Ejaculation rapidity 'in the genes'

[Posted: Sun 12/10/2008 by Deborah Condon www.irishhealth.com]

The rapidity of ejaculation in men is genetically determined, new research indicates.

A team of Dutch researchers studied 89 men with premature ejaculation. All suffered from primary ejaculation – in other words, they had always had this problem. They were then compared to a control group of 92 men.

For one month, the female partners of the men used a stopwatch at home to measure the time until ejaculation, each time they had sexual intercourse. The researchers emphasised that this study applies to men ‘who have always ejaculated prematurely from their first sexual contact onwards and not for men who started suffering from this later on in life’.

According to the Dutch team, in men who suffer from premature ejaculation, the substance serotonin appears to be less active between the nerves in the section of the brain that controls ejaculation. Among other things, this substance is linked to sexual activity and appetite.

The researchers have now found that a gene which had already been discovered – 5-HTTLPR – appears to be responsible for the amount and activity of serotonin, which means that it controls the rapidity of ejaculation.

Three types of the gene exist – LL, SL and SS. The study found that the LL type causes a more rapid ejaculation. On average, men with LL ejaculate twice as quickly as men with SS and almost twice as quickly as men with SL.

“This theory contradicts the idea which has been common for years, that the primary form of premature ejaculation is a psychological disorder. The results confirm the genetic theory and may contribute to possible gene therapy against premature ejaculation,” the team from Utrecht University said.

They are currently looking for other genes that are also involved in ejaculation.

Details of these findings are published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

For more on erection problems, see...http://www.irishhealth.com/clin/menshealth/men_wel.html