My friend was telling me that whenever he masturbates, he sometimes gets a headache at the back of his head, and his neck and shoulders hurt and he feels sick. After asking him why he still masturbates, and laughing at my own question, I looked it up and found this:
It sounds like he has an unfortunate case of coital cephalalgia — also known as effort migraine, or sexual headache. Extremely severe and sharp pain behind the eyes is also a symptom. The headaches usually have an immediate onset, with some gradually worsening during intercourse and others (referred to as “explosive headaches“) occurring almost instantaneously at the moment of orgasm. These headaches typically last for a few minutes to a few hours, although it is possible for such headaches to last up to a few days. It is most common for men to experience these headaches for the first time in their early 20s, or between the ages of 35-44; the reason for this is unclear.
More prevalent in men, by a ratio of 3:1, these headaches appear in roughly 1% of the population, though I would think the prevalence to be higher, due to the embarrassment of presenting with the disorder, especially in cases where spontaneous remission occurs after a few days. Up to 10% of patients taking medication for erectile dysfunction may experience these headaches. It’s important to see a doctor if you have such symptoms in order to rule out a potential brain aneurysm, or tumors. In most cases, these headaches are benign. More serious symptoms include a stiff neck, confusion, and dizziness.
As for treatment, the doctor may recommend abstaining from sexual activities and masturbation for a short period of time ranging from a few days to a few weeks. In addition, medications such as propanolol can be taken in advance of sexual activity to prevent such headaches. Losing weight to a more ideal level and increased exercise may also reduce the likelihood of recurrences.
So whatever the state of your sex life, you can take comfort that at least you don’t have this.
Tags: coital cephalagia, masturbation, orgasm, sexual headache
Sex and the University 
November 4, 2008 at 2:22 am |
You would think that people masturbate to get rid of headaches!
November 5, 2008 at 12:59 am |
I started having these headaches when I was 15. I would consider these some of the most uncormfortable and painfull pains I have ever experianced. Especially if go ahead and finish the job you started. The best way I can describe the pain is its sorta like when you pull a muscle in you arm or leg. You get that tense feeling that just doesnt go away. At the same time it feels like someone is Pulling on your brain stem as hard as they can.
They seem to occur randomly for me. The last time I have had a massive headache was a couple of years ago. I remember once it hurt soo badly that I couldnt go to school for 2 days.
thanks for the Article I always thought it was just me. Since I havnt had one in over a year I assume there are simply gone.
November 10, 2008 at 4:07 pm |
My boyfriend would get these from time to time. He went to the doctor who told him nothing was wrong.
He heard that it could be due to a magnesium deficiency, so he started eating a diet with more magnesium and hasn’t gotten any headaches since.
They were pretty bad and I’m glad that they’re gone (at least for now). It really sucks to see a time of pleasure turn into to pain for someone you love.