections.
• Retrograde ejaculation (a condition in which the sperm flows backward into the bladder rather than the penis).
• Masturbating more frequently or having a masturbation style that cannot be matched by sexual intercourse, particularly a high speed, high pressure, or high intensity form.
• Hormone-related conditions, such as low thyroid hormone levels (hypothyroidism) or low testosterone levels (hypogonadism).

Complications of Delayed Ejaculation

Some complications of delayed ejaculation may include:

• Reduced sexual pleasure for you and your partner.
• Stress or anxiety about sexual performance.
• Problems in marriage or relationships as a result of an unsatisfactory sexual life.
• Male infertility leading to the inability to conceive with partner.
• Low self-esteem as well as feelings of inadequacy, failure, and negativity.
• Lack of libido.

Types of Delayed Ejaculation

The types of delayed ejaculation can be classified into the following:

1. Lifetime vs. Acquired – The problem of lifetime delayed ejaculation exists from the time of sexual maturity while acquired delayed ejaculation occurs after a period of normal sexual functioning, that is, it develops later in life.

• Generalized vs. Situational – Generalized delayed ejaculation is not limited to specific sex partners or stimulation types while situational delayed ejaculation occurs only with certain partners or under certain conditions.

Signs and Symptoms of Delayed Ejaculation

Sexual function connects the body and mind. For a sexual response to be produced, the endocrine (hormonal), circulatory, and nervous systems interacts with thought processes. In order to understand the signs and symptoms of delayed ejaculation, we must first understand the stages that lead to a healthy and successful ejaculation. They are:

1. Desire or libido or sex drive – the initial thought processes that lead to the desire to engage in sexual activity are referred to as desire. Desire is also a sensory experience that may be triggered by your surroundings, such as touch, thoughts, words, sights, and smells resulting in excitement.

• Excitement or sexual stimulation – this is the connection between sensory systems in which signals are sent from the brain to the penis through the spinal cord. The arteries that supply blood to erectile tissues relax and dilate, allowing for increased blood flow and blood pressure within the penis, resulting in an erection. Muscle tension increases throughout the body during the excitement phase.

• Plateau stage – this is the time between having an erection and ejaculating. During this phase, breathing becomes more rapid, and muscles throughout the body remain tense while the excitement level continues to rise.

• Orgasm – this is the peak of climax or sexual excitement. Muscle tension throughout the body peaks during orgasm and pelvic muscles contract, followed by ejaculation.

• Ejaculation – this occurs when the nervous system works with the male reproductive organs to stimulate further muscular contractions around the urethra to propel semen out of the penis, while the bladder neck contracts, preventing the flow of semen backwards, also known as retrograde ejaculation.

Signs and symptoms of delayed ejaculation include:

• Inability to have an orgasmic or ejaculatory experience for at least 30 minutes.
• Inability to progress to the excitement stage.
• Inability to advance to the plateau stage.
• Disconnection from your sexual partner.
• Loss of confidence when having a sexual encounter.
• Inability to ejaculate at least half of the time of engaging in sexual intercourse.
• Having anxiety around sex…………………….TO BE CONTINUED