Doctors have tried to raise awareness about a rare condition that causes genital “tingling” and triggers spontaneous orgasms throughout the day without sexual contact.
In a new case report, a team of Turkish neurologists warned that patients often face delays in diagnosis because they are referred to the wrong specialists.
The condition, called restless genital syndrome (RSG) or persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD), is thought to be caused by a failure in brain signals that control nerves in the genital area.
It is rare and is thought to affect only one percent of people worldwide, the majority of whom are women.
Patients report feeling constantly on the verge of an orgasm that they cannot complete without sexual desire or stimulation.
Some report feeling tingling, burning or pain, according to the report published in the journal Cureus.
It is considered similar to restless legs syndrome (RLS), and some doctors classify it as an “atypical” form of the condition.
Doctors Buse Cagla Ari and Elifnaz Sahin from Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul recount the experience of one patient: a 35-year-old woman who sought medical help after experiencing persistent numbness and tingling in her genitals for six months.
One patient who suffered from the condition is Scarlet Wallen, who has experienced the sensations since she was about six years old, when it prevented her from playing outside with friends.
At first, he felt that the tingling sensation only affected his groin, but it gradually spread to his right and left limbs.
He described these sensations as a sharp, unpleasant pain that could be relieved by moving his legs.
At first, his symptoms were worse before bedtime and occurred consistently after periods of rest. But then they started happening during the day.
She reported spontaneous sexual arousal and orgasms throughout the day, which caused challenges in her professional life.
He Neurologists reported that several tests, including an ultrasound and blood tests, came back “normal” and did not explain his symptoms.
After further examination, doctors concluded that he had restless genital syndrome and prescribed a medication called pramipexole, which affects the brain hormone dopamine, responsible for movement.
After some dosage adjustments, the patient’s symptoms disappeared.
One woman who previously spoke out about her experience with the condition is student Scarlet Kaitlin Wallen, 21, from Rhode Island, United States.
In an interview earlier this year, she said she had “always” experienced a “tingling” sensation in her vulva, admitting that it was constantly burning: “It was like I was naturally aroused but I didn’t want it.” .’
The Rhode Island native has only had a few pain-free days in the last 15 years.
In 15 years, he has only had a few days without pain and is unable to work or study full time.
Wallen, a part-time courier and art student, described the pain as “burning bugs under my skin,” and as if her genitals were on fire.
She said: ‘In my brain it was like I don’t want to feel this. “I wanted to play outside.”
She underwent surgery to have some nerves removed from her vagina to relieve the constant burning sensation.
Other women with this condition have described the orgasms they experience as “an intense pleasure” that can “end up causing me pain.”
In a recent post shared on Reddit, a victim saying the sensation is “strongest in the cervical area.”
The woman said: “For me it’s not sudden, but it’s a slow build-up, and the build-up doesn’t always end in an orgasm, so I never really know if I’m going to have an orgasm.”
But that alone makes me order food to the door of my house.
“It’s an intense pleasure that if it ends up causing me pain, it makes me nauseous and the nausea makes me more afraid or uncomfortable than the pain because I hate vomiting.”
On a “good day,” you experience three to five orgasms. But on a bad day, that number can go up to 25. The highest number it has suffered in one day is 50.
Sitting up suddenly also makes you more likely to have an orgasm, possibly due to the pressure on your genitals. The woman added that she avoids masturbating so as not to intensify the sensations.
Some experts have suggested that varicose veins in the pelvis, cysts along the base of the spine, and abscesses near the clitoris could be partly to blame.
A 2020 study by Harvard Medical School studied 10 patients with this condition and found that nine of them had injuries or problems in the lower spinal cord or the nerves that control sexual arousal and orgasm.
The study authors explained that the dorsal nerve, which has roots in the spinal cord and travels to the genitals, largely controls sensation in the clitoris or penis.
He explained that anything that puts pressure on a nerve or interrupts the flow of electrical signals can cause unwanted effects by triggering uncontrollable signals to and from the brain.
Tarlov cysts, most commonly found at the base of the spine around nerve roots, were the most common problem found in the study.
Fluid-filled lumps can damage nerves by putting pressure on them, affecting sexual, bladder, and bowel function.
