Genital and heart rate response to erotic stimulation in men with and without premature ejaculation

This study compared genital and penile response patterns in men with and without premature ejaculation (PE) so as to identify the potential anomalous psychosomatic relationships among men with PE. Genital and heart rate response profiles of 25 men with PE were compared with those of 13 age-matched sexually functional counterparts during visual sexual stimulation presented in combination with vibrotactile penile stimulation. Although no differences were found between men with PE and controls on maximum penile circumference change, overall penile response was significantly lower in the PE group and PE men who ejaculated during the session exhibited shorter latencies to maximum circumference change. Furthermore, significant differences were found between groups in patterns of heart rate. These findings indicate differences in physiological responses between men with PE and sexually functional counterparts during erectile tumescence and progression toward ejaculation. Such differences might be explained by 'premature' sympathetic activation during the sexual response cycle in men with PE, thereby diminishing parasympathetically controlled penile response and triggering sympathetically mediated seminal emission prematurely.