Tag: menswellness

Categories
Sexual Health

What Your Morning Boner Says About Your Health

What Your Morning Boner Says About Your Health

Many men find that as the sun rises, so do their dicks. This phenomenon is normal and often known as “morning boner”, or more scientifically, “nocturnal penile tumescence”. But what if your penis is still dozing when you’re up? Should this be a cause for concern?

What is Morning Boner?

Morning boner, scientifically termed as “nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT)” or “involuntary sleep-related erections (SREs)”, refers to when a male wakes up to an erect penis. This occurs in men of all ages, although it is most common among younger men. In fact, infants and children experience it too. What’s even more surprising and interesting is that even male fetuses in the womb get erections!

A healthy man is estimated to experience between 3 to 5 erections during a full night’s sleep (8 hours), with each erection lasting for 25 to 35 minutes. These erections occur during a sleep stage known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, which is the period when dreams occur. The morning boner that you experience right after waking up is the last erection in the series of night-time erections.

What Causes Morning Boner?

While scientists have yet to come to an exact conclusion on what causes the morning boner, much evidence points to an interplay of three phenomenons – testosterone production, mental relaxation and physical stimulation.

1. Testosterone production

What is testosterone?

As most of you will already know, testosterone is the primary male sex hormone. It plays a key role in the sexual development of men. Some of its functions are listed below:

  • Regulates sex drive or libido
  • Controls sperm production
  • Responsible for the growth and development of the testes, penis, and prostate gland
  • Responsible for the development and maintenance of secondary male sexual characteristics, causing an increase in height, and body and pubic hair as boys transition to men during puberty

Testosterone levels are highest during sleep

So, what happens to testosterone levels through the night? When you fall asleep, testosterone levels rise, peaking when you transition from non-REM sleep to REM sleep state. After this, your testosterone levels remain consistently high throughout the night, including right after you wake up in the morning. The rise in testosterone levels itself may be enough to achieve an erection. 

2. Mental relaxation

A brief overview of corticosteroid hormones

Everyone experiences an adrenaline rush at some point in their lives. But what exactly is adrenaline? Well, it belongs to a group of hormones known as corticosteroids. These hormones are known for their function in producing fight-or-flight responses during times of stress or when you find yourself coming face to face with a threatening situation – be it rushing your work at the eleventh hour to meet a deadline, watching a horror movie or when you’re on a roller coaster. 

Corticosteroid hormones levels fluctuate according to your sleep-wake cycle

When you’re awake, your body naturally produces corticosteroid hormones, including adrenaline. These hormones constrict your blood vessels to the penis. Consequently, less blood reaches your penis, keeping your penis in a flaccid state for most periods of the day.

However, during sleep, your brain relaxes. As a result, fewer corticosteroid hormones are produced, allowing more blood to flow to your penis. This, partnered with the rise in testosterone levels as aforementioned, helps make night-time erections possible.

3. Physical stimulation

Last but not least, your morning boner can be a result of physical stimulation throughout the night. While you’re asleep, you or your partner may unknowingly touch your genitals. Your body picks up this stimulation and develops an erection in response. Even the slightest graze from your pillow or bolster can induce this response. 

What Does NOT Cause your Morning Boner

Contrary to popular beliefs, racy dreams don’t cause your morning boner. Erections are a normal part of REM sleep in males, regardless of the contents of one’s dreams.  Neither are night-time erections related to whether you had sex before going to bed or how full your bladder is. 

Your Morning Boner Indicates Good Health

Frequently waking up to a morning glory is a green flag that you’re generally healthy. It indicates that your heart, circulatory system and nervous system are in good condition. Moreover, it also indicates that your body is physiologically capable of getting and maintaining an erection. In other words, frequently getting your morning boner puts you at lower risk of physiological erectile dysfunction (ED). 

What Does It Mean If You Have No Morning Boner?

If your penis still snoozing even after you’ve awakened, it may or may not be a cause for concern.

1. Age and declining testosterone levels

Firstly, testosterone levels decrease as one becomes older, especially between the ages of 40 and 50. Thus, it’s normal for older men to have fewer morning erections compared to their youthful counterparts. 

