The 15th biennial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Society for Sexual Medicine and the
Genitourinary Medical Symposium (APSSM2015 & GUMS2015) was held in September 11–13,
2015 at China National Convention Center, Beijing, China. At the first day of the
congress, I was honored to meet Dr. Chris G. McMahon and had an interview with him
after his speech on “Epidemiology, pathophysiology and clinical diagnosis of ejaculatory
dysfunction”.
Dr. Chris G. McMahon (
Figure 1
) has devoted himself to the field of sexual medicine for more than 30 years. He is
the Immediate Past President of the International Society of Sexual Medicine (ISSM),
a committee chairman for the WHO Second and Third International Consultation on Erectile
and Sexual Dysfunction, a vice-chairman of the 4th International Consultation on Sexual
Dysfunction and an associate editor of The Journal of Sexual Medicine and Sexual Medicine
Reviews. Dr. McMahon has also published over 90 original researches and invited review
articles in peer-reviewed international medical journals and 20 books/book chapters.
Figure 1
Dr. Chris G. McMahon.
Epidemiology of ejaculatory dysfunction
Dr. McMahon reviewed the epidemiology of ejaculatory dysfunction in a professional
way. He said that there are many different types of ejaculatory dysfunction and the
most common one is premature ejaculation (PE). As many as 20–25% of men think that
they ejaculate too quickly. However many men are confused about what constitutes normal
ejaculation and the actual incidence of PE is much less. Recent observational studies
suggest that approximately 2–3% of men have lifelong PE and 5–7% will develop PE at
some point in their life (acquired PE). The remaining men are confused about what’s
the normal time to ejaculate or are anxious about the perception that they ejaculate
too quickly.
Diagnosis of ejaculatory dysfunction
During the interview, Dr. McMahon pointed out that the diagnosis of PE is relatively
straightforward in clinical practice and that most sufferers need no additional investigations.
In 2009 the International Society for Sexual Medicine convened a panel of experts
and developed the first definition of life-long PE. PE is a male sexual dysfunction
characterized by ejaculation occurring prior to or within about 1 minute of penetration.
It is associated with the inability to control and presence of the negative psychological
consequences, such as frustration, bother, anxiety, or the avoidance of sexual contact.
In 2013, the Science Committee was reconvened in India, reviewed new data and developed
a single, unify definition for both life-long and acquired PE, This unified definition
states that men with life-long PE ejaculate in less than about 1 minute whereas men
with acquired PE ejaculate within as little as 3 minutes. But both groups have similar
levels of poor control, frustration, anxiety and the negative psychological consequences.
Experience and inspiration in the field of sexual medicine
As an experienced sexual health physician, Dr. McMahon is willing to give some constructive
suggestions to the young doctors who are going to practice in this field. Dr. McMahon
said that male sexual dysfunction and in particular ejaculatory dysfunction reduce
the quality of life for sufferers. He highlighted a strong relation between PE and
the incidence of divorce. He emphasized the importance of young doctors, particularly
urologists and andrologists, developing skills in managing PE effectively. Over the
past 10–15 years, the paradigm of treating PE has changed tremendously. In the past,
people considered that PE was a psychological disorder related to performance anxiety.
Now the consensus is that some men are born with a genetic predisposition to develop
PE. Men with acquired PE are often comorbid erectile dysfunction (ED), chronic prostatitis,
chronic pelvis syndrome and high levels of performance anxiety. Dr. McMahon pointed
out that although some medications can remedy these diseases, the key is to treat
the major disorder. So ED should be treated with ED pharmacological therapy.