Having sex with someone you love is a happy event. At least for most. For some though, it can actually be confusing.
A study out of Queensland University of Technology in Australia shows that up to 4% of people suffer from something called postcoital dysphoria (PCD).
People with PCD can feel sad, tearful or irritable following consensual sex.
Scientists and psychologists aren’t exactly sure why it happens, but they speculate the reasons behind PCD are “multifactorial, including both biological and psychological factors.”
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So far, the condition has only been pinned on women. In what could be seen as a short-sighted and narrow view, experts have believed that men always experience sex as pleasurable. But now the tables have turned.
When one person in a couple suffers from PCD, it can contribute to stress and conflict within the relationship. Couples who engage in talking, kissing, and cuddling following sexual activity report greater sexual and relationship satisfaction. It’s easy to see how, if one person experiences sadness in the resolution phase of sex, it can cause trouble.
Where do we go from here? Researchers are hoping the study results will help men with PCD in the future. Additional therapies could be offered to men and they could open a wider discussion on the way men experience sex, which, (surprise, surprise), might not be so different from women.
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