For people experiencing a quick release due to premature ejaculation, there are several home remedies worth trying, including topical products, supplements, and at-home practices.
- Topical products: premature ejaculation wipes | topical creams | lidocaine spray | “climax control” condoms
- Supplements: zinc | Ayurvedic herbal medicines | Chinese herbal medicines
- Home remedies: pause-squeeze technique | stop-start technique | pelvic floor exercises | masturbation | abstinence
Ejaculation happens when semen is released from the penis during an orgasm. Premature ejaculation happens when ejaculation comes about a little too fast for your liking, especially if you and a partner want to keep having sex.
Premature ejaculation can lead to frustration and anxiety. Some people with premature ejaculation may even have less sex than they want to or avoid sex as a result. But there are treatments that can help.
Read on to learn more about home remedies and natural treatment options for premature ejaculation.
People experiencing premature ejaculation tend to orgasm before or directly after penetration and are usually unable to delay ejaculation. Premature ejaculation is also known as:
- rapid ejaculation
- premature climax
- early ejaculation
Premature ejaculation can also be related to psychological causes. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR) lists
- You ejaculate less than a minute after initiating sexual intercourse with a partner more than 3 out of every 4 times you have sex, but you want to last longer.
- You’ve ejaculated prematurely for longer than 6 months and feel anxious or frustrated about it to the point that it affects your daily life or health.
- Your premature ejaculation doesn’t have an obvious external cause, such as a mental health condition, side effects from a medication, or a major source of stress in your life, like a breakup or pressure at work.
So, the cutoff time for premature ejaculation is usually considered around 1 minute or less, with 3 minutes or longer considered a typical length of sexual activity before ejaculation.
Premature ejaculation is relatively common. According to one 2021 research review, about
It’s hard to know exactly how many people truly experience premature ejaculation. That’s because the relationship between ejaculation time and sexual satisfaction is often subjective to the person and their partner.
The perception of ejaculation happening too early can depend on how long the person wants to experience sexual intercourse before ejaculation. In some cases, a person may feel like they’re ejaculating too quickly even if they last 3 minutes or much longer before ejaculation.
What causes premature ejaculation?
It’s not known what exactly causes premature ejaculation, but the general consensus is that it’s often a psychological condition.
But not all cases of premature ejaculation are the same. There are
- Primary: This occurs when you reach sexual maturity. It’s caused by repeated experiences that have conditioned you to ejaculate quickly, the psychological environment you grew up in, or sexual experiences that have traumatized you.
- Secondary: This happens later in life after you’ve been sexually active for a while. Health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, or thyroid conditions can cause it, or the effects of alcohol and recreational drugs.
- Natural variable: This is when you notice you’re ejaculating earlier than you normally do. This may occur from a change in your sex life or even due to the specifics of a sexual encounter.
- Subjective: This is when you ejaculate within a time that’s considered typical (about 3 minutes or longer after initiating sexual intercourse) and you don’t have any underlying health conditions, but you feel you’re not lasting as long as you or your partner want.
Depression, anxiety, guilt, relationship issues, lack of confidence, and a history of sexual trauma can all play into the development of premature ejaculation.
Certain medical issues can also cause this condition, including:
- lowered serotonin levels
- atypical hormone levels
- inflammation or infection in the urethra or prostate
Topical products for premature ejaculation
Premature ejaculation wipes
Premature ejaculation wipes work by reducing sensation in the tip of the penis. These wipes contain benzocaine, a topical anesthetic that blocks the sodium channels that cause sensation in the penis.
A small 2017 study found that participants who used these wipes for at least 2 months experienced less distress related to intercourse. The majority of participants also ejaculated well after the 2-minute time period that’s typical of premature ejaculation.
Study participants also reported the wipes were well tolerated (i.e., no heavy side effects). But make sure to talk with your doctor before trying these benzocaine wipes: Topical anesthetic can cause more serious side effects in certain individuals.
Looking to try out benzocaine wipes for yourself? Here are two of our recommendations for the best climax delay wipes:
Topical gels and creams
Like premature ejaculation wipes, many over-the-counter (OTC) topical anesthetic creams contain a numbing agent that can treat premature ejaculation by reducing sensation and delaying climax. Apply the cream to your penis 10 to 15 minutes before sex for it to be most effective.
A 2017 review of studies found that some topical creams could help increase the time it took to ejaculate, but further research is still needed to establish a clear range of that increased time.
Although generally well tolerated, anesthetic creams can cause:
- mild pain
- mild burning sensation
- decreased libido
- a temporary loss of sensitivity
Talk with your doctor about the right topical cream for such a sensitive area.
Try this out
Similar to climax delay wipes, some gels and creams also contain benzocaine and can be applied before sex to help potentially delay climax.
Lidocaine spray
Like topical creams, lidocaine spray can help treat premature ejaculation by desensitizing the penis and decreasing hypersensitivity.
Try using the spray about 15 minutes before sex for best results. Known potential side effects include temporary sensitivity loss and some difficulty maintaining an erection before intercourse.
Try these out
If benzocaine wipes aren’t a good match for you, there are also climax delay sprays that feature lidocaine. Here are our two best recommendations:
‘Climax control’ condoms
In general, condoms can decrease sensitivity and keep you from ejaculating early. But there are also climax control condoms available OTC that are either made of a thicker latex material or contain a numbing agent meant to delay climax.
Try these out
Some condoms advertise using numbing agents inside the condom to lower penis sensitivity. These top two condom recommendations use benzocaine:
Supplements for premature ejaculation
Zinc supplements
Zinc helps support healthy immunity and cell growth, and it may also help the production of testosterone, which in some cases may help with premature ejaculation.
