Different levels of estradiol are correlated with sexual dysfunction in adult men

Ejaculatory dysfunction, including premature ejaculation (PE) and delayed ejaculation (DE), as well as erectile dysfunction (ED), constitute the majority of male sexual dysfunction. Despite a fair amount of data on the role of hormones and erection and ejaculation, it is inconclusive due to controversy in the current literature. To explore the correlation of male sexual dysfunction with hormonal profile, 1,076 men between the ages of 19–60 years (mean: 32.12 years) were included in this retrospective case–control study; 507 were categorized as ED, PE and DE groups. Five hundred and sixty-nine men without sexual dysfunction were enrolled in the control group. The background characteristics and clinical features of the four groups were collected and analyzed. The estradiol value was significantly elevated in the ED group than the control group (109.44 ± 47.14 pmol/L vs. 91.88 ± 27.68 pmol/L; P < 0.001). Conversely, the DE group had significantly lower level of estradiol than control did (70.76 ± 27.20 pmol/L vs. 91.88 ± 27.68 pmol/L; P < 0.001). The PE group had similar level of estradiol (91.73 ± 31.57 pmol/L vs. 91.88 ± 27.68 pmol/L; P = 0.960) but significantly higher level of testosterone (17.23 ± 5.72 nmol/L vs. 15.31 ± 4.31 nmol/L; P < 0.001) compared with the control group. In conclusion, elevated serum testosterone concentration was an independent risk factor for PE. Besides, there was a progressively increasing graded-distribution of estradiol values from DE to PE and ED groups.