Half of Filipino men anxious about premature ejaculation – survey

Filipino men place a high premium on sexually satisfying their partners, but as many as half fear that achieving this goal could be hindered either by premature ejaculation (PE) or their inability to control their ejaculation.

According to the Asia-Pacific PE Prevalence and Attitude Study, one in every three men in the region is suffering from PE, considered the most common sexual dysfunction in men—yet one that remains under-detected, under-diagnosed and under-treated.

Another study, the 2013 Asia-Pacific Sexual Behaviors and Satisfaction Survey, revealed that 91 percent of Filipino men “find it highly important that they sexually satisfy their partners” and that they “want to make their partner feel happy, loved, and satisfied.”

However, this second study also found out that seven out of 10 (or 72 percent) Filipino men surveyed were concerned about not being able to sexually satisfy their partners.

Almost half (or 46 percent) of the surveyed Filipino men in the same study were also anxious about ejaculating too early or not being able to control when to ejaculate.

Filipino men and their counterparts in the Asia-Pacific region have good reasons to worry about PE. One out of five men with PE in the region (or 20 percent) disclosed that PE “can lead to relationship breakdown or divorce.”

Dr. Juliano Panganiban, Philippine Urological Association (PUA) past president, said 83 percent of Filipino men and 82 percent of Filipino women surveyed “agree that mutual sexual satisfaction plays a very extremely important role in a successful relationship.”

Regional survey

The 2013 Asia-Pacific Sexual Behaviors and Satisfaction Survey polled more than 3,500 men and women aged 18-45 years old in Australia, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.

The study was aimed at “understanding the impact of premature ejaculation has on couples’ relationships and sexual satisfaction.”

The survey was conducted between March 18, 2013 and April 2, 2013, used the five-question Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT), which is a validated research instrument for diagnosing PE.

Medication option

In a recent media briefing on PE, Dr. George Lee Eng Geap, a consultant urological surgeon at the Gleneagles Hospital Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, said the medication Dapoxetine “significantly improves control over ejaculation, enabling men to control and delay ejaculating thus enhancing sexual satisfaction of the couple while reducing personal distress and interpersonal difficulty.”

Dapoxetine, so far the only drug specifically developed to manage PE and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of PE, is now available in the Philippines.

Reluctance to discuss PE

PE is characterized by “a lack of perceived control over ejaculation as well as negative personal consequences, such as distress or interpersonal difficulty, which leads to a decrease in sexual satisfaction and overall quality of life for both men and their partners.”

Lee added that men with PE are “often reluctant to discuss their condition or are in denial.”

“Their partners, on the other hand, avoid raising the topic for fear of hurting the man’s feelings. This communication gap hinders PE diagnosis and treatment,” Lee said.

Dr. Ulysses Quanico, president of the PUA, said “very few couples and even fewer men dare speak about PE because of the social stigma attached to it.”

But effective treatment of PE can not only improve control over ejaculation but also improve sexual satisfaction and overall quality of life for both men and their partners.

To bring PE out into the open and increase awareness on the condition, the PUA and a local pharmaceutical company signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to jointly implement an advocacy campaign on PE.

The PUA is encouraging the public to visit www.controlPE.ph or email inquire@controlPE.ph to receive up-to-date information about PE as well as to take the self-diagnostic test and to find a doctor who can help in PE diagnosis and management.

“We advise men to visit www.controlPE.ph, take the self-assessment test, and to consult their doctor for proper diagnosis and management,” Dr. Digna Almeida, medical affairs director of the A. Menarini Philippines, said.

While the exact cause of PE remains unknown, medical research has revealed that PE involves a complex interplay of both psychological and biological factors.    

Lee told reporters that the chemical serotonin plays a central role in PE. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter and a chemical messenger in the brain and nervous system.

Studies have shown that adequate levels of serotonin in the junctions between neurons or brain cells, which are called synapses, help delay ejaculation, Lee said. Men with PE have low levels of serotonin in the synapses.

PE is recognized as a medical condition by global health organizations such as the World Health Organization, the International Society of Sexual Medicine, European Association of Urology, and the American Psychological Association. — BM, GMA News