How To Fix Premature Ejaculation

Premature ejaculation (PE) affects up to 30 percent of men, making it one of the most common sexual dysfunctions. So, if you feel like you’re not in tune with your ideal sexual stamina, you’re not alone. And you’re also not without options— you can learn strategies for how to fix premature ejaculation (or at least manage symptoms of the condition more effectively).

Treatments for fixing premature ejaculation involve a mix of behavioral strategies and medications. These may include antidepressants, erectile dysfunction (ED) medications, pelvic floor exercises, therapy, and certain behavioral techniques that you can use during sex.

Read on to learn how to fix premature ejaculation with the help of various treatment methods. Also, find out why PE happens in the first place. Doing so may help you understand how to prevent ejaculation from taking place in the event that sex just isn’t lasting as long as you know it can.

Before you can learn how to stop yourself from ejaculating too early, you should know what causes this very common form of sexual dysfunction in the first place.

Premature ejaculation can have psychological or physical causes. Sometimes, the cause simply isn’t known.

Psychological causes of premature ejaculation include:

• Anxiety (including sexual performance anxiety)

• Depression and other mental health issues

• Stress

• Feeling of guilt or shame

• A history of sexual abuse

• Poor body image

• Low self-esteem

Physical causes of premature ejaculation include:

• Abnormal hormone levels

• Abnormal serotonin levels

• Medical conditions that cause inflammation

If you struggle with lifelong premature ejaculation, which means your symptoms have been present throughout your life since your first sexual experiences, the situation may be influenced by multiple different factors, including your genetics.

Understanding whether or not you’re dealing with PE requires you to first understand what constitutes a normal duration for a sex session. Unfortunately, there’s no clear guideline on how long sex should last. But before you worry about how you stack up to others in this regard, consider the facts: Unlike the feature-length performances in pornography, research in 500 heterosexual couples from different countries shows that the average guy lasts between 3 and 7 minutes, with an average of 5.4 minutes.  And according to a survey in sex therapists, lasting two minutes or less during sex is generally viewed as too brief, while three to seven minutes is considered sufficient, and sessions lasting between 10 and 30 minutes are seen as too long.

Premature ejaculation is when ejaculation consistently happens earlier than desired, usually within one minute of vaginal penetration in lifelong cases, or around three minutes in cases that develop later in life.

If you do contend with PE, it doesn’t have to be a disaster in your intimate relationship. According to one study of nearly 1,500 women, those with a male partner who prematurely ejaculates expressed more frustration about how focused the man was on delaying ejaculation than over the length of sex.

In other words, dedicating more attention to the length of sex and your performance than focusing on your partner may cause the very relationship issues you’re hoping to avoid.

Fortunately, PE is highly treatable, and this can relieve some of the built-in stress.

If you live with premature ejaculation and think medication may help you, it’s best to contact a healthcare professional to talk about your options. They will likely point to one or several choices within a wide range of PE treatments, including medication, desensitizing topicals, masturbation, and control exercises.

Note: These tips are not referring to pre-cum, or pre-ejaculate, which is a clear fluid emitted from the penis when you’re aroused or having sex. You can’t train yourself to stop pre-ejaculate because it happens involuntarily and isn’t directly linked to orgasm. But you can learn how to prevent early ejaculation, and we’ll share how below.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)

Research shows that antidepressants prescribed for the off-label purpose of PE can successfully help to slow ejaculation and prolong sex. 

In a study published in the journal Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management, men living with premature ejaculation were prescribed either paroxetine, fluoxetine, or escitalopram. 

All three of these drugs are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are approved to treat depression and anxiety disorders.

Male participants took the drugs in the morning for four weeks, after which time, they saw improvements in sexual function and a reduction in premature ejaculation severity.

Interestingly, there was no difference in results between the different drugs, suggesting that all three of the SSRIs used in the study could be effective in stopping premature ejaculation.

SSRIs require a valid prescription, meaning you must talk to a licensed healthcare provider to use this type of medication, and they’re not for everyone. Also, keep in mind that in some cases, SSRIs can cause side effects like nausea, dry mouth, and others that you should be aware of before beginning treatment. 

