Men aren't the only ones who might
find themselves peaking too early in the sack. According to a new study, a
small percentage of women also experience premature orgasm.
The research, a survey of Portuguese
women, found that 40 percent occasionally came to orgasm faster than they
intended during sex. For about 3 percent of women, the problem was chronic.
"For this group, female
premature orgasm is more than bothersome," said study researcher Serafim
Carvalho, of the Hospital Magalhães Lemos in Porto, Portugal. "We
think it's as serious a distress as
it is in men."
Finishing too fast
Traditionally, female sexual
dysfunction has not
received the same attention as male sexual dysfunction, and early orgasm is no
exception. Carvalho and his colleagues came across some ambiguous references in
clinical textbooks and occasional anecdotal reports in their clinic of sexual
medicine. But while premature ejaculation in men is an official sexual
dysfunction listed in the definitive psychiatrist's reference the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Health (DSM), there is no such category for an
uncontrollably early orgasm in women.
To find out if the experience of
early orgasm is one that troubles women, Carvalho and his colleagues sent out a
questionnaire to a general sample of Portuguese women ranging in age from 18 to
45. The questionnaire asked about the frequency of premature orgasm, whether
the women ever felt a loss of control over the timing of the orgasm, and
whether they felt distress over the issue. The women were also asked about
their relationship satisfaction.
Just over 60 percent, or 510 women,
responded to the mail-in survey. Of those, 40 percent had experienced an orgasm earlier than they'd desired at some
point in their lives. Another 14 percent reported more frequent premature
orgasms. This 14 percent have "probable" cases that could require
clinical attention, Carvalho told LiveScience.
Another 3.3 percent met the criteria
for having a dysfunction due to the premature orgasm, Carvalho said. They
didn't find any link between premature orgasm and relationship satisfaction.
Distress and frustration
"At one extreme are women who
have a complete control over their orgasm," he and his colleagues write in
a report to be published in the journal Sexologies. "[At] the other
extreme is a group of women who report having a lack of control over the moment
of orgasm, which occurs very early during intercourse, leading to personal or
couple discomfort."
One woman described her discomfort
with her quick orgasms to the researchers as similar to what a man might feel
in the case of premature ejaculation.
"I feel the same way men must
feel about premature ejaculation and don’t completely see the difference — I
finish very quickly, whereas my boyfriend doesn’t get a chance to, and it's
really starting to bother me," she said. "Once I orgasm, I find it
uncomfortable to continue, the mood changes and he ends up missing out, which I
feel bad about."
While premature orgasms may be
distressing, inability to orgasm is likely a more widespread problem. A 2010
study of American women found that trouble reaching orgasm is the most common sexual complaint in women,
with 54 percent of 18- to 30-year-olds reporting this problem.
The study is preliminary, and more research
on a wider group of women is needed to determine the extent of female premature
orgasm, Carvalho said. But women who orgasm too quickly shouldn't be shy about
talking with a doctor, he said: "In most cases, this is not a serious
problem."
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