Sexual intercourse ended. A partner experiences feelings of relaxation and happiness, while on the other hand, one may feel sad, empty.
Why do some people have feelings of sadness or anxiety after sex and how common is this phenomenon?
It is called postcoital dysphoria (PCD) and includes feelings of sadness, depression or anxiety that occur after sexual intercourse. These feelings can last from a few minutes to several hours. It can happen once, several times or be embedded as a pattern or part of the sexual experience.
Not only is this condition more common than you might think, but almost everyone is sensitive to PCD - regardless of sexual orientation or gender - although not everyone experiences it in the same way.
In some university studies in Australia, researchers tried to find out how often people experience PCD and what their symptoms are. In the first study of 230 women surveyed, researchers reported that 46 percent of participants had experienced PCD at least once in their lifetime. This percentage was slightly lower in the study for men, at 41% (The number of men surveyed was 1208).
Why does Postcoital Dysphoria appear?
While PCD is not a widely studied topic, some of the reasons include: hormonal response, feelings about relationship, guilt, body problems, sexual performance, lack of orgasm, intense orgasm, sexual trauma, etc.
Source: Psychology Today
