A couple of months ago we reported on The Online Clinic blog about the growing number of young men in the Western world who are turning to Viagra because they feel inadequate in regards to their sexual performance. The study, which was carried out in Ireland, suggested that many of these insecurities were the result of young men feeling that women today were more sexually demanding than in previous generations, though of course who is to know? Whether or not this is a global phenomenon is unknown and it has to be noted that different cultures will invariably have differing opinions on the subject.
Another issue that is inextricably linked to these insecurities is that of premature ejaculation. Though often a cause of great distress and embarrassment to men who suffer with the condition, it is often treated as little more than a joke or an inability to perform sexually. How exactly ‘premature’ is defined is, of course, extremely subjective. If reports of the marathon sex sessions of Sting and his wife Trudi Styler are to be believed then anything short of twelve hours is premature!
Experts disagree on the definition of ‘premature’ and probably always will. In May, the International Society for sexual Medicine suggested that coming to orgasm within sixty seconds of having sex could be deemed premature. It also added the proviso, however, that there had to be a feeling of embarrassment or distress for it to meet the definition, again highly subjective and reactive terms and hardly ‘scientific.’
A study of 200 Dutch men, however, has shown that men who suffer from premature ejaculation might do so as a result of their genetic make-up. The scientists found that men who climaxed too soon were twice as likely to have a particular version of a gene that controls the hormone serotonin - the so called ‘happy hormone’. As a result of these findings scientists are now developing drugs to control the levels of serotonin in the brain as a treatment for premature ejaculation. But don’t hold your breath – a licensed product will be many years away!