Premature ejaculation? It’s in your genes

London, October 11: How can I last longer in bed? Be harder and do better. Why do I end before I even start? Well, maybe one is not to be blamed, for the rapidity of ejaculation in men is genetically determined, results of a new Dutch study claim.

For the study, researchers at the Utrecht University enrolled 89 Dutch men with primary premature ejaculation (PE), a condition existing ever since the first sexual contact. 92 men with no history of the condition were also recruited.

For a month, the female partners of the study subjects were asked to record the time until ejaculation using a stopwatch each time they had intercourse.

Interestingly, for men who suffered from PE right-on had lesser active levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that transfers signals from one neuron to another and helps in the modulation of ejaculation, sexual activity, aggression and appetite.

"In men who suffer from PE, serotonin is pretty sedentary between the nerves in the section of the brain that controls ejaculation," study’s lead researcher Dr Marcel Waldinger, a Neuropsychiatrist at the Utrecht University noted.

Furthermore, 5-HTTLPR, an already discovered gene was apparently responsible for the amount and activity of serotonin levels in the brain. Existing in three types, namely LL, SL and SS, the researchers found that men who carried the LL gene were more likely to ejaculate faster. On average, men with LL gene were twice quicker to ejaculate than men with SS or SL gene variants.

While previous studies marked primary premature ejaculation as a psychological disorder, the findings of the new study contradict the idea.

"This theory contradicts the idea, which has been common for years, that the primary form of premature ejaculation is actually a psychological disorder," Waldinger wrote in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

"The results of our research confirm the genetic theory and may contribute to possible gene therapy against premature ejaculation," he added.

Premature ejaculation is the most common sexual problem, affecting 25 -40 percent of men worldwide. It is characterized by a lack of voluntary control over ejaculation.

According to the International Society for Sexual Medicine, PE is defined as 'a male dysfunction characterized by ejaculation which always or nearly always occurs prior to or within about one minute of vaginal penetration; and, inability to delay ejaculation on all or nearly all vaginal penetrations; and, negative personal consequences, such as distress, frustration and or the avoidance of sexual intimacy.'