ED Medications

Some medications for erectile dysfunction, such as the phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor sildenafil (the active ingredient in Viagra^®), may help prolong sex and reduce your risk of experiencing both ED and premature ejaculation.

One study published in the International Journal of Urology found that men with premature ejaculation experienced more improvements from sildenafil than they did from the SSRI paroxetine or the squeeze technique.

Another small study also found that a daily dosage of tadalafil (Cialis^®) produced a modest increase in intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (the time it takes to reach ejaculation during sex) in men with erectile dysfunction.

In addition to sildenafil and tadalafil, other medications designed to treat ED include vardenafil (Levitra^®) and avanafil (Stendra^®). 

Although these study findings are promising, it’s important to understand that research into the effects of ED medications for premature ejaculation isn’t comprehensive right now, and ED medications are used off-label for treating PE symptoms. 

Our guide to sildenafil for premature ejaculation goes into more detail about how common ED medications work, as well as their potential effectiveness as treatments for PE.

If you have premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction, you may want to consider Hims Sex Rx + Climax Control, which contains fluoxetine for PE and tadalafil for ED.

Anesthetic Creams, Sprays, and Wipes

Several topical treatments are available to treat premature ejaculation, including creams, sprays, and wipes that contain anesthetics to help you have better control. These medications are designed to be applied to the head of your penis, and they can change your penis’s level of sensitivity, allowing you to last longer during sex. 

Common ingredients in these products include lidocaine, benzocaine, and prilocaine.

A 2023 review of 11 randomized controlled trials found that lidocaine significantly increased the time before ejaculation compared to placebo and other treatment options. Another 2023 study found that men who used a lidocaine-prilocaine treatment just five minutes before intercourse were able to have sex for longer and have more control over their time to ejaculation.

And a study published in the International Journal of Impotence Research found that men with PE who used a lidocaine spray before sex experienced a statistically significant improvement in time to ejaculation and sex frequency over eight weeks.

In short, using lidocaine not only reduced the severity of PE but also resulted in more sexual encounters overall.

Some topical anesthetics, like these delay wipes with benzocaine, are available over the counter. 

Condoms

If you’re prone to premature ejaculation, you may benefit from using climax control condoms, which are specifically designed to delay ejaculation. 

These types of condoms are sometimes described as “extended pleasure” condoms. They tend to be slightly thicker than regular condoms and sometimes have a mild topical anesthetic applied to the inside of the condom, so that it only comes into contact with your penis. 

In addition to potentially slowing down time to ejaculation, using condoms provides an additional layer of protection against many sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Surgical Treatment of Premature Ejaculation 

There are a few different surgeries available to treat or even fix premature ejaculation. However, the International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM) doesn’t recommend these options, and current guidelines from the American Urological Association (AUA) state that surgery is generally not recommended for treating PE and is considered experimental.

Counseling or Therapy with a Sex Therapist

If your premature ejaculation is mental health-related or due to relationship problems, you may benefit from therapy and/or counseling. 

In a small study published in the National Journal of Andrology, men living with premature ejaculation were treated through a six-time course of behavioral therapy, two to three times per week. Afterward, the men were able to last longer before reaching orgasm and ejaculating during sex. The men who took part in the study and their partners also reported higher levels of sexual satisfaction.

The men in the study also reported lower levels of sexual performance anxiety and nervousness — factors that can often contribute to premature ejaculation and other sexual performance issues.

Research published in the journal Translational Andrology and Urology also shows that a mix of psychotherapy and medication is often more effective at stopping premature ejaculation than medication alone.

Several forms of therapy are used to treat premature ejaculation, among other issues that can affect your sexual health, including “sex therapy” and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Counseling and therapy are often combined with other treatments, such as medication, to help you overcome early ejaculation and improve your sexual experiences.

In addition to options like medication and therapy, several techniques during sex may help fix premature ejaculation. 

