Current Diagnosis and Management of Premature Ejaculation

Premature ejaculation (PE) is a common sexual dysfunction characterized by reduced intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT), inability to delay ejaculation, and personal distress. Increasing understanding of pathophysiologic mechanisms has yielded diverse and effective therapies. The current review discusses contemporary evaluation and management of PE, with a review of all randomized, controlled trials (RCT) performed. Therapies with RCT data include behavioral modification/psychotherapy, topical anesthetics, narcotic-like pain relievers, phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors, selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors and receptor antagonists, tricyclic antidepressants, and surgery. As data are insufficient to define optimal therapies, treatment decisions are based on clinical factors (comorbid conditions, PE mechanism and patient preference), trial outcomes, and adverse event profiles. Combination therapies demonstrate superior efficacy to single agents, with concomitant use of behavioral/psychosexual modifications with pharmacotherapy recommended. The role of surgery in PE remains undefined, with additional data required. Further comparative RCTs are required to define optimal treatment algorithms.