Sexual wellbeing
Premature Ejaculation Self-Test (PEDT)
A private, validated 5-question screen — the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool — that scores how likely premature ejaculation is and tells you what your total means and what actually helps. It's a screen, not a diagnosis, and nothing you enter leaves your device.
This is a screen, not a diagnosis. PE is the most common male sexual complaint and it's very treatable — a result here points to a conversation worth having, not a verdict about you.
PEDT self-test
The PEDT is a validated research questionnaire reproduced here for self-screening. This is general information, not a diagnosis or medical advice. Premature ejaculation is extremely common, not dangerous, and very treatable — a clinician can help.
Start here
What PE is, and what it isn't
Premature ejaculation is about control and distress, not a stopwatch number. It means ejaculation regularly happens sooner than you or your partner would like, you feel you can't delay it, and it bothers you. There's no universal "right" time, and finishing quickly once in a while isn't PE — the pattern and the distress are what matter.
Clinicians separate lifelong PE (present since your earliest sexual experiences) from acquired PE (a noticeable change from how things used to be). Both are recognized and both are treatable. And it's common: PE is the most frequently reported male sexual complaint, so if this is you, you're in a very large group — one with good options.
What this screen isn't is a diagnosis. A score can flag whether PE is likely and worth a conversation, but it can't say why, or what will help you specifically. Treat the result as a prompt, not a verdict.
What actually helps
PE is very treatable — the usual ladder
Most men do best with a combination, and a clinician can tailor it to you. None of these require you to just live with it.
Behavioral techniques
The start–stop and squeeze methods retrain control by pausing near climax. Simple, free, and often a first step — sometimes with a partner.
Topical numbing
Sprays or creams (like lidocaine/prilocaine) reduce sensation to delay ejaculation. Applied before sex and wiped off; a very common first-line option.
SSRIs (off-label)
Certain antidepressants delay ejaculation as a side effect and are prescribed off-label for PE. Effective for many; a clinician manages the dose and fit.
Pelvic floor & anxiety
Pelvic-floor exercises can improve control, and addressing performance anxiety — sometimes with a therapist — treats a common driver.
PE and erectile difficulty often co-occur, and anxiety about one can drive the other. If erections are also a concern, our erectile-function screen (IIEF-5) is a good companion — treating one problem often helps the other.
When to get help
When it's worth seeing a clinician
It bothers you or your partner
The single best reason to seek help is distress. If PE is affecting how you feel or your relationship, that alone is enough — you don't need to hit any threshold first.
It's new or has changed
Acquired PE — a shift from how things used to be — can have a treatable cause worth pinning down, so a recent change is worth a conversation.
It comes with erection trouble
PE and erectile difficulty often travel together. If both are happening, mention both — sorting out one frequently helps the other.
You want it to change
You don't have to justify wanting help. A primary-care doctor or urologist can start you on the ladder above and adjust from there.
A primary-care doctor is a fine place to start, and a urologist or sexual-medicine specialist can help with anything more persistent. If a new change in your sex life comes with symptoms like discharge, pain, or sores, it's also worth ruling out an infection.
Next steps
Related checks and care
Erectile function (IIEF-5)
The counterpart screen for erectile difficulty — often connected to PE and worth checking together.
Female sexual function
The FSFI-6: a validated screen across desire, arousal, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain.
Symptom checker
Match symptoms like discharge, pain, or sores to what might be worth testing for.
Find testing & care
Clinics, at-home kits, and free options if you want to rule out an infection too.
Sources
Where this comes from
The questionnaire, scoring, and cut-offs reproduce the published, validated PEDT (Symonds et al., 2007), a public-domain screening instrument. The guidance on what PE is and how it's treated follows the ISSM definition and urology patient references (Cleveland Clinic; the AUA/SMSNA guideline on disorders of ejaculation). We don't reinterpret the instrument; we present it and its published cut-offs.
Medically Reviewed & Fact-Checked · Updated
Reviewed by EasySTD Editorial Team
Compiled and checked by EasySTD's editorial team against CDC and public-health sources. This is educational information, not a substitute for advice from a licensed clinician. Our editorial guidelines →
4 Sources
Data & references
- Symonds T, et al. Development and validation of the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT). Eur Urol, 2007https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17275179/
- ISSM: Definition and management of premature ejaculationhttps://www.issm.info/
- Cleveland Clinic: Premature Ejaculation — causes & treatmenthttps://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9085-premature-ejaculation
- American Urological Association / SMSNA: Guideline on Disorders of Ejaculationhttps://www.auanet.org/guidelines-and-quality/guidelines/disorders-of-ejaculation
EasySTD is an information and comparison directory, not a healthcare provider. This tool is general information based on a published, validated questionnaire: it is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a test result, and it does not create a doctor-patient relationship. If a concern bothers you, talk with a licensed clinician.
Good to Know
PEDT: frequently asked questions
What counts as PE, how common it is, whether it's treatable, and how private this is.
What counts as premature ejaculation?
Premature ejaculation (PE) is when ejaculation regularly happens sooner than a man or his partner would like, with little control over it, and it causes bother or distress. It's defined by control and distress rather than a stopwatch: there's no single "correct" time, and an occasional quick finish isn't PE. Clinicians distinguish lifelong PE (present since your first sexual experiences) from acquired PE (a change from how things used to be). The key ingredients are a short time to ejaculation, a sense of not being able to delay it, and it being a problem for you or your partner.
Is PE common?
Very. Premature ejaculation is the most common male sexual complaint, reported by a large share of men at some point in their lives across all ages. Because it's so common, it's well understood and well studied — and, importantly, it responds to treatment. Feeling like you're the only one is part of what makes PE distressing, but it's genuinely one of the most frequent things clinicians hear about.
What is the PEDT?
The PEDT — Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool — is a brief, validated five-question questionnaire developed and published by Symonds and colleagues in 2007. Each question is scored from 0 to 4 and the answers are added into a single total from 0 to 20. Researchers set cut-offs from that total: 0–8 suggests PE is unlikely, 9–10 is a borderline or probable range, and 11–20 suggests PE is likely. It was designed as a quick screen to flag whether PE is worth exploring — a starting point for a conversation, not a diagnostic test on its own.
Can premature ejaculation be treated?
Yes — PE is very treatable, which is the most important thing to know. Options include behavioral techniques like the start–stop and squeeze methods, topical numbing sprays or creams that reduce sensation, certain antidepressants (SSRIs) used off-label to delay ejaculation, pelvic-floor exercises, and addressing performance anxiety, sometimes with a therapist. Many men do best with a combination, and a clinician can tailor an approach to you. You don't have to just live with it.
Is PE linked to erectile dysfunction or anxiety?
It can be. Premature ejaculation and erectile difficulty often co-occur, and sometimes anxiety about one drives the other — for example, rushing to finish before an erection fades, or worry about performance speeding things up. Because they're connected, it's worth being honest with a clinician about both. If erections are also a concern, our erectile-function screen (IIEF-5) is a good companion, and treating one problem often helps the other.
Is what I enter private?
Yes. This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are scored on your own device and are never sent to a server, saved, or shared — close the tab and they're gone. It's general educational information based on a published, validated questionnaire; it can't diagnose you or replace a conversation with a clinician.
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