Premature ejaculation is 3 minutes or less

One of the authors of the report, a Sydney sexual health doctor, Chris McMahon, said vague definitions had left doctors confused and led many men to falsely believe they suffered from the condition.

While historical population studies suggested between 25 percent and 30 percent of men peaked too soon, more recent data found the proportion of premature ejaculators was much lower, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Only about 2 percent to 3 percent of men suffered from the lifelong form of the condition, which presented itself from the first time they had sex. These men typically lasted a minute or less.

Another four percent to six percent of men acquired the condition in their lifetime and ejaculated after about three minutes or less.

Dr McMahon said there were three dimensions to the diagnosis, and men needed to have all three.

As well as timing, men had to be unable to control or delay their ejaculation during sex, and these performance issues had to cause negative psychological consequences.

The findings are published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.