Sunday, October 28, 2018

Why can we have Pain after Orgasm?

After love, some women experience pain in the clitoris, lower abdomen and uterus. Others report having a headache (migraines). How to explain these intimate pains, which do not occur during the sexual intercourse (we speak then of dyspareunia) but after?

Pain after Orgasm

You just have to surf the web a bit to find out: the specialized forums are full of questions about the pains felt by women after orgasm. Pains felt in the clitoris, lower abdomen and uterus but some also report having a headache (migraines). We wanted to know more in the company of Ellen Weigand, head of the site My sexuality.

"By researching this subject, we realize that it is still relatively unexplored by scientists, and that the reasons for post-orgasmic pain are not yet all clearly known," says Ellen Weigand.

Intimate female pain often neglected

"To note first that historically, the pain of women has often been neglected, minimized, and at the level of medical and drug research in particular, the tests are still done today mainly on male mice", launches the specialist immediately. As summarized by a journalist in the journal Nature, Erika Check Hayden (1), "the typical patient with chronic pain is a 55-year-old woman, while the favorite study subject for chronic pain is a male mouse. of 8 weeks ".

Orgasm and involuntary contractions of the vagina

Recall that "orgasm is medically described as the peak of arousal, and the expression of intense pleasure, with triggering of sexual tension and rhythmic contractions of the perineal muscles and pelvic organs related to reproduction as well as a modified state of consciousness. When the orgasm occurs, the woman has between three and fifteen involuntary contractions (at intervals of 0.85 seconds) of the outer third of her vagina, sometimes accompanied by contractions of the pelvic floor, uterus and internal and external sphincters of the anus. »(2)

Muscle spasms, hormonal changes ...

This could explain the pain or cramps felt by some women in the lower abdomen - they often evoke ovarian pain, but do not know if it's really where they are. "We suppose that in some cases it is a muscle spasm," says Ellen Weigand: the pain could be caused by the strong contraction of muscles and organs during orgasm.

"It is also presupposed that hormonal changes, such as that due to menopause, could play a role. "Not to mention vigorous sex that can cause pain in the bottom of the womb, but should fade.

A pain or a cramp can also be located at the level of the clitoris, and for good reason: strongly gorged with blood during the orgasm, and hypersensitive at this time, this hypersensitivity can persist and become painful post-orgasm. Still need to know ...

Psychological factors involved?

Some also explain these pains by psychological factors: tensions, stress experienced by the woman. "In consultation, if a doctor wants to" reduce "these post-orgasmic pain to a psychological problem, we must insist that he still performs medical examinations," warns the expert.

Intimate pain due to STI, endometriosis

These pains can indeed be the symptom of a more or less serious physical problem. If they occur in the lower abdomen, the uterus, we can suspect including endometriosis.

These post-orgasmic problems can also occur in case of sexually transmitted infections, ovarian cysts, etc. If these pains persist and are repeated after each orgasm, it is therefore recommended to consult your gynecologist in all cases.

"Depending on the situation, sex-psychological management may also be necessary to overcome the possible psychological consequences of repeated pain (desire, excitement or orgasm)," Ellen Weigand finally reports.

Sources:
(1) "Sex bias blights drug studies, Omission of females is skewing results", Nature 464, March 2010.

(2) Quotation from the guide I want to understand ... My sexuality (woman), Ellen Weigand, Professor Francesco-Bianchi Demicheli, ed. Health Planet.

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