There are generally two ways to define it: one is clinical, the other one is more culture related.
If you release your semen even before penetration, then your ability to procreate is in danger and this is of course the most critical form of PE.
Lots of studies have been performed starting in the Fifties as to define where the limit of PE lies. This is because at the end of the day a quick sexual response is a positive trait from the evolutionary perspective: it assures that your genes have a possibility to spread with minimal effort and risk. Think about the fact that in the evolutionary scale, our last two millennia are but a very tiny fraction of the time we’ve been here.
Therefore, from a clinical standpoint, how can one say that “fast” is unhealthy? It can only surely be stated if ejaculation occurs before vaginal penetration, as I stated before.
Check the sources below for more information on the clinical aspect of the matter.
On the other hand, our minds and costumes evolve way faster than our biology, so that the sexual act transformed its meaning and acquired new ones. It is nowadays linked to a much broader sense of satisfaction, involving both partners. Now that the female partner comes into play, the whole game changes: feminine sensitivity is different from that of the male, and in the norm women have a “softer” climax curve, meaning that they don’t just turn on and reach the apex in a matter of minutes (well…on the average) like men seem to do. This poses to the men of these times the challenge of “softening” their curve: in other words, acquire control over their sexual reflex.
And here comes a “new” definition of premature ejaculation: you suffer from it if you’re not able to last the time required to satisfy your partner. As you see, this is quite a subjective definition: if you’re lucky and your partner turns on and climaxes quickly, you may never feel like you’re too fast.
But it may well happen that your partner needs – say – 10 minutes to climax, and you are able to last only 5. Well, this ain’t bad at all, for the average male (see studies linked below); nevertheless, your partner is still unsatisfied from intercourse so…What do you do?
The simplest and cheapest way to cope with this is to satisfy her first, with adequate foreplay. This has tremendous benefits both for the relationship and to “soften” your curve.
If you however want to learn to last longer, there’s good news for you: it can be done and I’m living proof of it. You’ll need to retrain your body to withstand higher and higher levels of stimulation, until you can delay your climax to match that of your partner.
I’m linking some good training materials you can check. However, remember: even good information is useless if you don’t put it into practice!!
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premature_ejaculation
http://www.pehomepage.com/Understanding-PE/The-basics/
http://www.earlyejaculationcure.com/recommends/EjMaster.html
