We know that serotonin is a significant factor in how long men last in bed.
This is particularly the case for guys who’ve always been on the quicker side, maybe always within a minute or so. Men with so-called lifelong premature ejaculation.
We also know that taking SSRI medication, that raises serotonin levels in the brain, helps men to last longer. Not for every guy but it usually makes a noticeable difference.
For some men, SSRIs feel like the only thing that works – even with the sometimes unpleasant side-effects.
So if you struggle to make sex last satisfactorily for you and your partner, are your serotonin levels too low?
Should you get tested?
At-home serotonin test kits are available. When you google ‘low serotonin‘ etc, they’ll come up in the results as ads.
And a few guys have asked me whether these are worth doing, to help track down the cause of their PE.
You pay fifty or sixty pounds, sometimes more, and the lab sends you a urine test kit. You send back your sample in the supplied envelope and a week or so later, you get the results. It’ll indicate whether your serotonin levels are low, regular or too high.
These tests have their uses, but for men concerned about premature ejaculation, I wouldn’t bother.
Save your sixty pounds.
Serotonin testing doesn’t help us diagnose premature ejaculation
Why? Because these urine or blood tests don’t indicate the level of serotonin in your brain. They measure the amount of serotonin that your body is producing.
Most of our serotonin is in the body. It’s produced in the gut. A much smaller amount resides in the brain.
It’s the serotonin in the brain that we’re interested in here, and that can only be produced in the brain. The stuff in your body can’t pass through the blood-brain barrier.
These at-home tests might be useful for other conditions. Testing for tumors, for example, that produce higher levels of serotonin outside of the brain.
To analyse the levels of serotonin in your brain, you’d need to be testing your spinal fluid. That’s a completely different procedure and not something you’re going to be attempting at home. Probably not in a clinic either – there are risks involved.
Does low serotonin cause PE anyway?
It’s probably not as simple as low serotonin equals faster ejaculations.
There are a couple of specific serotonin receptors in the brain that seem to affect ejaculatory timing. They play a role in the transport of signals coming up and down from the lower body to the brain via the spinal cord.
If this modulation system is weak, boosting serotonin levels with SSRI pills seems to overcome it a bit. But it doesn’t mean our serotonin levels are running too low, especially if PE is the only symptom we have.
So again, this kind of testing doesn’t really apply.
What can you do instead?
There are multiple ways to boost serotonin levels in your brain and body: diet, lifestyle, activity.
This can certainly help with your sexual function and mood in general.
You may want to consider trying an SSRI medication – definitely speak with your doctor about that if so.
And of course, speak with your doctor if you have concerns about PE or any aspect of your health. Don’t just listen to some therapist on YouTube.
Lifelong premature ejaculation is immensely frustrating and very common. There are plenty of things we can do about it, and the more organic the better in my opinion.
See my other resources for more on this, and I hope this has cleared up a few things. Put your money away for now!
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