SEX ACCORDING TO MÄÏA

The expression dates back eighteen centuries – to the Greco-Roman physician Galen, who wrote: "Every animal is sad after coitus, except the woman and the rooster." Today, science uses less colorful language. The phenomenon is now referred to as "postcoital dysphoria," characterized by crying, anxiety, sadness, irritability or even aggression. These symptoms may appear after sexual intercourse or even after masturbation.

Contrary to Galen's assertion, this dysphoria also affects women. In 2011, a study in the International Journal of Sexual Health found that one-third of women had experienced at least one episode of post-coital dysphoria.

However, the numbers are indeed higher among men. In 2019, a study published in the Journal of Sexual Marital Therapy showed that 41% of men had experienced post-coital sadness. Around 3% felt it after every encounter. In an extreme (and much rarer) form, some men suffer from "POIS," or post-orgasmic illness syndrome. Ejaculation then brings on flu-like symptoms that can last for several hours or even days. Why so much distress? There are about 20 explanatory theories, but current research suggests multiple factors are involved. This makes treatment complicated.

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