One-night stands can leave you weak, irritable and full of regret.
But if those symptoms are followed by the flu, you may have Post-Orgasmic Illness Syndrome.
Come again?
POIS, first identified by Dr. Marcel D. Waldinger of the Netherlands, causes severe post-ejaculation symptoms in men lasting 2-7 days. These include congestion, fatigue, fever, itchy eyes and sore throat.
Waldinger’s website on the disease offers a grim outlook for those suffering from the condition: “In order to avoid these complaints, a lot of men affected by POIS decide at a certain point in life to abstain from sexual activity.” Those unwilling to embrace celibacy meticulously plan out sex (and solo outings) so the symptoms don’t interfere with “important obligations.”
That’s no way to live.
While a lack of research means there is not yet a cure, Men’s Journal points out that “men who may have some kind of POIS-like symptom likely never report it due to the same sexual-cultural shame that suppresses good data on all kinds of sexual disorders.”
Sound like you? Then talk to a doctor. If it’s normal post-sex depression, you’re on your own. If it’s POIS, you may help save sex.
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