Erectile dysfunction (ED) may be the more talked about sexual problem in men, but premature ejaculation (PE) is the more prevalent sexual disorder: One in three men in the Asia-Pacific region has PE. This was the key finding of the “Asia-Pacific Premature Ejaculation Prevalence and Attitudes (Pepa) Study,” the largest study of its kind in the region to date.
PE is the most common male sexual disorder. On the average, men reach sexual climax and ejaculate within 4 to 8 minutes after the start of sexual intercourse. In PE, ejaculation always or nearly always occurs prior to or within about one minute of vaginal penetration or before the man consciously wishes to.
Conducted from March to April 2009, the Pepa Study involved almost 5,000 men aged 18 to 65 from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. Through an online survey and face-to-face interviews, respondents answered 48 questions designed to investigate PE prevalence and men’s attitude toward PE. The study found that overall 31 percent of respondents have PE; only 20 percent of respondents were found to have ED.
An earlier Pepa Survey involving more than 12,000 men aged 18 to 70 from the United States, Germany and Italy found that PE prevalence was consistent across all age groups. The US National Health and Social Life Survey analysis involving more than 2,500 men found that PE prevalence was consistently higher than ED in men younger than 60.
While PE is a male sexual disorder, it also affects the man’s partner. The good news is that a drug to treat PE will soon be available. Medication can be combined with psychological and relationship counseling to manage PE. Men with PE should seek their partner’s support and consult a doctor. You can take action and control PE.
Dr. Dennis P. Serrano is a urologist and past president of the Philippine Urological Association. A health information advocacy supported by A. Menarini Philippines, PE-P Talk is a column series that aims to raise awareness on and enhance understanding of premature ejaculation (PE) and its proper diagnosis and treatment. For inquiries, please e-mail inquire@controlPE.ph or visit www.controlPE.ph.