Premature ejaculation is in the genes, not just in the mind
October 9, 2008 by Grace Ibay
Filed under Health
A new study found that premature ejaculation is not purely psychological. Genetics has a lot to do with it.
Scientists from Utrecht University in the Netherlands studied 89 Dutch men who had "primary premature ejaculation", which means they suffered from it from their first sexual contact. They were compared with 92 men who had no such history. In men with premature ejaculation, the serotonin was deficient in the area of the brain that controls ejaculation.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that controls body temperature, sleep, sexual activity, appetite and emotions such as anger, aggression and mood. A common polymorphism (5HTTLPR) within the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene has been shown to influence the amount and activity of serotonin, so the authors postulate that 5HTTLPR may control the rapidity of ejaculation. In the study, men who had the LL genotype of 5HTTLPR ejaculated twice as rapidly as those who had the alternate genotype (SS) or were heterozygous (SL).
The take home message: The research contradicts the common idea that the primary form of premature ejaculation is a psychological disorder. With further study and confirmation, the authors hope gene therapy against premature ejaculation would be possible in the future.
The study will be published online this week in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
via Science Daily
