Treatment of delayed ejaculation has an average success rate of around 70 percent to 80 percent. Delayed ejaculation can be frustrating to deal with, especially if it affects your ability to enjoy sex with your partner. You should see your doctor when delayed ejaculation is an issue in your sex life.
How to diagnose delayed ejaculation?
When you visit a healthcare professional, you will undergo a physical examination and discuss your symptoms. To rule out any underlying health conditions that may be the cause of delayed ejaculation, your provider may request urine samples and blood tests.
During the physical examination, your provider may test the sexual response of your penis when stimulated by a vibrator. This will help determine if your delayed ejaculation is rooted in a mental or physical cause.
What is a delayed ejaculation complication?
Although there are no major health complications of delayed ejaculation, there are several emotional complications to look out for:
- Decreased sexual pleasure for both you and your partner
- Relationship issues
- Being unable to get your partner pregnant
What is Treatment of Delayed Ejaculation?
There are several methods for the treatment of delayed ejaculation. Delayed ejaculation can be treated using medication, sex therapy, and lifestyle change.
1 - Medications
Currently, there aren’t any FDA-approved medications for treating delayed ejaculation. However, several medications may be used off-label by a urologist or health care provider with experience in urology to treat delayed ejaculation symptoms.
These vary in effectiveness and may cause side effects. Medications for delayed ejaculation include:
- Testosterone
- Cyproheptadine
- Cabergoline
- Bupropion
- Amantadine
- Reboxetine
- Oxytocin
- Yohimbine
- Pseudoephedrine
- Cyproheptadine
- Bethanechol
- Buspirone
- Ephedrine
- Midodrine
It’s worth noting that these are just a few of the common medications sometimes associated with the treatment of delayed ejaculation, but the list is pretty extensive. It’s also worth noting that not all of these medications have proven effective in testing and many are associated with significant side effects.
If your delayed ejaculation is caused by a medication, your doctor may recommend switching medications or reducing your dosage.
2 - Sex Therapy
Delayed ejaculation is often treatable through sex therapy. Sex therapy can take time, but has a success rate of around 70 percent to 80 percent. For some people, sex therapy may involve working with your partner to reduce sexual performance pressure and help you relax during sex.
If a relationship issue is causing delayed ejaculation, talking to a sex therapist may involve working on your relationship and intimacy with your partner.
3 - Lifestyle Changes
If your delayed ejaculation is caused by a lifestyle factor, such as alcohol consumption or a lack of intimacy with your partner, making certain changes to your lifestyle may help:
- Communicate with your partner. Delayed ejaculation can often be the result of performance anxiety. If you have sex-related worries, try talking openly with your partner to ease anxiety and make sex more relaxing and enjoyable.
- If you have an alcohol or substance use disorder, seek treatment. Alcohol and drug use may contribute to delayed ejaculation and other sexual dysfunction. If you have an alcohol or drug use disorder, consider seeking treatment.
- Stress and anxiety based on sexual underperformance.
