Premature ejaculation is often seen as a sign of a lack of experience or masculinity in men. In a large survey, IFOP dispels these prejudices: of the 1957 men surveyed for the study, 71% admitted to having experienced this problem during sexual intercourse in the past 12 months.
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Prominent cause of breakup
So the phenomenon is more predominant than you think. Twenty-nine percent of women who were in a relationship with a man who frequently ejaculated prematurely said they had ended their relationship for this reason. On the other side of the bed, 15% of men said that a partner had broken up with them for this reason.
The results of the study, which was conducted using an online questionnaire, are even more drastic when looking at life as a whole. Thus, 80 % of the men admitted that they had not managed to hold back their orgasm from their partner in the course of their lives. And the vast majority (71 %) had experienced such a malfunction in the last 12 months.
Premature ejaculation
Thirty-one percent of the men surveyed even admit to another problem: they have already come before they have penetrated their partner. And 59 % say that they have already ejaculated at the beginning of penetration or shortly afterward. Sixty-three percent of the men surveyed admitted that they sometimes worry about not being able to last until their partner orgasms.
Finally, it is of course difficult to put these very intimate worries into words, which is also expressed in figures: barely more than a third of men have ever talked to their partner about their ejaculation concerns (36 %). And even fewer have seen a doctor about it (16 %).
Solutions:
- Safety-wank method
Everyone has their own way of avoiding premature ejaculation. However, some are more common than others. One of them is ‘preventive masturbation’ (also called ‘safety wank’ in the UK), in which people masturbate before sexual intercourse ‘to lower their level of tension or sexual arousal.’ It is practised by almost half of the respondents (45%).
- Stop-start method
Another method tested is the ‘stop-start’ method, which involves stopping the back and forth when ejaculation is dangerously close. Sixty-six percent of men use this method. Other popular methods are slowing down the movements and thinking of something to flatten the arousal (52%).
- Medication and exercises
Finally, 11% of men have resorted to medication or a delay product to keep their ejaculation more under control. This is more or even the same proportion (10%) as men who have ever resorted to narcotics (cannabis, cocaine, etc.). Kegel exercises are reportedly an effective solution for premature ejaculation. It helps strengthen the pelvic floor, which is the area around the penis that is activated when it becomes aroused.
*Ifop study conducted via self-administered online questionnaire from 19 to 24 April 2019 among a sample of 1957 people from the French male population aged 18 and over living in France.
