Objectives: To characterize premature ejaculation (PE) in five European countries using intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT) and the Premature Ejaculation Profile (PEP).

Methods: This 8-wk, multicenter, observational study enrolled men >or=18 yr of age and their female partners. Clinicians diagnosed PE using the DSM-IV-TR criteria and at least moderate, subject-reported, ejaculation-related personal distress or interpersonal difficulty. The PEP was administered at baseline and weeks 4 and 8. Partners measured IELT; the average stopwatch-measured IELT for each 4-wk period was calculated and compared with the man's screening-estimated IELT. Relationships between individual PEP measures and IELT were assessed with path analysis.

Results: PE was diagnosed in 201 of 1115 men. Findings were similar to those in a similarly conducted US study. Mean IELT was lower in the PE versus the non-PE group (3.3 vs. 10.0min, respectively), but substantial overlap was observed. Men with PE and their partners reported significantly worse control over ejaculation, ejaculation-related personal distress, satisfaction with sexual intercourse, and ejaculation-related interpersonal difficulty than men without PE and their partners. Path analysis showed that perceived control over ejaculation had a significant effect on ejaculation-related personal distress and satisfaction with sexual intercourse; IELT had an effect on control over ejaculation, no direct effect on satisfaction with sexual intercourse, and a small direct effect on ejaculation-related personal distress.

Conclusions: No major cultural differences existed between EU and US men with and without PE and their female partners. These results emphasize the importance of the PEP measures, especially perceived control over ejaculation, in characterizing PE.