With that being said, if you’re an older man who has noticed a lack of morning boners, don’t panic about ED just yet. A study has shown that a lack of night-time boners in older men does not correlate with the inability to achieve waking erections, which means that older men can still have healthy and firm erections during normal sex. 

2. Waking up at the “wrong time”

It’s okay to not wake up with a morning boner occasionally, even if you’re young and healthy. On most mornings, you wake up at the end of a REM cycle, which explains your morning erections. However, you may also wake up at different points in your sleep cycle, such as when you’re not in REM sleep. This is especially likely if you use an alarm to wake up in the morning. 

3. Underlying medical conditions or medicines

Besides the generally harmless reasons mentioned above, your missing morning boner may be a sign of something more serious if it occurs frequently. This can be a red flag that you have an underlying medical condition and/or physical ED. 

Physical ED can be due to many medical conditions. These conditions work against your penis by blocking blood and nerve supply to your penis in one way or another, which is required for an erection. Some of the common medical conditions include:

  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Diabetes 
  • Overweight or obese
  • Testosterone deficiency

Furthermore, certain medications also have a role to play in preventing your member from standing in the morning. In particular, painkillers and antidepressants are common culprits of a flaccid morning penis. 

4. Poor sleep quality

A study published by The Journal Of Sexual Medication also revealed that a man’s sleep quality can affect how often he experiences night-time erections and morning boners. Your sleep quality determines how many sleep cycles you undergo, which correlates to the number of night-time erections you will have. Essentially, having poor sleep quality means that you will undergo the REM stage of sleep fewer times, leading to fewer night-time erections and a lower probability of you waking up with an erection.

Test Yourself with Postage Stamps

Yeap, you read that right. If you aren’t getting morning boners and are unsure if you’re getting night-time erections, you can use postage stamps to help you. This is known as the nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) stamp test, or simply the postage stamp test, and it is to be carried out over 3 consecutive nights. 

This test is easy to perform and doesn’t require any pesky, expensive and complicated equipment. All you need are a few postage stamps (the denominations of your stamps don’t matter) with perforated edges. If you aren’t sure what that means, stamps with perforated edges are connected by a row of small holes that allow them to be easily torn apart from each other. 

How it works

  1. Get a strip of 4 to 6 stamps per night. 
  2. Wrap the strip of stamps around the shaft of your penis. Make sure the strip of stamps is long enough so that the first and last stamps overlap. Moisten the top stamp and seal it over the bottom one, or use adhesive tape. 
  3. During an erection, not only does the penis become longer, but it also becomes thicker. 
  4. Check the strip of stamps in the morning after you wake up. If the perforations between the stamps are torn, it signals that you had at least one night-time erection. 

Don’t have any perforated stamps lying around at home?

Don’t worry about that. You can always make your own perforated “stamps” with a strip of paper and scissors. Click here to watch a video on how to DIY your own perforated “stamps”.

Disclaimer

It is possible for a male to move around during sleep in a way that causes the perforations between the stamps to tear without having a night-time erection. This results in a false positive.

Also, while the postage stamp test may tell you whether you’re having night-time erections, it doesn’t reveal anything about their qualities and durations. Hence, if you suspect that you may have ED, we advise that you consult a doctor.

When to See a Doctor

1. Sudden loss of erectile function

Once again, not having a morning boner occasionally isn’t a cause for concern. However, if you notice a sudden decrease in the frequency of your morning boner, or if you can’t get or sustain an erection during sex, you should see a doctor about it.

2. Painful erections and/or erections that don’t go away

Usually, most morning boners will subside on their own within 30 minutes. However, if your morning boner is still standing for 1 hour or longer after awakening, or if it becomes painful, something may be wrong. Contact a doctor immediately. 

Outlook

“People don’t ever realise that they take things for granted until it’s gone.” Indeed, not being greeted by the familiar morning boner upon awakening might come as a shock. While losing your morning boner occasionally is totally normal, especially as you age, losing it too often isn’t a good sign for your general and sexual health. 

If you are concerned about ED, fill in a simple questionnaire to get over with the awkward questions. We’ll then connect you with one of our friendly doctors for an online video consultation, and if prescribed, we’ll deliver your medication right to your doorstep!

