Discover the peri-orgasm

When you think about an orgasm, words like release, satisfaction, and pleasure probably come to mind. But what about hallucinations, sneezing, and extreme fatigue? Do you ever sneeze after or during an orgasm? Do you start crying after your climax? If so, it’s possible that you have peri-orgasm symptoms.

What is a peri-orgasm?

The peri-orgasm (also called peri-orgasmic phenomena) is a side effect of having an orgasm. Research from 2017, published in the Sexual Medicine Reviews journal with the title Did You Climax or Are You Just Laughing at Me? shows that there are many peri-orgasmic phenomena. It’s also described as ‘unusual physical or psychologicial symptoms that some people experience as part of the orgasm.’ Because there are so many possible symptoms, it’s unclear how to prevent them or what do about them when they occur.

Have you ever experienced these peri-orgasm symptoms?

Peri-orgasms or peri-orgasmic phenomena can have many different symptoms. You could experience melancholic feelings for example, or feel really weak, suffer from seizures, experience facial aches, or feel anxious. Laughing and crying are possible symptoms as well, just like headaches, which can last from a couple of seconds to three hours. The researchers from the 2017 study drew the conclusion that there are many different common responses to having an orgasm and that every person responds differently.

Crying after an orgasm

Crying during or after an orgasm is also known as a ‘crymax’. A crymaxer on Reddit writes: “It happens to me all the time that I cry after having a great orgasm. I warn men about it beforehand!” Most people who cry during or after their orgasm aren’t sad: the majority even feels fantastic. Crying during or after an orgasm is, besides a peri-orgasm phenomenon, also a symptom of postcoital dysforia. The symptoms can occur up to one hour after the orgasm. According to researchers, these type of symptons mainly occurs in stabile relationships.

Sadness as symptom of the peri-orgasm

Sometimes people experience sadness after their climax. It’s possible that this happens because you’re already in a emotional situation, like being stressed because of work or because you’re having sex with your ex partner. Emily Nagasoki, author of Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life, says: “There are various deeply emotional orgasms that could cause feelings of sadness or cause crying after an orgasm. It’s similar to orgasms that were slowly build up and work as stress relief or orgasms that have a calming effect.”

Hallucinations

Turkish research from 2011 shows that among their participants, fifty women indicated they experienced hallucinations during or after an orgasm. Three-quarters of these women said it felt like they were flying. They also said they felt like they entered a cartoonish world, had a déjà vu, or felt like they had left their body for a moment.

Ill after your orgasm

Men sometimes suffer from post-orgasm illness syndrome. This includes various symptoms. The man in question might feel intensely tired or abnormally warm, or temporarily experience flu symptoms. This is caused by the body falsely identifying the protein in sperm as a threat to the health of the body, which causes the immune system to react and making the man feel ill. 

Intense fatigue or weakness

Feeling abnormally tired or weak after having an orgasm is also known as orgasmolepsy. It was first mentioned in 1928. Usually symptoms last no more than 30 seconds. During this time, it’s possible that you temporarily lose control over your muscles. What exactly causes this isn’t clear yet. 

Sneezing after climaxing

Since 1900, there have been several scientific studies that found a connection between sneezing and having an orgasm. During a climax, a part of the nervous system is activated. In turn, another part that causes sneezing is also activated, which is why some people can help but sneeze during an orgasm. This phenomenon is also part of the peri-orgasm.

Have you ever experienced peri-orgasmic symptoms?