Sex headaches

[favoredat44]

Hi everyone as embarrassing as this may seem I would love to find some information that is very helpful.. I recently started having these really bad migraine headaches that only occur during sexual activities an worsens at the peak of orgasm.. I am not sure what to make of it other than it's become a huge problem.. I have an appointment to see my doctor to discuss this, but I'm wondering if anyone has any feedbacks on this subject..

[Activity2004 Administrator]

Hi favoredat44,

Please check out the Women's Health group on HU. Go to: healthunlocked.com/womenshe...

You can click on the follow button for the group and start posting/commenting. Hope this helps!

[favoredat44 in reply to Activity2004]

Thank you I will check it out..this is new to me so I am learning the in and out.

[Activity2004 Administrator in reply to favoredat44]

You're welcome! Anytime you have a question, feel free to go ahead and ask.

[sallis in reply to Activity2004]

I am man

[patliputra]

May be due to allergy. Allergy to some cream ,jelly or any other intra uterine device or any type of foreign body locally or some new contraceptive pill etc.

[Gemini64]

Orgasm and headaches

If you're experiencing a severe headache at the time you reach orgasm, get expert advice on what causes the pain and what should you do about it

Getty Justin Pumfrey

By Dr David Delvin

22 April 2015

If you experience a severe headache at the time you reach orgasm, this can be worrying for you and your partner.

Unfortunately, such pains do occur.

They are more common in men than in women – which is a little surprising because in general, headache is more often seen in females than in males.

They seem to be seen more frequently in people who have migraine. But the pains themselves are not typically 'migrainous' in nature.

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For instance, they don't usually just affect one side of the head. And they're not usually accompanied by visual disturbances or by nausea – as is often the case with migraine.

These headaches are known medically by various names, such as:

post-coital headache

sexual headache

orgasmic headache

coital cephalgia

coital cephalalgia.

(The words 'cephalgia' and 'cephalalgia' are just alternative spellings of a medical word meaning 'headache'.)

So, a typical story is this. A man or woman is enjoying sex and is just getting to a climax, or has just passed it, when suddenly there's a severe pain, usually located at the back of the skull, just above the neck.

The pain may last for only a few minutes. But sometimes it goes on for several hours, before gradually fading away.

What causes the pain?

Very little is known about the causes of this type of pain.

But a widespread view among doctors is that it's due to the swift rise in blood pressure (BP) that occurs during sex and, more particularly, during orgasm.

On the other hand, there's no evidence at all that coital headaches are more likely to occur among people who have a high BP (hypertension).

Also, they are more common in younger males than older ones, and raised BP less frequent in young men.

Sometimes, orgasm headaches occur when a person is under intense emotional stress.

What is the natural course of events?

The headaches may never occur again.

But a more frequent scenario is that they are repeated for a few weeks or months, striking every time the person has sex. Then they gradually fade away.

What should you do about them?

Firstly, tell your partner what's happening.

Otherwise, misunderstandings are almost bound to occur because he or she may be confused by the fact that you suddenly 'break off' during sex for no apparent reason and later are reluctant to have any subsequent sexual encounters.

The best immediate treatment is to take ibuprofen, aspirin or paracetamol – provided that these drugs don't give you any problems.

Then just try to relax, lying flat for an hour or two.

My own personal view is that fairly soon you should let your doctor know what's happened.

I'm possibly being over-cautious here. But when a severe headache occurs at the base of the skull, there's always a chance that it might be due to the well-known medical condition called 'sub-arachnoid haemorrhage' (SAH).

An SAH occurs when there's a small bleed near the base of the brain, under the layer of brain-wrapping known as the 'arachnoid mater.'

The blood loss occurs when a tiny malformation, called a 'berry aneurysm' (which is a bulge in an artery, often about the size of a small blueberry), suddenly starts leaking. It can be treated by brain surgery, or by a less dramatic procedure called 'coiling' – in which an instrument is pushed up through the blood vessels.

So, if you get a severe coital headache, let your GP know.

If it's really bad, or if it occurs more than once, your GP should refer you to a neurologist. This specialist will examine your central nervous system, and probably arrange a CT scan of your brain and maybe an angiography.

In the UK, it's widespread practice for doctors to advise patients to 'take life easy' for a while, which usually means not having sex for a week or two.

Very frequently, GPs may suggest that the patient uses a painkiller of the type mentioned above, taking it a couple of hours before having sex.

A few doctors prescribe propranolol, which is a beta-blocker drug that has the effect of lowering blood pressure and slowing the pulse, as well as reducing anxiety.

Looking on the bright side, very often these coital headaches just 'fade out' over a period of weeks or months, and never recur.

But I do feel that it's always worth seeking medical advice, just in case there's any serious underlying physical condition.

Found this, hope it helps x

[favoredat44 in reply to Gemini64]

Wow thanks on this..i saw my Dr yesterday an was referred to a neurologist..looking forward to getting this resolved

[GoogleMe]

BTDT had the blue light to hospital with the paramedics making off colour jokes about mindblowing sex, scans, overnight stay, lumbar puncture. I take a dim view of hospitals generally so my partner knew I was seriously unwell when I told him to phone an ambulance right now. Fortunately for me, although my GP later gave me a prescription for the recommended drug ?indomethacin, it has never happened to me again... but the slightest postcoital twinge in my head does make me feel somewhat nervous even many years later.

Good luck with sorting yours out.

[cure]

BP???

[sallis]

I like that Idea

[ANewMe2022]

Excruciating agony doesn't even come close does it!!! I was screaming and hopping from side to side for 20 minutes! Doc told me that it usually occurred when you were under severe emotional stress. I had just lost my job at the time, hence the stress. I was prescribed Indomethacin, but never took it, as within a couple of weeks it had sorted itself out...xx

[AWeb]

I have had this problem recently. I have found that posture and spine play a huge role. I saw a craniosacral therapist and the problem went away for now. This therapist is like a chiropractor in that they give you an adjustment that sticks for a while. You need multiple trips to really get it right and then maintenance every few months.

For me it all comes down to posture. I have a daily stretching routine that helps. Western medicine is ignorant of the problems that lead to this condition.