References

  • Holland, K. (2018, September 17). What Causes Morning Wood? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/mens-health/morning-wood. 
  • Youn, G. (2017). Why Do Healthy Men Experience Morning Erections? The Open Psychology Journal, 10(1), 49–54. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874350101710010049 
  • Sherer, D. M., Eggers, P. C., & Woods, J. R. (1990). In-utero fetal penile erection. Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, 9(6), 371–371. https://doi.org/10.7863/jum.1990.9.6.371 
  • Schiavi, R. C., & Schreiner-Engel, P. (1988). Nocturnal Penile Tumescence in Healthy Aging Men. Journal of Gerontology, 43(5), 146–150. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronj/43.5.m146 
  • Zhang, Y., Chen, S., Ma, G., Lai, Y., Yang, X., Feng, J., Zang, Z., Qi, T., Wang, B., & Ye, L. (2018). 632 Consecutive nightly recordings are required for the accurate monitoring of nocturnal erections. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 15(7), S367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2018.04.539 
Categories
Sexual Health

“Whiskey Dick”: Alcohol-Induced Erectile Dysfunction and How To Get Rid of It

“Whiskey Dick”: Alcohol-Induced Erectile Dysfunction and How To Get Rid of It
Image credit: iamkeithmiller on Deviant Art

Alcohol can calm your bedroom jitters, but have one too many and you may find yourself facing a bigger disaster – the inability to get hard. Here’s what every man needs to know about “whiskey dick”, also known as alcohol-induced erectile dysfunction.

What is “Whiskey Dick”?

“Whiskey dick”, also known as alcohol-induced erectile dysfunction (ED), is when a man is unable to get an erection after drinking alcohol. But don’t be misled by its name! “Whiskey dick” isn’t only caused by whiskey; all types of alcohol are in cahoots against your penis. 

Is “Whiskey Dick” Really True? Or is it Just a Myth?

Unfortunately, “whiskey dick” is very much a reality for many men. A study conducted by the University of Washington revealed that sober men were able to achieve an erection more quickly than intoxicated men. In fact, several men were completely unable to achieve an erection after drinking alcohol. 

How Alcohol Affects your Erection

1. CNS depressant

Alcohol is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, causing both your brain and body to become slow and sluggish. Also, your body channels more of its resources to processing the alcohol rather than helping your willy stand.

2. Dehydration and reduced blood flow

Do you find yourself frequenting the bathroom way more often than usual during your booze nights out? That’s because alcohol causes your body’s water to be lost quickly, leading to dehydration. This reduces the total blood volume, as well as cause the release of a hormone known as angiotensin. Angiotensin constricts blood vessels, including those that travel to your penis. As a result, less blood flows to your penis, making it hard for you to get hard. 

3. Mental focus and coordination

Moreover, sexual arousal requires mental concentration, which dwindles as you drink more and more alcohol. The reduced mental focus, partnered with hampered coordination and slower reaction time, cooks up a recipe for a less than stellar performance under the duvets.

How Many Drinks Does it Take to Knock out Your Penis?

It’s a slippery slope, really. A little alcohol can help chase your nerves away, but drink a little too much and you find yourself tipping over to the disaster at the opposite end of the spectrum – ED. So, how many drinks is the limit?

There’s no magic number on how many shots you can have. It varies from person to person since not every man’s alcohol tolerance is the same. What might lead to a high in one man can be the downfall of another man’s penis. This depends on many factors, such as:

  • Age
  • Body weight
  • Body composition
  • Metabolism rate
  • Ethnicity
  • Whether you ate before drinking
  • How much water you drank
  • How fast you consumed the alcohol

Is There Anything that I Can Do About Alcohol Impotence?

There’s only one thing you can do – sober up. Alcohol-induced ED will only last as long as it takes for you to sober up. On such nights, time is your best friend. It’s best to call it a night and sleep it off! Also, do keep yourself well-hydrated too (with water, not alcohol, please!). Meanwhile, communicate well and assure your partner that it’s because of the alcohol and not a lack of attraction. 

