Concept and understanding of premature discharge in Indian patients

• Main Authors: B S Chavan, Abhijit R Rozatkar, Jaspreet Kaur, Preeti Singh, Chandra Bala
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2014-01-01
• Series: Journal of Mental Health and Human Behaviour
• Subjects: First sexual experience; masturbation; premature ejaculation; sexual expectations
• Online Access: http://www.jmhhb.org/article.asp?issn=0971-8990;year=2014;volume=19;issue=1;spage=24;epage=28;aulast=Chavan

Introduction: Due to lack of formal sex education in India, the unpleasant past sexual experiences and at times normal physiological activities can lead to various myths and sexual beliefs. Base on their beliefs, individuals seeking treatment for early ejaculation have their set of expectations. Premature ejaculation (PME) in Indian population thus, has personal meaning and there is no common agreement on it. Materials and Methods: With the help of semi-structured questionnaire, we surveyed the sexual activity, sexual beliefs and past sexual experiences of those seeking treatment for early ejaculation (n = 62) and compared them with an age-matched control (n = 50). Results: Those seeking treatment for early ejaculation expected more number of strokes (39.1 vs. 32.6) in lesser time (11.5 min vs. 16.3) during sexual encounters i.e. more rapid thrusting. Significantly more of those seeking treatment for early ejaculation felt that masturbation was not a normal activity and that both male and female partners must climax simultaneously for satisfactory sexual experience. Also, significantly more of those seeking treatment for early ejaculation reported their first sexual experience to be unsatisfactory. Conclusion: In the cultural context of India, those seeking treatment for early ejaculation may be distressed due to their inability to meet their own expectations in addition to distress of inability to hold ejaculation as desired. It is essential to re-educate such individuals before considering the diagnosis of PME. Various diagnostic criteria for PME have not emphasized the exclusion of cultural factors as contributors to distress of PME.