Progressive arousal: a new concept and definition for premature ejaculation

BACKGROUND: Premature ejaculation (PE) is a nosologic entity with issues in its conceptualization and definition. AIM: To understand if the altered sexual response in men with PE is in the orgasm phase, as currently assumed, or the arousal phase with difficulties in modulating, regulating, or decreasing sexual arousal. METHODS: Men were recruited who looked for help for PE and met the diagnostic criteria according to clinical standards. The participants completed a sociodemographic survey and the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool. They also performed a masturbation exercise with a maximum of 5 stops, with the intention of prolonging the arousal phase. The time of the exercise was measured from the beginning of genital masturbation to ejaculation. OUTCOMES: We calculated the total time of the exercise, the median time at each start, and the number of dropouts. We performed a pairwise comparison analysis between starts and made a survival curve representing the percentage of men who remained in the exercise. RESULTS: A total of 481 men with PE participated (mean ± SD; age, 29.25 ± 8.72 years). We found that the expected median survival time until ejaculation was 317.00 seconds (95% CI, 288.34-345.65). However, the average time during stimulation decreased as the exercise progressed, and statistically significant differences were observed in their pairwise comparison (P < .001). Also, the chances of ejaculation increased as the exercise progressed, with 62.16% of the participants ejaculating before the end of the exercise. The results indicated increasing sexual arousal, where stops in stimulation were progressively less effective at maintaining ejaculation times at starts. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: We showed that the arousal phase is altered in PE, not the orgasm phase, and this could finally have implications in the diagnosis and/or treatment of this condition. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: The analysis of the times at starts and stops in a masturbation exercise in men with PE, had been barely addressed before. In the future, it would be important to verify the effect of stops during sexual intercourse and to incorporate a control group of men without PE. CONCLUSIONS: We propose a new conceptualization and definition for PE: progressive arousal disorder is the inability to modulate, regulate, or decrease arousal during any sexual activity, even with brief stops during sexual stimulation, causing unwanted ejaculation.