Besides, we aren’t exactly great decision-makers when drunk. A tipsy night can lead to haughty decisions that screams regret the following morning. A 2016 study found that risky sexual behaviours, such as unprotected sex, are more common among men when under the influence of alcohol. Not only can this spiral into unwanted pregnancy, but it can also increase the risks of STI transmission. 

Can I Take ED Pills to Resurrect My “Whiskey Dick”?

If you were thinking of popping ED pills such as Viagra and Cialis as a quick solution, we’re sorry to break this to you – ED pills aren’t going to do much to toughen up your drunken wood. Waiting till you’re sober remains your best bet in this case. 

Tips for Preventing “Whiskey Dick” in Future

Well, experiencing the dreaded “whiskey dick” once is enough. Don’t let history repeat itself! You definitely don’t want to go through all that awkward pauses and bumbling apologies on a drunken night again. Hopefully, these tips will help you pull through your tipsy nights in future:

  • Set a limit for the night and go for fewer drinks (a maximum of 2 drinks for men). Any more than that and you risk your sex drive taking a nosedive. 
  • Choose drinks with lower alcohol content, such as beer and malt liquor. Otherwise, mix your drinks to make them less strong! Your “whiskey dick” depends on the total blood alcohol content in your body. That is, you’re more likely to get a “whiskey dick” within a few sips of hard liquor as compared to drinks with lower alcohol content.
  • Don’t drink on an empty stomach! This is pretty much common sense for the frequent drinkers. When you drink on an empty stomach, alcohol enters your bloodstream directly, accelerating your risk of intoxication and “whiskey dick”. On the other hand, grabbing a bite before you drink slows down alcohol absorption, hence preventing intoxication. 
  • No chugging! While chugging may help you look like a cool dude at that moment, it’s going to extinguish any potential sizzling hot moments in your bedroom later that night. Sip your drinks slowly instead.
  • Pace yourself. Other than sipping your drinks slowly, you should also alternate between alcohol and water.

Chronic Drinkers, Beware!

Sure, “whiskey dick” might be a one-off thing for some men, but chronic drinkers are way more likely to experience the long-term effects of alcohol on their dicks. In a study conducted on 100 men who were chronic heavy drinkers, 72% reported having one or more sexual dysfunction, including ED, low sexual desire, and premature ejaculation (PE). Essentially, we’re warning you that chronic alcohol consumption can mess with your penis and sex life real bad in the long run. 

What to Do if Your Partner is Having the “Whiskey Dick”

If your partner is experiencing the “whiskey dick”, don’t take it personally. “Whiskey dick” isn’t a reflection of how attracted your partner is to you. Also, don’t try to help him get it back up! This could backfire and make him feel worse about it. Instead, reassure him that you’re cool about it. You could call it a night, but if you and your partner want to keep the night going, try other techniques that don’t require a boner, such as oral sex and erogenous play.  

The Bottom Line

Less is more when it comes to alcohol on a date night. While it’s normal for men to have a “whiskey dick” after having one too many, it can be easily prevented by practising responsible drinking and sex. 

However, if you’re experiencing ED despite not drinking alcohol or drinking very little alcohol, we advise you to seek medical help. At Arx, simply fill in a questionnaire to get over the awkward questions. Shortly after, we’ll connect you with one of our licensed doctors who’ll help you find out what’s causing your ED and prescribe your medications if needed. 

References

  • George, W. H., Davis, K. C., Norris, J., Heiman, J. R., Schacht, R. L., Stoner, S. A., & Kajumulo, K. F. (2006). Alcohol and Erectile Response: The Effects of High Dosage in the Context of Demands to Maximize Sexual Arousal. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 14(4), 461–470. https://doi.org/10.1037/1064-1297.14.4.461 
  • Scott-Sheldon, L. A., Carey, K. B., Cunningham, K., Johnson, B. T., & Carey, M. P. (2015). Alcohol Use Predicts Sexual Decision-Making: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Experimental Literature. AIDS and Behavior, 20(S1), 19–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1108-9 
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, December 29). Facts about moderate drinking. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/moderate-drinking.htm
  • Benegal, V., & Arackal, B. S. (2007). Prevalence of sexual dysfunction in male subjects with alcohol dependence. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 49(2), 109–112. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.33257 
Categories
Hair

The Basics Of Male Pattern Baldness: Symptoms, Causes and Prevention

The Basics Of Male Pattern Baldness

Is your head feeling a little empty, literally? Whether you’ve just noticed your hair thinning, or you’ve been desperately attempting to salvage and cover up your bald spots for years, hair loss can be bothersome at best, and embarrassing at worst. 

