Background

Premature ejaculation (PE) is one of the more common male sexual dysfunctions, with an average prevalence of around 14.9% worldwide. The International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM) characterizes PE by a short intravaginal latency time, a consistent inability to delay ejaculation, and personal complications or distress.

There are two known types of PE:

• Lifelong: Ejaculation latency time of less than one minute for a person’s entire sexual history.
• Acquired: Ejaculation latency time of less than three minutes that develops later in life.

Currently, there are a few local anesthetics that are well-established for helping delay ejaculation in PE patients. These include lidocaine or lidocaine plus prilocaine sprays that are available at most pharmacies or with a prescription. Unfortunately, men who may not have PE but are dissatisfied with their ejaculation latency might not have access to these.

There is currently no published research on the use of anesthetics with non-PE patients. Despite this, there has been intrigue with the idea of using natural rubber latex condoms that contain benzocaine paste in the tip. Ideally, these would extend the intravaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT) in the general population.

Study Objective

• To evaluate the efficacy of benzocaine condoms in delaying ejaculation in those who feel they occasionally ejaculate sooner than they would want to.

Method

• This was a randomized, three-way crossover single-center study.
• 143 healthy, mutually monogamous, and heterosexual couples completed the study between October 2023 and October 2024.
  • The average age of male participants was 34 years old.
  • The average age of female partners was 32 years old.
  • Male participants had no prior treatment or diagnosis of:
    • PE of any kind
    • Erectile dysfunction (ED)
    • Thyroid or hormonal imbalances
    • Other ejaculatory disorders
    • Genital or pelvic surgery
  • Couples completed one four-week-long baseline period for which they timed their IELT using a stopwatch while having sex the way they normally do.
    • This included intercourse both with and without condoms.
    • IELT was measured from the time of vaginal entry to the start of intravaginal ejaculation.
  • Over the next three weeks, participants completed three more four-week cycles of recording IELT with three different types of condoms.
    • Condoms were de-branded and placed in identical boxes, but researchers confirmed that they were Durex brand.
      • Each box contained 8 condoms for the four weeks.
      • Neither patient nor clinician was aware of which condom was being used for each assessment period.
    • Condom types included a regular natural rubber latex (NRL) condom, one with 5% benzocaine paste, and one with 3% benzocaine paste.
      • Benzocaine paste was chosen because it melts with natural body heat and is less likely to leak, leading to a longer time sitting on the glans of the penis.
    • In addition to IELT diaries, participants also recorded responses to the patient global impression of change (PGIC) scale, asking if participants felt the condom helped in terms of “lasting longer.”
      • This includes a 7-point Likert scale ranging from “very much worse” to “very much better.”
      • For analysis purposes, researchers collated these answers into a 3-point scale ranging from “worse” to “better.”

Key Results/Analysis

• Couples used an average of 5 condoms per type.
• The baseline IELT was 408.13 seconds (6.8 minutes).
• All condoms increased IELT by at least one minute. After adjusting for the control NRL condom:
  • The 5% benzocaine increased IELT by 11.5% (171.1 seconds)
  • The 3% benzocaine increased IELT by 3.4% (128.3 seconds)
• The increase in IELT is comparable to other studies that looked into the unofficial “subjective PE,” in which patients believe they have PE despite having a normal latency time.
  • This suggests that benzocaine paste-containing condoms may be effective at improving IELT in the healthy general population who just want to last a little bit longer in the bedroom.
• The PGIC increased significantly for both 5% and 3% benzocaine condoms.
  • Satisfaction with the product and sexual activity was not assessed.
  • This suggests that patients do see improvement with the use of benzocaine paste-containing condoms.
    • Due to the lack of assessment, it is hard to determine if participants appreciated said improvement.
  • Only two adverse events were reported with the 5% benzocaine option.
    • One case of failed ejaculation
    • One case of lost genital sensation in both partners
  • Several device deficiencies were reported for all condoms, including slipping and breaking.
    • This suggests that overall, the benzocaine paste-containing condoms are as safe as regular condoms are for both partners in this patient population.

Key Takeaways

• PE is a recognized sexual dysfunction and ejaculatory order that affects men across the globe.
• Most treatments (including lidocaine-type topical anesthetic sprays) are intended for acquired or lifetime PE patients who have an official diagnosis.
  • There are no approved anesthetics for the general population who just want to last a little bit longer during intercourse.
• This is the first study to research this type of ejaculatory aid in the general population.
• 5% benzocaine paste-containing NRL condoms appear to be effective at increasing IELT when applied to the healthy general population.
  • There was less of an increase in IELT than there was with PE patients, but PE patients have a more sensitive glans.
• Future research should study more detailed aspects of erectile function, relationship context, sexual satisfaction, etc.

Resources:

Coupland, C. A., Su, L., McGirr, M. E., & Hood, S. (2026). Prolonging ejaculatory latency with benzocaine paste-containing natural rubber latex condoms: Findings from a randomized, three-way, cross-over study. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 23(6). https://doi.org/10.1093/jsxmed/qdag134