Women suffer from premature orgasms

It’s not only men that suffer from premature orgasms, according to scientists.

A study from the Hospital Magalhães Lemos in Portugal found a surprising percentage of women also peak too early during sex.

The survey of 510 Portuguese women, found 40 per cent reported that they suffered from the sexual dysfunction while 3 per cent described the problem as chronic.

Traditionally premature ejaculation is a medical phenomenon associated with men but researchers wanted to discover if women are also affected.

A questionnaire was sent out to a cross-section of females aged between 18 and 45, which addressed the frequency of premature orgasm, if they ever felt a loss of control over the timing of the orgasm, and if the issue caused distress.

The results revealed that, 40 per cent had experienced an orgasm earlier than desired at some point.

Lead researcher Serafim Carvalho said: ‘For this group, female premature orgasm is more than bothersome. ‘We think it’s as serious a distress as it is in men.’

Carvalho and his team hope the findings, published in the journal Sexologies, will encourage further research on female sexual dysfunction, which has received little medical attention.

His team came across some ambiguous references in clinical textbooks and in the definitive psychiatrist’s reference manual there is no such category for premature orgasms in women.

Findings revealed that the condition can pose a problem for many, leading to ‘personal or couple discomfort’ during intercourse.

One woman said: ‘I finish very quickly, whereas my boyfriend doesn’t get a chance to, and it’s really starting to bother me.

‘Once I orgasm, I find it uncomfortable to continue, the mood changes and he ends up missing out, which I feel bad about.’

Despite premature orgasms affecting a surprising proportion, an inability to orgasm has been shown to be a more widespread problem.

A 2010 study of American women found that 54 per cent of women aged between 18 and 30 reported trouble reaching orgasm, making it the most common sexual complaint.

More research is needed to determine the extent of premature orgasms among women and the underlying causes.

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