Zinc is one of the more natural treatments for men living with lowered testosterone. The recommended dosage is 220 milligrams of zinc sulfate twice per day for 1 to 4 months.
It’s important to note that more is not always better, especially with supplements. Taking too much zinc may cause:
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- kidney and stomach damage
- a metallic taste in your mouth
Zinc supplements should only be considered along with a doctor’s evaluation to determine whether your zinc levels are too low.
If you’re receiving a sufficient amount of zinc in your diet, a supplement won’t improve premature ejaculation and could even result in zinc poisoning or a zinc overdose if too much zinc is taken.
Ayurvedic herbal medicine
Ayurveda is India’s traditional healing system. It relies on thousands of herbs to treat everything from diabetes to inflammation.
Certain Ayurvedic herbs, like kaunch beej, are thought to treat premature ejaculation when taken in capsule form twice daily with lukewarm water. Ayurvedic medicine has also been used in an effort to treat erectile dysfunction.
A 2017 review found that men who used Ayurvedic medicine saw a slight increase in the time it took to ejaculate during sex. Known potential side effects include:
- stomach pain
- dizziness
- mild pain
- decreased libido
Talk with a healthcare professional before adding any extra herbs or supplements to your diet. They may affect other medications you’re taking and may not be advisable for everyone.
Chinese herbal medicine
A weekly or daily dose of Chinese herbal medicine — in particular, Yimusake tablets or Qilin pills — may treat premature ejaculation by boosting sexual stamina and improving energy.
That 2017 review also found that different types of Chinese herbal medicine can increase ejaculation time by about 2 minutes. Known potential side effects include:
- stomach pain
- dizziness
- mild pain
Again, make sure to talk with a healthcare professional before adding any extra herbs or supplements to your diet.
Home remedies for premature ejaculation
Pause-squeeze technique
The pause-squeeze technique may help ease premature ejaculation by letting arousal dwindle before climax. When you feel you’re ready to ejaculate, stop and have you or your partner squeeze the end of your penis where the head joins the shaft.
Hold the squeeze for several seconds until you no longer want to climax. Be sure to communicate with your partner during this process because they won’t know the correct timing otherwise.
Repeat this process as much as necessary. Eventually, you may be able to delay ejaculation without help.
Stop-start technique
The stop-start technique, also known as orgasm control or “edging,” may help delay climax by drawing out pleasure.
When you feel the urge to ejaculate, stop having sexual activity completely. Once you feel less aroused, slowly start to have sexual activity again. Repeat this process as much as necessary to help you manage ejaculation.
Pelvic floor exercises
Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles can have a big effect on how long it takes you to climax.
A
- Find the right muscles by stopping midstream while peeing or tightening the muscles that stop you from passing gas.
- While lying down, contract your pelvic floor muscles for 3 seconds, and then relax for 3 seconds. Do this at least 10 times in a row. Repeat at least three times per day.
- Gradually increase the number of seconds as your muscles become stronger. Try new positions, like standing, walking, or sitting down.
- Don’t forget to breathe, and remember to focus only on your pelvic floor muscles. Don’t tighten your abs, thighs, or buttocks.
Masturbation
Masturbating an hour or two before you have sexual activity may help delay ejaculation during penetration. This sexual release should reduce your need to climax quickly.
Avoid intercourse for a period of time
Focusing on other types of sexual activity instead of intercourse may help take the pressure off your sexual encounters.
Penetration isn’t the only way to reach sexual satisfaction. Explore other ways you and your partner can feel pleasure that won’t cause either of you distress or frustration.
Interested in other men’s health products?
Through our reviews and brand comparisons, you can explore our top picks for sexual wellness, hair health, and more.
While occasional premature ejaculation isn’t a cause for alarm, talk with a doctor if it’s persistent.
Certain home remedies like the ones listed above may provide relief in the moment. But if there’s an underlying condition causing your premature ejaculation, like a hormone imbalance, only a doctor can diagnose it.
Premature ejaculation isn’t usually permanent. Treating an underlying condition that’s causing it, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, may help you last longer during sex if you have secondary premature ejaculation.
And depending on the type of premature ejaculation you have, you may find that the time it takes you to ejaculate may change once you remove stressors from your life, change the positions you try during sex, or even try techniques like edging or pelvic floor strengthening.
Your perception of how long you should last may change over time as your preferences change. Your partner may also be perfectly happy and prefer something quicker.
The common attitude that “good” sex has to last for a long time isn’t necessarily true for everyone, especially for partners who may also orgasm quickly or get sore and uncomfortable from prolonged sexual contact.
There’s no research suggesting that premature ejaculation can directly cause erectile dysfunction (ED).
But the two conditions share some of the same causes, such as stress, trauma, or underlying medical conditions.
And while ED is a medical condition that can be diagnosed and treated, premature ejaculation is often psychological and may go away as trauma, stressors, or other health conditions are addressed. ED may continue even after psychological causes are resolved.
Any kind of sex without a barrier method, like a condom, and involving ejaculation from a penis into a vagina can cause pregnancy.
That’s not to say that every ejaculation can cause pregnancy. There are many other factors that affect a person’s ability to get pregnant, such as:
- their age
- how many eggs they have or how healthy they are
- where they are on their ovulation cycle
- whether they are using any kind of birth control
- whether they have a condition that makes it difficult to get pregnant or carry a fetus to term, like uterine fibroids or a heart-shaped uterus
- whether a sperm reaches an egg to fertilize it
- whether sperm are abundant or healthy enough to reach an egg in the first place
Premature ejaculation is a common sexual concern for many men.
While some of these home remedies may be effective for some people, if premature ejaculation persists and is affecting your life, talk with a doctor to rule out any underlying causes and explore other treatment options.
