Researcher studying genetic and premature ejaculation

Is Premature Ejaculation Genetic or Hereditary?

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Is Premature Ejaculation Genetic? Do I have a better chance to suffer from Premature Ejaculation if my dad is a premature ejaculator?

More research is needed to understand the link between premature ejaculation and genetic. Still, more and more signs let us suspect that lifelong premature ejaculators have a different genetic profile. Therefore, lifelong premature ejaculation could be hereditary. Family studies, twin studies, and DNA studies all point to a possible genetic explanation of premature ejaculation.

Family Study

The first step to determine if a condition could be genetic is to investigate if the condition is more frequent in a family than in the population average. This process is called a Family Study. If the occurrence is the same, then the debate is closed. It is not genetic, and it is not an inherited trait.

The problem is that most premature ejaculators that have been asked to question their dad, brother, or child, refuse to do it. Still, one particular study shows that on 11 answers gathered ten found premature ejaculator in their first relative1. Although the sample size of the study is tiny, 10/11 is still a high occurrence and an indicator of potential genetic condition.

Twin Study

Even if a condition is more present in some families, it doesn’t mean that it is necessary genetic. For example, the environment that you have been raised in could also cause the condition. That’s why the next step to determine if a condition is genetic is a twin study.

In a twin study, we take identical twins and fraternal twins, and we check if they are concordant. If both twins have the condition, or both do not have it, they are considered concordant.

Since identical twins share 100% of their genes, and fraternal share on average 50% of their gene, it could tell us how much genes play a role.

One twin study has been conducted in Finland2. It showed that there is a moderate genetic effect (28%) on Premature Ejaculation. However, most of those surveyed twins ejaculate over the 1 min threshold. Therefore, they aren’t considered lifelong premature ejaculator per the ISSM premature ejaculation definition. Thus, the genetic factor of premature ejaculation could be exclusive to the lifelong PE subtype.

DNA Research

The last way to determine if a condition is genetic is to analyze the genes of the person who suffers from the condition. Does premature ejaculator genotype profile is different from other men?

89 men who suffer from lifelong premature ejaculation, alongside 92 who don’t, participated in this kind of study in Netherlands3. Results show that men with SS and SL genotypes have longer ejaculation time than men with LL genotypes, which indicate that there could be a genetic factor to lifelong premature ejaculation.

Conclusion – Is Premature Ejaculation Genentic ?

We still don’t have enough data to answer the question. What we know so far let us suspect a genetic influence on the lifelong premature ejaculation subtype. However, experts are still reluctant to confirm the genetic risk factor to premature ejaculation due to the lack of hard evidence.

Sources:

  1. Waldinger MD, Rietschel M, Nothen MM, Hengeveld MW, Olivier B (1998) Familial occurrence of primary premature ejaculation. Psychiatr Genet 8:37–40
  2. Jern P, Santilla P, Witting K, Harlaar N, Johansson A, von der Pahlen B et al (2007) Premature and delayed ejaculation: genetic and environmental effects in a population-based sample of Finnish twins. J Sex Med 4:1739–1749
  3. Janssen PKC, Bakker SC, Zwinderman AH, Touw DJ, Olivier B, Waldinger MD (2009) Serotonin transporter promoter region (5-HTTLPR) polymorphism is associated with the intravaginal ejaculation latency time in Dutch men with lifelong premature ejaculation. J Sex Med 6:276–284

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