The ability to delay ejaculation matters in sex. More prolonged intercourse gives you and your partner more time to enjoy intimacy. And research shows that women take longer than men to experience orgasm during penetration.

Ejaculations change with age, as your body changes. The sensations may not be as powerful, and the amount and strength of semen expulsion will differ in your sixties, compared to what you saw in your youth.

A study conducted on over 500 couples in five countries gave us a clear idea of the average ejaculation time for men in different age groups:

• Intercourse lasted on average 6.5 minutes for 18- to 30-year-old men.
• Men aged 31 to 50 took 5.5 minutes to climax.
• For those over 51 the average time of intercourse was 4.3 minutes.

Now that we know the average time for a man to ejaculate, let’s consider how short is too short. Premature ejaculation is a common problem. Experts define it as ejaculating faster than you or your partner would have wished. Now, this is a reasonably general definition. Let’s take a look at the numbers.

Experts provide varying intravaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT) that qualifies as premature ejaculation. Here are some examples:

• According to the survey of U.S. and Canadian sex therapists mentioned above, penetration lasting between one and two minutes is “too short.”
• The DSM-V, a powerful tool for diagnosing sexual concerns, defines PE as ejaculation occurring within approximately one minute following vaginal penetration. It adds that the problem should persist for at least six months and should happen in at least 75 % of situations.
• Another essential document by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the ICD-11, discusses early ejaculation. This term is less judgmental than "premature ejaculation," and many sex therapists examine it this way. Their definition says it is “ejaculation that occurs before or within a concise duration of the initiation of vaginal penetration or other relevant sexual stimulation, with no or little perceived control over ejaculation.”

What if you’re a young, healthy guy who still comes too soon? Unfortunately, average ejaculation time for men depends on many things, not just age. Here are some of the things that can limit your ability to control climax:

• Taking medication. Most doctors don’t mention sexual problems when they prescribe medication. And premature ejaculation may be a side effect of some treatments, such as Parkinson’s disease.
• Drug use. Using recreational drugs is not a good idea anyway, and here’s one more reason not to do it: using amphetamine or cocaine can shorten intercourse time.
• Health problems. If you don't have enough of certain hormones or substances, such as serotonin or dopamine, you may experience premature ejaculation. Moreover, erectile dysfunction has been linked to poor ejaculatory control.
• Performance anxiety. Do you know that feeling when you want to prove yourself in bed? You yearned for pleasure, and … the more you focused on it, the more your body refused to cooperate. It’s called performance anxiety. Sex happens as much between our legs, as it does between our ears. What we think or worry about impacts our bedroom performance.

For centuries men have been looking for ways to increase their sexual stamina. Some hope the “magic pills” bought online in Asia will help them last longer (bad idea – you never know what’s in those pills). Others grab a numbing cream from the drugstore, only to realize that it’s super messy and reduces sensations.

Now we have a new, clinically proven solution to prolong intercourse. in2 is a wearable device that boosts muscle contractions in your perineum (the area between your genitals and anus) and delays ejaculation. Learn how it works here.