Looking at the new Traish 2020 paper, I noticed theme of the issue of Fertility & Sterility is “Rare and unusual andrologic syndromes that clinicians should be aware of”.
Another article is about Post-orgasmic illness syndrome (POIS):
A hypothesis is that it’s like an allergy, but one researcher explored this, discarded it and instead proposed that “symptoms of POIS are like those of opioid withdrawal and may be mediated through activation of m-opioid receptors.” There are other proposed mechanisms in the article.
These are diagnostic criteria proposed by MD Waldinger:
The 5 post-orgasmic illness syndrome preliminary criteria
One or more of the following: sensation of a flu-like state, extreme fatigue or exhaustion, weakness of musculature, experiences of feverishness or perspiration, mood disturbances and/or irritability, memory difficulties, concentration problems, incoherent speech, congestion of nose or watery nose, itching eyes
All symptoms occur immediately within seconds, minutes or within a few hours after ejaculation that is initiated by coitus, and/or masturbation, and/or spontaneously (e.g. during sleep)
Symptoms occur always or nearly always, e.g., in more than 90% of ejaculation events
Most symptoms last for about 2 to 7 days
Symptoms disappear spontaneously