What Male Pattern Baldness Looks Like

Male pattern baldness, also known as androgenetic alopecia, is the most common form of hair loss in men. Hair loss occurs over a period of time. 

  • It usually starts with thinning of the hair on your scalp.
  • It then evolves into a bald spot on the crown of your head and a receding hairline that resembles an “M” shape. 
  • If left untreated, it may eventually progress into partial or complete baldness.

Norwood Scale

The severity of male pattern baldness is often assessed using the Norwood Scale as shown below. 

Image credit: Medical News Today

How Much is Too Much Hair Loss?

If you’ve noticed some strands of hair lying around your floor or clogging up your bathroom drain, don’t panic or jump to conclusions immediately! It’s completely normal for you to shed some hair every day. In fact, a normal person may shed 50 to 100 strands of hair per day, and this number varies from person to person. However, if you are losing more than 100 strands of hair per day or 700 strands per week, you may want to get it checked out. 

You’re Not Alone in the Crowd

Male pattern baldness is a common phenomenon among men. In fact, a study in Singapore found that more than half of Singaporean men between 17 and 86 years of age suffer from male pattern baldness. Moreover, hair loss becomes more common with age, and about 69% of men experience some form of male pattern baldness by the time they hit their 36th birthday. 

Causes of Male Pattern Baldness

“Am I too stressed lately? Is my junk diet at blame? Or maybe I’m not eating enough nutrients?” Are these thoughts constantly running through your head as you try to pinpoint the cause of your hair loss? Well, you may be surprised to hear that the main culprit that’s stealing your hair aren’t any of those. Instead, let’s point your fingers in the right direction – unfavourable genetics and imbalanced hormones. 

Genetics

Male pattern hair loss can be hereditary, and it can be inherited from either of your parents. Some men who are extremely lucky with their genes do not experience male pattern baldness. Besides deciding your likelihood of having male pattern baldness, your family history also decides how severe your hair loss is. 

Hormones

Don’t go around lamenting about your genetics just yet! A bigger culprit may be at play – dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is a male sex hormone that is usually responsible for male sex characteristics, such as the development of the male genitals, deepening of your voice, and growth of body hair. Simply put, DHT contributes to every male’s development during puberty. 

However, too much of anything isn’t going to do you any good. Excessive DHT can shrink your hair follicles, making them less conducive for supporting healthy hair growth. Furthermore, DHT messes with your hair growth cycle. Not only does this cause your hair to fall out faster, but it also causes new growing hair to be thinner and more brittle. 

Battling Hair Loss

We’re about to break to you some bad news and good news. Hold your breath – the bad news is, there’s no magical permanent cure for hair loss yet. Yikes, that sounds terrible. The good news? It’s still possible to reduce future hair loss. The sooner you act, the more hair you can preserve. After all, prevention is always better than cure, and it is more difficult to revive a hair follicle that is already “dead”. Next, let’s discuss the two most common hair loss medical treatments – minoxidil and finasteride. 

Minoxidil

A popular choice among balding men is minoxidil, which usually comes in the form of a topical solution or lotion. Applying minoxidil to your scalp can help to slow down the progression of hair loss and restore some of your hair that you thought was gone forever. 

Finasteride

Another crowd-favourite treatment option is finasteride, which comes in the form of oral tablets. Finasteride reduces the level of DHT hormones, which is the main cause of male pattern baldness. This eventually helps to reduce hair loss and possibly regrow some of your hair. 

A combination of minoxidil and finasteride

A 2015 research revealed that using a combination of both minoxidil and finasteride is more effective than using either one alone. If you are unsure about your treatment options, don’t hesitate to connect with our doctors. 

