A considerable amount of people suffer from sexual headaches. This may show itself during or after sexual activity (orgasmic). These headaches are mostly benign but even if just a bit, they may pose danger.
You can learn about the causes, types, effects and do’s from the gallery.
1 – What is Orgasmic Headache?
Orgasmic headache occurs during orgasm and has a severe, explosive characteristic. It can last from 10 minutes up to 1 hour. In some cases, it may even be longer. Patients feel the pain on their head and nape.
It is mostly observed between ages 20 and 35 and more common in men. But the cause for that may as well be the low orgasm rate in women.
2 – What Causes Orgasmic Headache?
The answer to that question is not that clear but migraineurs are more likely to get orgasmic headaches. This usually occurs due to spasms in neck-nape muscles in stressed people, or constrictions-aneurysms in brain vessels due to physiological changes during sexual activity. Also birth control pills, and medicine used for depression and high blood pressure may have a negative effect.
If orgasmic headache is severe for the first time, this may imply something serious and hence, is emergent. For one, it may be SAH (subarachnoid hemorrhage), i.e. bleeding due to a ruptured cerebral aneurysm.
3 – Why Does an Abrupt Headache Occur During Sex?
Congenital cerebrovascular disorders are rare. In such cases, some part of the artery is underdeveloped and open to ruptures in case of a pressure increase. When it ruptured, SAH happens and this, causes an abrupt pain during sexual activity.
SAH is a life threatening condition. It is very rare but has to be considered while having orgasmic headaches.
4 – What Should Be Done?
Severe, abrupt headaches occurring during sexual activity, especially during orgasm, should be considered as an emergency. Patient needs to get a neurological examination as soon as possible and get a brain tomography.
If the tomography does not show a hemorrhage, a lumbar puncture needs to be done. Although this is very rare, the possibility of a hemorrhage must definitely be eliminated.
5 – How Does Orgasmic Headache Affect Daily Life?
Orgasmic headache is very common and affects sexual life severely. Although in most cases it causes the patient to avoid sexual activity, a lot of patients do not consider seeing a physician.
While women having orgasmic headaches avoid the activity, men usually experience impotence. As a result, the fear of pain causes avoiding sexual activity…
6 – When to See a Physician for Your Sexual Headache?
Sexual headaches are very common. After experiencing a severe pain for the first time, one must immediately visit the emergency service. However, if the patient is already a migraineur, or having tension type headaches, this one might not be that severe. But if it is causing the patient to avoid sexual activity, a physician must be visited.
There is nothing wrong about sharing this problem. One needs to take measures before this begins negatively affecting their life.
7 – What is Benign Sexual Headache?
There is more people suffering from this condition than one can think about. But most of them is just having benign sexual headaches.
Especially in migraineurs and tension type headache patients, this condition shows itself due to the increase in blood pressure and the tension on neck muscles.
8 – What to be Cautious of?
Most sexual headache sufferers are the ones having a migraine and tension type headache history. Orgasmic headache is more likely to occur during stressful periods that trigger those headaches.
The most effective solution here, is a treatment based on the reasons. But since this kind of treatment will take some time, it could be better to have a break or at least avoid multiple intercourses in one day and specific positions that trigger the pain.
9 – What is the Treatment for Sexual Headaches?
Sexual headaches are common and affect life negatively. Thus, they need to be treated. Patients must definitely go to a hospital when an emergency like this first appears and an operation must be performed if necessary.
Since sexual headaches are common amongst migraineurs and tension type headache patients, the best solution is to find the reasons and treat these first. Also, the patient might want to avoid multiple intercourses in one day and hard positions. Another measure might be taking a painkiller 1 hour prior to sexual activity.