There are some things that a man wants to get done as quickly as possible. Replacing a flat tire. Cleaning the gutters. A colonoscopy.
Having sex is not typically on that list.
A bit of theory first. From an evolutionary perspective, “premature” ejaculation may be something of a misnomer. After all, as long as it doesn’t happen beforehand—or within hand—ejaculating inside of a vagina in 30 seconds or 30 minutes can be equally effective for a male’s reproductive success. In fact, being endowed with such a trigger-happy sperm-shooter (otherwise known as a penis) may, according to some scholars, even have conferred advantages under certain ancestral conditions, such as in the case of surreptitious mating in environments where other males jealously guarded females. One theorist dubbed this the “survival of the fastest” hypothesis and claimed that “the ancestry of Homo sapiens became overpopulated with rapid ejaculators.”
Still, being a one-minute man—or not even—isn’t exactly something to pin on your Tinder profile. Depending on how it’s being measured (a stopwatch at one’s bedside is the gold standard, apparently), up to a quarter of all males can last no longer than 60 seconds after vaginal penetration. That, in fact, is the clinical cutoff for being diagnosed with PE. Consider that the average woman takes considerably longer than that to reach orgasm through penile-vaginal sex, if she does so at all. This mismatch in orgasm latencies between the sexes, as well as the fact that modern contraceptive inventions have made sex no longer just a bestial reproductive act but a recreational activity as well, can be a source of serious frustration, and even distress, for both parties. We’ve all seen those sad scenes of a horny young couple throwing off their clothes and jumping into the sack, only for the disappointed woman to instantly pat her embarrassed, apologetic partner on his back, telling him “there, there, it’s okay.”
If only he had popped in some Wrigley’s, she might have gotten her happy ending, too.
I know that sounds like a rather strange non sequitur. What in the world does chewing gum have to do with ejaculating? More than any of us ever realized, it turns out. Well, most of us. Recently, a team of Turkish urologists led by Hüseyin Koçakgöl from Erzurum Regional Training and Research Hospital saw a possible connection. As urologists who routinely treat patients who struggle with PE, the researchers knew that existing treatments—anesthetic-coated condoms, topical creams and sprays to reduce penile sensitivity, pelvic-floor muscle exercises, counseling, behavioral therapies, even pharmacological interventions such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)—are often less than ideal. It might help the man in the coital equation, but having those numbing agents also affecting the woman’s genitals through prolonged friction is not doing her any favors. SSRIs such as dapoxetine, a drug sometimes prescribed for on-demand use by those with PE, have their own downsides in the form of adverse side effects. Sure, they might stall your sticky euphorias, but they might also prevent them from happening altogether (anorgasmia) or flatten your libido. Then, of course, there are more practical concerns, such as the cost of expensive treatments and the stigma attached to PE, preventing medical help.
From a clinical perspective, one serious challenge, Koçakgöl and his coauthors point out, is that the exact “pathophysiology” underlying PE remains a mystery. Whether the condition is primarily physical (e.g., penile hypersensitivity, neurological misfires), mental (anxiety, overstimulation, lack of experience), or some circuitous epigenetic combination that we may never entirely disentangle, a cure for PE remains elusive. Yet, factoring in the known variables, Koçakgöl and his colleagues came up with an ingeniously simple possible fix. In a study published earlier this year in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, the authors explain that since mastication (i.e., chewing like a cow) is already known to reduce anxiety, increase attention, and stimulate brain regions responsible for serotonin release, “chewing gum therapy” may have surprising benefits for this particular form of intimacy challenge.
Having a good idea is one thing; empirical evidence is quite another. So how did they go about this? Essentially, they instructed a group of PE sufferers to get busy chewing “commercially available, sugar-free, and unflavored inert” gum about twenty minutes before sexual intercourse, similar to how men with ED might pop a Viagra an hour in advance. Only, in this case, participants were told to keep chewing the gum throughout the partnered sexual activity. Here, in their own words, was Koçakgöl and his colleagues’ hypothesis:
Rhythmic mastication not only exerts anxiolytic and attention-enhancing effects, but also activates serotonergic systems in the brainstem (e.g., the raphe nuclei), thereby increasing serotonin levels and activating the descending inhibitory serotonergic pathway . . . Based on these multidimensional physiological effects, we hypothesized that gum chewing applied before and during sexual activity would enhance inhibitory control over the spinal ejaculation generator (SEG), thereby increasing the ejaculatory threshold and prolonging IELT (intravaginal ejaculatory latency time).
See, maybe it’s not so crazy after all. To qualify for the study, men had to meet certain screening requirements. For example, they needed to be under 65 and certified “LPEs” (lifelong premature ejaculators)—from their earliest visit to the vaginal world, they’d been Johnny-come-quicklies. Those men who’d acquired the condition over the years, or those with a medical condition, such as a urinary tract infection, that secondarily affected their seminal business, were excluded. Also, no use of SSRIs or other psychiatric meds. No chronic diseases. No erectile dysfunction.
And, of course, no current dental problems.
I’m beginning to think this was an inside joke among the ad execs at Wrigley’s.
The final sample consisted of 33 men. Their average age was 39 years and, more importantly, their average ejaculation time after penetrating a vagina was just 41 seconds. Not the same vagina, I should probably clarify. That was another screening requirement. To be eligible for the study, men needed to have a female partner with whom they had sex regularly. One has to wonder if watching their husbands and boyfriends snapping bubbles like a 1980s Valley Girl delayed their orgasms as well, but in any event, this simple gum-chewing therapy seemed to work just fine for the men. None reported reduced arousal, trouble getting it up, or decreased sexual satisfaction. “The rhythmic and comfortable nature of chewing,” the researchers state, “is unlikely to impose physical strain or interfere with sexual performance.”
A month into this gum-chewing therapy, the group’s average IELT was 130 seconds. Three months later, it was 147 seconds. Sure, that’s still not exactly a marathon love fest, but it’s a significant improvement, placing them comfortably outside the diagnostic PE criteria. In fact, their timing gains were comparable—if not even more impressive—than a comparison group of men who’d been randomly assigned to a standard frontline treatment for PE, a clinical intervention involving biofeedback-guided pelvic floor muscle training sessions.
Although the authors acknowledge the study’s limitations (it’s only as an afterthought that they mention the women’s unknown sexual satisfaction with “continuous gum chewing during sex”), these findings of the humble chewing gum’s semen-retaining qualities are impressive. Compared to the alternatives—numbing ointments, counseling, drugs, behavioral therapy, pelvic floor exercises, and all the rest—picking up a pack of chewing gum along with your next condom purchase sounds pretty good. Can the answer to this problem of the ages be this simple? Get out there and experiment, you citizen scientists. For 41 seconds versus 147, I’m guessing most men are willing to look a little ridiculous with a wad of Bubblicious in their cheek.
PK would have hit a home run with this news 😄