A MAN suffered “painful” premature ejaculation for two years because of a cyst on his spine, medics have revealed.
The 32-year-old from China went to hospital complaining of long-lasting erections and pain in his pelvis.
A man suffered premature ejaculation for two years because of a Tarlov cyst (pictured) on his spineSpringerLink
Medics gave him an MRI scan that revealed the surprising cause of his agony.
He was diagnosed with a Tarlov cyst and premature ejaculation at Xinhua Hospital in Shanghai.
Dr Yuanyuan Liu said: “Most caudal cysts are asymptomatic, but some grow large enough to compress nearby nerves and cause some symptoms, such as sciatica and leg pain.
“However, when patients come to urology with premature ejaculation, nerve symptoms and effective image-assisted examination are often ignored during diagnosis and treatment.
“In our opinion, spine factors should be considered as a cause in an otherwise healthy male who has recently developed abnormal sexual function as shown in this case.”
Premature ejaculation is a common issue that affects around a third of men at some point in their lives.
It causes a man to ejaculate sooner than he or his partner wishes during sex.
Occasional cases are common but if it happens more than you like or has become a problem it may help to get treatment, according to the NHS.
Common causes include prostate or thyroid problems, using drugs, or suffering with depression, stress, anxiety or relationship problems.
Tarlov cysts, also known as caudal cysts, are fluid-filled sacs that are usually found at the bottom of the spine.
MYSTERY CYSTS
They occur in around 5 to 9 per cent of people, according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, but their exact cause is unknown.
Accidents or falls on the tailbone area can cause previously undiagnosed cysts to flare up.
The man’s case, reported in the Archives of Sexual Behaviour, is a rare occurrence of a cyst causing premature ejaculation and priapism — prolonged erections without stimulation.
His condition slowly got worse and MRI scans revealed an “oval lesion” at the bottom of his spine and the start of the sacrum — the fused bones at the bottom of the spine.
He told doctors he was in “severe pain” and they decided to operate to remove the cyst, which meant his symptoms were “significantly relieved”.
What causes premature ejaculation
Various psychological and physical factors can cause a man to suddenly experience premature ejaculation.
Common physical causes include:
prostate problems
thyroid problems – an overactive thyroid or an underactive thyroid
using recreational drugs
Common psychological causes may include:
depression
stress
relationship problems
anxiety about sexual performance (particularly at the start of a new relationship, or when a man has had previous problems with sexual performance)
It’s possible for a man to have experienced premature ejaculation since becoming sexually active. A number of possible causes for this are:
conditioning – it’s possible that early sexual experiences can influence future sexual behaviour. For example, if a teenager conditions himself to ejaculate quickly to avoid being caught masturbating, it may later be difficult to break the habit
a previous traumatic sexual experience – this can range from being caught masturbating to sexual abuse
a strict upbringing and beliefs about sex
Source: The NHS