INTRODUCTION
Premature ejaculation (PE) is a common problem in male sexual health that significantly affects quality of life. According to the definition of the International Society for Sexual Medicine revised by the American Psychiatric Association, PE is the inability to delay or control ejaculation, which consistently occurs before or within 1 minute of penetration (1). The situation is accompanied by feelings of disappointment, sadness, avoidance of sexual intimacy, and psychological distress for the individual and also causes problems in their personal relationships (2). In epidemiological studies, the worldwide prevalence of PE was found to be as high as 25–30% (3). Although it is one of the most common sexual disorders in men, its pathophysiology is not fully understood, resulting in a lack of adequate treatment options.
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is characterized by upper airway obstruction that causes repetitive pauses in breathing during sleep and leads to metabolic abnormalities. Patients with OSAS experience excessive daytime sleepiness that impairs cognitive functions, social activity, and quality of life. During episodes of OSAS, intermittent hypoxia is associated with an increase in oxidative stress and systemic inflammatory response (4,5). OSAS has been associated with some sexual disturbances in both genders in previous studies (6-8). However, literature data regarding the association between PE and OSAS are limited.
In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between PE and moderate to severe OSAS and assess the effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy on PE.