Try thinking about your parents while having sex. Did that work? No? Fine, let’s put that on the back-burner for now and concentrate on something far less uncomfortable: statistics. 

One-minute facts for one-minute men

Premature ejaculation affects 21–31% of the Australian male population, though that number is probably low given the likelihood of underreporting. Why is premature ejaculation underreported? Well, it’s embarrassing. 

The truth is, we still don’t know what exactly causes premature ejaculation. It’s thought to be a case of physiological or psychological factors, or maybe a combination of the two, working hand-in-hand to knock your confidence around. 

Going the distance

You don’t turn up for a marathon knowing you can’t run a kilometre. It’s optimistic, but unrealistically so. Likewise, you can’t just keep having sex and expect to somehow go the distance without making a change. There are plenty of treatment options available, but you need to first admit that there’s an issue, then understand that any temporary embarrassment is worth the long-term payoff. 

Helpful stuff

It may seem counterintuitive, but premature ejaculation becomes less embarrassing when you actually speak to someone about it. If you’re concerned about your sexual performance, the first visit should be a GP, because they know how common premature ejaculation is and will have dealt with these scenarios before. They’ll ask you a bunch of questions about your medical history, sex life and lifestyle, then talk you through some treatment options.

If the idea of speaking with a GP is too much for you, or if it’s simply not an option for whatever reason, there are plenty of telehealth options including Pilot, an Aussie start-up focused on men’s health. You’ll go through an online assessment with a real doctor and any treatments deemed appropriate will be sent to your doorstep. 

You may feel more comfortable speaking with someone like Chantelle Otten, a highly experienced and recognised sexologist, who is based in Melbourne. She takes private appointments and runs online courses, including a Premature Ejaculation course, which addresses a lot of the causes of, and myths around, premature ejaculation and what steps can be taken. 

Whichever path you take, the hardest part is admitting there’s an issue. And once that issue has been addressed, the hardest part will hopefully last longer than a minute.