The history of the medicalisation of rapid ejaculation—A reflection of the rising importance of female pleasure in a phallocentric world

Abstract

ABSTRACT Early ejaculation is a male dysfunction that became a subject of medical and psychological interest concurrently with the growing recognition of the importance of female sexual needs. Psychoanalytical ideas, psychosomatic approaches, behavioural concepts, and, in recent decades, rampant pharmacologization based on biological reductionism have been used to explain the condition and to propose various treatments. The history of the medicalisation of rapid ejaculation reflects the evolution of sexual norms and expectations regarding the desired length of intercourse, accepted ways of achieving orgasm, and ideal sexual scripts for both men and women.