Nearly one in three men in Asia-Pacific experience some form of premature ejaculation. This is according to a survey on sexual behaviour in Asia-Pacific which polled more than 3,500 men and women aged 18 to 45 from nine countries in the region.

The survey was conducted by healthcare consultancy Kantar Health and sponsored by Italian biopharmaceutical company Menarini.

Among those who experienced premature ejaculation, more than 80 per cent said that this had a negative impact on their relationships. Of those who said it had a negative impact on them, 30 per cent of men and 40 per cent of women said that it caused them to avoid sex completely. The condition has also caused couples to grow apart, the survey said.

Nearly half of the respondents who experienced premature ejaculation did not taken action because of stigma and shame. Others believed that the condition would resolve itself over time and did not need treatment.

Separately, respondents also reported that they had sex seven to eight times a month on average, slightly higher among males than females. Three in four people said that they wanted to have sex more frequently, with 84 per cent of men surveyed admitting this and 69 per cent of women admitting it.

The frequency of engaging in sex and the desire to have more frequent sex are found to be independent of respondents' age, relationship status, and length of their relationship with their partners.