Persistent genital arousal disorder

By Gardy Chacha

You might laugh about this condition but reports from those who have suffered from it indicate it’s no laughing matter. Can you imagine a situation where you would get frequent orgasmic “attacks”?

An orgasm is scientifically defined as the physical sensation experienced at the peak of sexual excitation, usually resulting from stimulation of the sexual organ and (in the males) by an ejaculation. In women, the excitement is characterised by pleasure centered in the genitals where vaginal and clitoral muscles contract and relax involuntarily at a certain pace.

From what we already understand about orgasm, it would seem fun or sort of a ‘blessing in disguise’ to have Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD).

For Kim Ramsey, a 44 year old woman who lives in Montclair, New Jersey in the United States, when many women pray and hope for the “Yes!” moment, she goes “NO!, it can’t be this again.”  Kim was reported recently by Daily Mail online to be suffering from the rare condition that is Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder. As a result, she feels constantly aroused and even the slightest movement can trigger a climax.

Trains, driving, or even housework involving just enough vibratory movements are enough to start her on a journey to the cosmos of ‘pleasure’. What’s unusual though is the fact that the excitement is not triggered by any sexual thoughts or high libido tendencies – they spontaneously kick in like they would happen to a child who has no idea what sex is. Worse still, they are painful rather than sweetly. Talking to the media, she said that at the end of an attack, the orgasms leave her in pain, exhausted and out of synch with normalcy. Her sexual life has been hit and she’s now unable to have a normal relationship. After several years of being told she had no problem, Kim was diagnosed with incurable Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD).

Scientific evidence

Scientists think that the condition can occur in males as well, but so far it has predominantly affected females. The condition expresses itself differently in different patients. It could persist for hours, days, or even weeks at a time, and inflicts significant distress and pain to the sufferer. When the disorder was first brought to the knowledge of academics, about a decade ago, it was named Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome, or PSAS. However, it was determined that the symptoms weren’t sexual in nature but physical, meaning it wasn’t as a result of a person having dysfunctional sexuality.

Kim gets about 100 episodes of PGAD attacks a day on average.

Tarlov cysts

Published researches indicate that there could be some correlation between PGAD to Tarlov cysts – small jelly like cysts that form around the sacral area of the spine. They are a common finding in normal people. One current research paper suggests that a lot of women who have PGAD have Tarlov cysts, but this could be contentious. Kim herself has been ascertained to have them in her spine. The medic said, “I see around 20 women a year with this condition, it may be as common as one in 100; we just don’t know.”

It has been determined that engaging in sexual activity during an episode of PGAD does not relieve the symptoms; in fact, in a twist of fate, it can make the situation more severe and even worse. Symptoms occur out of the blue, and persist throughout the day’s normal activities. As you can imagine, this would be uncomfortable and distracting to say the least, and sufferers often describe the feelings as more painful than pleasurable, as well as very upsetting.

PGAD is a smack in the face of sexuality. So, be careful what you wish for!