Postcoital dysphoria
When the after sex blues set in after the orgasm
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Good sex is known to be the most beautiful thing in the world. After all, orgasms actually give most of us an all-out high. For some people, however, they do exactly the opposite.
Sex, especially when it is more satisfying, triggers a deep sense of contentment, bliss, and togetherness in most people. But for some, the climax is followed by an emotional low. In technical terms, the phenomenon is called post-coital dysphoria. It hits some sporadically, others regularly. According to surveys, every third person is said to have suffered from it at some point.
What is Post-Coital Dysphoria?
Postcoital dysphoria is a sexual dysfunction and occurs during the relaxation phase after otherwise fulfilling and consensual intercourse. Affected people feel sad and sad out of nowhere, start crying for no apparent reason, are anxious and melancholy, sometimes even aggressive. Depression, increased shame, and self-denial can also be symptoms of post-coital dysphoria.
What triggers the emotional chaos?
The exact reasons for the after sex blues have not yet been conclusively clarified, because the data on post-coital dysphoria is unfortunately very poor. “It is almost impossible to get research funding in sexual medicine for many issues, there is hardly any interest in pharmaceuticals, apart from erectile dysfunction. It is therefore not unusual that there are very few publications on a topic such as post-coital dysphoria,” said psychiatrists and Sexologist Dr. Jürgen Signerski-Krieger to Medical Tribune. But the hormone secretion during sex seems to play a role. In addition to oxytocin, adrenaline and noradrenaline are also released, which put us in a state of intoxication. If this ends abruptly after orgasm, it can lead to a feeling of sadness and inner emptiness. But the sudden end of the physical and emotional connection to the partner can also be a reason. If we emerge again from the emotional study of intimacy, this may trigger feelings of separation. Further causes and connections can be found in experiences of sexual abuse, fear of loss or loyalty, but also in conflicts with social norms, prejudices and myths and psychological disorders. Not to be underestimated is your own expectations of how sex should be. Intimacy is dynamic and not a high-performance level of performance. If you don’t get an orgasm in the end, that’s perfectly fine. However, if you expect that, you may well experience one or the other disappointment.
Is there anything you can do about post-coital dysphoria?
You can and should too. If you are in a relationship, it is important to talk to your partner about these feelings and to let them know. In the next step, sex therapists or medical specialists (general medicine, andrology or gynecology) can help. Since post-coital dysphoria definitely influences the relationship with the partner and above all fills intimacy with negative instead of positive feelings, professional help should definitely be sought in order to bring the stressful mood gap back into the horizontal.
Source: Medical Tribune