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait 

We’re sorry to break this to you, but hair loss treatments aren’t magical and they don’t work overnight. Worse still, there might be an initial increase in hair loss, better known as “shedding”, when you first start on medical treatment. 

However, it’s important to remember that shedding is normal and will eventually go away by itself as your body adjusts to the treatment. It’s even a good sign that your treatment is working, as shedding indicates the start of a new hair growth cycle. During shedding, your older and more brittle hair will fall out, making way for new and stronger hair to grow. Normally, shedding lasts any time between 2 to 8 weeks, although this duration may vary across different individuals. If you’re lucky, you may not even experience it! 

It may take 4 months or longer to notice an improvement in hair density. Consistency is also key when it comes to hair loss treatment; your hair loss treatment is only effective if you maintain a regular treatment schedule. 

How We Can Help 

If you can’t decide on a treatment option, or if you find trudging to the clinic and waiting for your turn way too cumbersome and time-consuming, we’re here to help you. At Arx, you simply need to fill in a short questionnaire and connect with one of our friendly doctors online. You don’t even need to step out of your house – Arx promises to deliver your medications right to your doorstep in discreet packaging. 

References

  • Ho, C. H. (2021, May 5). Androgenetic Alopecia. StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430924/.
  • Tang, P. H., Chia, H. P., Cheong, L. L., & Koh, D. (2000). A Community Study of Male Androgenetic Alopecia in Bishan, Singapore. Singapore Medical Journal 2000, 41(5), 202–205.
  • Jewell, T. (2019, January 10). DHT: How It Causes Hair Loss and How to Slow It. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/dht.
  • British Association of Dermatologists. (2019). Male Pattern Hair Loss (Androgenetic Alopecia).
  • Chandrashekar, B. S., Nandhini, T., Vasanth, V., Sriram, R., & Navale, S. (2015). Topical minoxidil fortified with finasteride: An account of maintenance of hair density after replacing oral finasteride. Indian Dermatology Online Journal, 6(1), 17–20. https://doi.org/10.4103/2229-5178.148925.
Categories
Sexual Health

Premature Ejaculation (PE): Symptoms, Causes, Treatments & More

Premature Ejaculation (PE): Symptoms, Causes, Treatments & More
Image credit: Dainis Graveris

Remember the proverb, “slow and steady wins the race”? Whether or not you actually heed this advice in your daily life, I’m sure you’ll agree that this proverb holds potent truth in bed. Indeed, coming too fast in bed often ruins the mood and can be extremely distressing for both you and your partner.

With 1 in every 3 men aged between 18 and 59 years old experiencing premature ejaculation (PE) at some point, PE is more common than you think.  

What is premature ejaculation (PE)?

Premature ejaculation occurs when:

  1. A man orgasms and ejaculates sooner than he or his partner would like.
  2. A man orgasms with very little stimulation.

How soon is too soon?

There is no clearly defined time period of what constitutes PE. The time frame can vary across individuals, depending on what he or his partner constitutes as “too soon”. International guidelines often cite that a man has PE if he ejaculates within 1 minute of entering your partner. Once again, this isn’t a hard-line definition, and it really depends on you and your partners’ preferences and feelings. 

What if it happens only occasionally?

It’s okay to have some disappointing nights, you can’t always have it all. However, if the problem occurs almost every time for more than 6 months and causes you significant distress, then you may have PE. 

Types of premature ejaculation

Also, did you know that not every PE is the same? Here, we break down the 2 different types of PE for you.

  • Lifelong PE (primary PE): These men have been experiencing PE ever since their first sexual encounter. 
  • Acquired PE (secondary PE): These men have previously had normal ejaculations, but later developed PE.

Lifelong PE is often caused by psychological factors, whereas acquired PE can be caused by a mixture of both psychological and biological factors. Moving on, let’s explore the different reasons for PE. 

Causes of premature ejaculation

PE may be due to psychological factors or physical factors, or a mixture of both. It’s good to know the common causes of PE so that you can identify which ones have led to your PE. 

