Why crying after sex is normal and nothing to be ashamed of

Even if you pride yourself on your stiff upper lip above all else, there's probably a situation or stimulus which will elicit a little cry.

There's no shame in it, plus crying can be amazingly cathartic - psychic tears (triggered by an emotional response) do in fact contain a painkiller.

And we can just about cry in response to anything: Films, songs, stories, puppies - even sex. Yes, someone having a post-coital sob fest in your arms may seem like an ego-bruiser, but it's not necessarily because it was a sub-par experience.

Crying after sex is perfectly natural

But is this 'natural' response because of emotions we're feeling, or is it hormonally driven?

Speaking to The Tab , psychosexual therapist Denise Knowles explained why you might sometimes have to pass your bedfellow the tissues.

"For many [they cry] when they have orgasmed [because] when [the sex] comes to an end that sense of closeness, happiness and contentment is over."

However, emotional attachments aside, there is a scientific reason - hormones.

Denise, who has 25 years’ experience in the field of psychosexual therapy explained how the happy, feel-good hormones such as oxytocin and dopamine are released. Once sex is over, there is a drop in the level of these hormones, leaving you open and vulnerable to feeling sad. These post-sex tears fall into a rather bittersweet category that is neither really happy nor sad.

Denise continues, "It's not so much about it being sad tears, it's just about feeling like 'we've been really close and I'm sad that it's over', the concern is 'when am I ever going to be that close to my partner again'?" So don't get freaked out if it happens to you - it's ultimately a compliment.