We need to start talking about sexual dysfunction in an open way

TheJournal.ie
Wednesday 29 Jan, 2014
We need to start talking about sexual dysfunction in an open way
It’s almost impossible to bring up the subject of premature ejaculation without provoking a cringe or a giggle, but it’s no joke for the one in five men (of all ages) who suffer from this common dysfunction, writes Trish Murphy.

IT IS PRETTY much impossible to bring up the subject of premature ejaculation (PE) in conversation without provoking a cringe or a giggle, or both. We’ve all heard the one about the man suffering from PE – he’s ok now but it was touch and go for a while.

However, PE is no joke for the one in five men who suffer from this common male sexual dysfunction. PE affects more men than erectile dysfunction (ED) yet it has traditionally received far less attention than ED, perhaps because of a historical lack of understanding. It also affects men of all ages, despite sometimes being associated with young men. Last week saw something of a first in Irish society – the launch of the new Take Control campaign to highlight the condition and encourage men to talk about it.

Before thinking about solutions, it’s worth considering the issue in a wider societal context. There is no doubt that ‘good’ sex is commonly and misleadingly represented by the mainstream media and porn as requiring lengthy periods of penetrative sex. This leads to rather skewed societal definitions of sexual pleasure and glosses over the fact that many men will last a matter of minutes between penetration and orgasm.

Pornography creates a lot of problems.

That being said, in my practice as a psychotherapist, my work involves therapy for sexual and intimacy difficulties and over the past ten years both myself and my colleagues have seen a growing number of young people

Original post: Family Therapy Association of Ireland