Psychological factors

Anxiety is one of the leading factors of PE. This usually comes in the form of performance anxiety, where a man is concerned about his sexual performance. However, anxiety and stress about other aspects of life, such as work or relationship problems, can also play a part in PE. Other psychological factors that cause PE include depression, guilt, low self-confidence and unrealistic expectations about sex. 

Think back about your teenage years. If you recall masturbating hurriedly for fear of getting caught by your parents or others, that might have caused a lasting effect and led to your PE today. Besides that, traumatic sexual experiences at a young age or strict upbringing that frowns upon sex as shameful can lead to PE. 

Biological factors

Ever heard of serotonin, the happy hormone? Not only does serotonin boost your mood, but it is also the controller of your sexual desires and erection. The higher the serotonin levels in your brain, the longer it takes for you to ejaculate, allowing more satisfactory and happier sex. However, when serotonin levels are low, the time to ejaculation is shortened, causing PE. Not so happy anymore.

Besides serotonin imbalance, other medical conditions can also lead to PE. These include erectile dysfunction (ED), diabetes, an overactive thyroid and some prostate-related conditions. Genetics or simply an overly sensitive penis may even be at blame. 

Medical treatment for premature ejaculation

Oral medication

A common way to treat PE is using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). This is a class of drugs that increases the level of serotonin, hence prolonging the time it takes to ejaculate. They may also help increase your sense of control over ejaculation. If deemed medically appropriate, Arx can prescribe you an SSRI medication known as Priligy®, which contains dapoxetine. 

In men who have both PE and erectile dysfunction (ED), ED pills can help. These include sildenafil (Viagra®), also known as the blue pill, as well as avanafil (Spedra®) and tadalafil (Cialis®). These pills improve blood flow to the penis, which is necessary for an erection. 

Not sure if you have ED? Check out our previous blog article to learn more about ED.

Sprays and creams

Some men may find that local anaesthetic sprays and creams help reduce penile sensation, increasing the time to ejaculation. These sprays or creams should be applied onto the head of the penis up to 30 minutes before sex. You should wash the spray or cream off your penis 5 to 10 minutes before sex or put on a condom to prevent absorption of the spray or cream by your partner. Otherwise, it may cause vaginal numbness in your partner during vaginal sex. The condom also helps reduce your penile sensation, ultimately prolonging your time to ejaculation. 

Other tips and tricks to combat premature ejaculation

There are several natural ways to combat premature ejaculation. These include behavioural therapy, psychological therapy, lifestyle changes and even switching up your sex positions and techniques. We’ll save those for the next blog post, so do keep a close lookout for it!

Our final tip to all men with PE is to talk to your partner and seek treatment. Keep in mind that PE does not only affect you, but it can also lead to frustration and feelings of hurt from your partner. This may, of course, be a difficult topic to approach. However, your partner can be a great pillar of emotional support, and an open discussion with your partner will help to pave the way for mutual understanding. 

Lastly, remember that PE can be easily treated. That’s fortunate, but it means nothing if you shun away from seeking treatment. We know that visiting the clinic for treatment can be embarrassing and daunting, and that’s where we step in to help you. At Arx, simply fill up a questionnaire to answer the awkward questions and connect with one of our doctors for a video consultation, all from the comfort and privacy of your own home. 

References

  • What are the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for premature ejaculation (PE)? Latest Medical News, Clinical Trials, Guidelines – Today on Medscape. (2021, June 4). https://www.medscape.com/answers/435884-30677/what-are-the-dsm-5-diagnostic-criteria-for-premature-ejaculation-pe. 
  • Nazario, B. (2020, July 7). Premature Ejaculation: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, & Prevention. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/men/what-is-premature-ejaculation. 
  • NHS. (2019, July 24). Ejaculation problems. NHS Choices. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ejaculation-problems/. 
  • Premature Ejaculation. Premature Ejaculation: Causes & Treatment – Urology Care Foundation. (2020, July 16). https://www.urologyhealth.org/urology-a-z/p/premature-ejaculation. 
  • Lowy, M. (2018). Premature Ejaculation Fact Sheet. Healthy Male (Andrology Australia). 
  • Urology Care Foundation. (2020). Premature Ejaculation Patient Guide.