Estimations of Typical, Ideal, Premature Ejaculation, and Actual Latencies by Men and Female Sexual Partners of Men During Partnered Sex

Background: The ejaculation latency (ELT) criterion for men with premature ejaculation (PE), including its 2 major subtypes of lifelong and acquired, relies heavily on expert opinion, yet such information represents only one source of data for this determination; furthermore, information regarding ELTs for PE within specific subgroups of men (eg, gay, bisexual) has been lacking. Aim: To obtain data regarding men's lived experiences and expectations regarding typical ejaculation, ideal ejaculation, and PE and (for men) self-reported ejaculatory latencies during partnered sex across a variety a groups, including men vs women (ie, sexual partners of men), men with and without PE, and straight vs gay/bisexual men. Methods: We recruited 1,065 men and sexual partners of men, asking them to estimate typical ejaculation, ideal ejaculation, and PE and (for men) self-latencies through an online survey posted on social media. Demographics, sexual identity, and sexual response data were also collected. Results: Typical and self-reported ELTs were closely aligned with those reported in the literature, with ideal ELTs generally longer than typical ELTs. Median PE ELTs were consistently estimated around 1.5 min, with nearly all subgroups-men vs women; straight vs gay; PE and non-PE men-showing alignment on this criterion. Men with lifelong PE did not differ from men with acquired PE in either their PE ELT estimation or their self-reported ELT. Clinical Implications: The data support the idea of extending the latency cutoff for establishing a PE diagnosis beyond the current 1-minute threshold. Strengths & Limitations: A large sample size drawn from a multinational population powered the study, whereas the use of social media for recruitment and lack of inclusion of lesbian and asexual individuals may have missed relevant data from some who have had sexual experience with men. Conclusion: Straight and nonstraight men do not differ in their ELT estimations. In addition, the use of different ELT criteria for lifelong vs acquired PE may be unnecessary.