Introduction: The duration of the intravaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT) may give rise to subjective complaints of premature ejaculation (PE) and is usually determined by self-assessment or by stopwatch.
Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the IELT distribution in the general male population and the accuracy of IELT assessment by using a blinded timer device instead of a stopwatch, thereby minimizing possible interference with the spontaneous and natural way of having intercourse.
Methods: The IELT was measured with a timer device during 4 weeks in a nonselected sample of 474 men from The Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, Turkey, and the United States. Questionnaires were administered before and after the 4-week IELT assessments.
Main outcome measures: IELT; erectile function dysfunction score of International Index of Erectile Dysfunction (IIEF).
Results: The IELT had a positively skewed distribution, with a geometric mean of 5.7 minutes and a median of 6.0 minutes (range: 0.1-52.1 minutes). Men from Turkey had the shortest median IELT (4.4 minutes). Men from the United Kingdom had the longest IELT (10.0 minutes). Circumcision and condom use had no significant impact on the median IELT. Subjects who were discontent with their latency time had slightly lower median IELT values of 5.2 minutes than the median of the population.
Conclusion: The IELT distribution, measured with a blinded timer device, is very similar to the IELT distribution of our previous population survey which utilized a stopwatch. In the general male population, complaints of discontent with self-perceived latency had a slightly lower median IELT value than the median of the overall population.