Perceived intravaginal ejaculation latency time: The diagnosis of premature ejaculation among Vietnamese men.

Abstract

Premature ejaculation (PE) is a prevalent sexual dysfunction in men that greatly affects their quality of life. In PE, the duration of sexual performance is considered an important aspect. However, a self-estimated value of intravaginal ejaculation latency time (perceived IELT, PIELT) as a criterion for diagnosis has not been specified. This study aimed to determine the validity and a threshold value for PIELT in PE diagnosis. In our cross-sectional study, we recruited 550 men from March 2019 to January 2020 and interviewed them regarding their general demographic characteristics, sexual habits, PIELT and completed a premature ejaculation diagnostic tool (PEDT) questionnaire. Eventually, a combination of a clinical diagnosis and PEDT score was used, in which those with PEDT ≥ 11 and diagnosed with possible PE were assigned to the final PE(+) group; those with PEDT score ≤ 8 and diagnosed with no PE were included in the final PE(-) group. Men PE(-) had more frequent sexual intercourse (9.74±5.38vs. 6.69±5.38 episodes per month, p<0.001) and had higher marriage rate (72.7%vs. 60.4%, p=0.002) than PE(+) patients. No significant difference was noted regarding age, smoking habit, age of first sexual experience, and number of sexual partners between the two groups. The mean PIELT of control subjects and PE(+) patients were 11.69±6.83 min and 2.01±1.21 min, respectively. On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the cut-off value of PIELT of 3.75 min can be used to distinguish PE men (area under the curve=0.982, sensitivity/specificity=0.961/0.909), which means that men with a PIELT ≤ 3.5 min is suggestive of PE. The impact of PE is dramatic both from a social and a personal perspective. PE(+) patients married significantly less and have significantly lower sexual activity compared to a PE(-) population. Furthermore, a PIELT of ≤ 3.5 min predicts PE demonstrating the need to revise its taxonomy and definition.