The “Stop-Start” Technique 

One of the oldest tricks in the book, the stop-start technique, is exactly what it sounds like: A premature ejaculation management option where you stop sexual intercourse and then start again when the urge to orgasm goes away. Then, repeat the process until you’re ready to ejaculate.

You can practice the stop-start technique with a partner or by yourself. Using this process can also help you eventually feel more confident in your ability to control your orgasm and not ejaculate too quickly.

As simplistic as the stop-start strategy sounds, research shows that it’s a relatively effective way to address premature ejaculation in the short-term. For example, one scientific review found that 45 to 65 percent of men with premature ejaculation report benefits from this technique.

However, there’s relatively little data available on the long-term results of using the stop-start technique.

But since the stop-start strategy doesn’t involve any medications or costly medical treatments, it’s a helpful first option for addressing premature ejaculation.

The “Squeeze” Technique

Another common technique used to manage or even fix premature ejaculation is the “squeeze” or “pause-squeeze” technique.

During sex, as you’re approaching orgasm and ejaculation, you (or your partner) should firmly squeeze the area between the shaft and glans of your penis to stop you from ejaculating. Although there’s no exact amount of time that you should squeeze your penis, most resources suggest around 30 seconds. By using the squeeze technique, you can delay orgasm and ejaculation.

Like the stop-start technique, the squeeze method is generally effective but has certain downsides. Since it results in a stop in your sexual activity and pleasure, implementing it may become an annoyance for both you and your partner. Additionally, during the brief stop in sex, you may develop a weaker erection — something that might affect your sexual performance and enjoyment if you’re prone to erectile dysfunction.

Masturbating Before Sex

Another option for lasting longer is to masturbate shortly before you plan to have sex.

While there’s no scientific evidence to support this method, many men find that masturbation shortly before sex is an effective way to delay orgasm and prevent premature ejaculation.

The idea behind this approach is that during the refractory period (a recovery phase that occurs after orgasm), most men won’t be able to orgasm for a little while.

Despite the relative lack of evidence, this is a simple, free, and low-risk method you can try in order to help slow the process of reaching orgasm and increase your sexual stamina. Keep in mind that masturbating shortly before sex can sometimes make getting or keeping an erection or to the point of orgasm more difficult, also due to the refractory period. So try out the method yourself before having sex with a partner.

Kegel Exercises (Pelvic Floor Exercises) 

Kegel exercises aren’t exclusively for women. Research suggests that Kegel exercises can help increase ejaculatory latency and prevent premature ejaculation in men.

For example, a 2014 study found that men who performed pelvic floor muscle exercises for 12 weeks developed greater control over their ejaculatory reflex and increased their average time to ejaculation during sex. Other research published in the journal Physiotherapy found that pelvic floor muscle exercises may help improve other sexual performance issues, such as erectile dysfunction.

Our detailed guide to Kegel exercises lists techniques to train your pelvic floor muscles (the ones that help you stop your pee midstream) for better sexual function and performance.

Distraction

Sometimes, changing what you think about during sex can help delay orgasm so you can avoid ejaculating prematurely.

This mental method is referred to as diversionary thinking. The theory is that by thinking about things other than sex, you’re less likely to reach the level of mental stimulation required to orgasm and ejaculate.

While some may find picturing their tax returns helpful, there is no scientific research on its effectiveness. Anecdotal evidence is all we have in support.

Premature ejaculation can be a frustrating, challenging issue that affects both your sex life and self-esteem. But there are treatments available that may help fix the condition. 

Here’s what we know:

• Sex doesn’t have to be a marathon. The average guy lasts between three and seven minutes during sex.

• Preventing premature ejaculation is something that can be done at home. You can try thick condoms to decrease sensation, masturbate before sex, or use the stop-start or squeeze technique. You can also try over-the-counter remedies like desensitizing wipes.

• If you need more support, speak to a healthcare professional. They may prescribe medications like SSRIs or Viagra. It can also be helpful to talk to a therapist. To learn how to avoid quick discharge of sperm with medication like sertraline or other treatments, get advice from a healthcare provider online.

Remember, you don’t have to feel ashamed if you have PE. Talking to someone about what you’re going through is the fastest way to find a solution.