Medical condition that causes 100 orgasms a day?

While most articles related to women and orgasms focus on the problem of not having them, one tabloid profiled a woman who has too many - 100 per day. The New Jersey woman claims her orgasms are triggered by the slightest jostling like going over a bump while driving. She’s been diagnosed with a condition called persistent genital arousal disorder that developed from spinal cysts.

I did a little research and found 28 studies describing the condition - often doctors writing about cases they've seen in their patients - all published in the past decade. One British study described the condition as becoming “involuntarily aroused genitally for extended periods in time in the absence of sexual desire.” The condition usually causes distress and exhaustion, not pleasure, and has no effective treatment, according to the researchers.

Some women have reported that their condition began after they stopped taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressants like Prozac and Paxil. Others, like the woman in the video above, appear to have had the condition triggered by spinal cysts pressing against a nerve connected to their reproductive organs.

Researchers have reported on some experimental treatments that have helped a handful of women overcome the condition such as shock therapy (now called electroconvulsive therapy or ECT), physical therapy, and drugs like the anti-anxiety medication duloxetine.

Deborah Kotz can be reached at [email protected]

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By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff
Boston.com/Health BLOG: White Coat Notes