Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsResearchHow Orgasms Might HelpHow Orgasms Might HurtTreatmentWhen to Seek Medical Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Research
How Orgasms Might Help
How Orgasms Might Hurt
Treatment
When to Seek Medical Care
A 2013 study concluded that sexual activity can lead to partial or complete relief of headaches in some people with migraine headaches and a few people with cluster headaches.
Though the cause of this phenomenon is unclear, some researchers suggest that the rush of endorphins and other hormones after an orgasm may spontaneously ease headaches.
A more recent literature review suggested that, for some people, having an orgasm could trigger a migraine or cluster headache. This condition is commonly referred to as a “coitalheadache” or “orgasmic headache.”
What Research Says About Orgasms and Headaches
For some people, orgasms can either cause or relieve headaches, and scientists are not exactly sure why. They think it might have something to do with endorphins—the neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers in the brain that help relieve pain and increase feelings of pleasure.
Males were more likely than females to experience headache relief with sex, and many regarded sex and orgasm as a “therapeutic tool.”
The Mechanics of an OrgasmAn orgasm (or climax) is the sudden discharge of sexual excitement, resulting in involuntary, rhythmic contractions in the pelvic area.Anatomically, orgasms start with the activation of nerves around thelumbar and sacral spinal cordlocated at the lower back and tailbone. Orgasms end with the spontaneous release of hormones calledoxytocinandendorphinsthat help calm and relax you as you recover from a climax.
The Mechanics of an Orgasm
An orgasm (or climax) is the sudden discharge of sexual excitement, resulting in involuntary, rhythmic contractions in the pelvic area.Anatomically, orgasms start with the activation of nerves around thelumbar and sacral spinal cordlocated at the lower back and tailbone. Orgasms end with the spontaneous release of hormones calledoxytocinandendorphinsthat help calm and relax you as you recover from a climax.
An orgasm (or climax) is the sudden discharge of sexual excitement, resulting in involuntary, rhythmic contractions in the pelvic area.
Anatomically, orgasms start with the activation of nerves around thelumbar and sacral spinal cordlocated at the lower back and tailbone. Orgasms end with the spontaneous release of hormones calledoxytocinandendorphinsthat help calm and relax you as you recover from a climax.
9 Proven Ways Orgasms Boost Your Health and Happiness
The science behind orgasms is complex, and their impact on headache relief is unclear. Even so, scientists believe that it involves a complex interplay of spinal nerves and the hormones (oxytocin and endorphins) released at climax.
On their own and together, oxytocin and endorphins decrease pain sensitivity at times of stress.This is especially true with endorphins, which studies have shown are lacking in migraine sufferers.
This may explain why some headaches will spontaneously lift during an orgasm.
Keep in mind that orgasms during masturbation may produce the same headache-relieving effects as orgasms during sex.
A Word From VerywellThough it’s not a form of treatment, it may be possible for an orgasm to improve headache pain. The studies on this are limited. However, it has been suggested that the release of endorphins and oxytocin after orgasm may improve headache pain (though in some cases, headaches may get worse). Keep in mind that it is not a cure-all treatment. When in doubt, reach for an over-the-counter pain medication or talk to your doctor.—RENITA WHITE, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
Though it’s not a form of treatment, it may be possible for an orgasm to improve headache pain. The studies on this are limited. However, it has been suggested that the release of endorphins and oxytocin after orgasm may improve headache pain (though in some cases, headaches may get worse). Keep in mind that it is not a cure-all treatment. When in doubt, reach for an over-the-counter pain medication or talk to your doctor.—RENITA WHITE, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Though it’s not a form of treatment, it may be possible for an orgasm to improve headache pain. The studies on this are limited. However, it has been suggested that the release of endorphins and oxytocin after orgasm may improve headache pain (though in some cases, headaches may get worse). Keep in mind that it is not a cure-all treatment. When in doubt, reach for an over-the-counter pain medication or talk to your doctor.
—RENITA WHITE, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
For some people, sexual activity can causeheadaches.
Coital headaches are more common in males than females.
To make a definitive diagnosis, all other causes of headaches must be explored and excluded. Diagnosis may involve imaging tests such ascomputerized tomography (CT)ormagnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
What a Coital Headache Feels LikeIn most cases, coital headache pain will occur suddenly during orgasm, be severe and throbbing, and be located on one side of the head and neck.Sometimes the pain will be felt on the back and both sides of the head and gradually increase with sexual arousal. The pain may be milder but occurs in frequent, irregular bursts.Rarely, pain develops after sex due to minor injury of thedura mater(the membrane covering the brain and spinal cord). This can cause headache pain and nausea whenever you stand up.All of these headaches can be aggravating but none is particularly serious. Some people may experience a single episode, while others have recurrent headaches with orgasms (especially migraine sufferers).
What a Coital Headache Feels Like
In most cases, coital headache pain will occur suddenly during orgasm, be severe and throbbing, and be located on one side of the head and neck.Sometimes the pain will be felt on the back and both sides of the head and gradually increase with sexual arousal. The pain may be milder but occurs in frequent, irregular bursts.Rarely, pain develops after sex due to minor injury of thedura mater(the membrane covering the brain and spinal cord). This can cause headache pain and nausea whenever you stand up.All of these headaches can be aggravating but none is particularly serious. Some people may experience a single episode, while others have recurrent headaches with orgasms (especially migraine sufferers).
In most cases, coital headache pain will occur suddenly during orgasm, be severe and throbbing, and be located on one side of the head and neck.
Sometimes the pain will be felt on the back and both sides of the head and gradually increase with sexual arousal. The pain may be milder but occurs in frequent, irregular bursts.
Rarely, pain develops after sex due to minor injury of thedura mater(the membrane covering the brain and spinal cord). This can cause headache pain and nausea whenever you stand up.
All of these headaches can be aggravating but none is particularly serious. Some people may experience a single episode, while others have recurrent headaches with orgasms (especially migraine sufferers).
How to Treat Headaches
While orgasms may help with headaches in some cases, as mentioned, it is not a cure-all.
There are many types of headaches with varying treatments. Below are treatment options for migraine, cluster, and coital headaches.
Migraine Headaches
Treatment for migraine headaches focuses on medications and lifestyle habits to relieve symptoms and prevent future headaches, such as:
Cluster Headaches
Like migraine headaches, the treatment approach is to relieve symptoms and prevent future headaches.
To relieve symptoms of a headache in progress, you may be given high-dose oxygen therapy through a face mask for 15 to 20 minutes.
Your healthcare provider may also prescribe a nasal spray called sumatriptan to relieve severe pain. Sumatriptan causes blood vessels in the brain to constrict (narrow), which can help relieve pain.
The treatment to prevent recurrent cluster headaches involves taking medication daily. Several medicines used to prevent cluster headaches include:
Coital Headaches
While there are no established guidelines for the treatment of coital headaches, your healthcare provider may prescribe anonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)called indomethacin if you have recurrent episodes.
Indomethacin is commonly used to treat arthritis and may help prevent headache pain if taken one to two hours before sex.
If the problem persists, daily preventive drugs such as Topamax (topiramate)—used to treat migraines and epilepsy—may be taken.
The Pressure Point That Eases Headache Pain
When to See a Healthcare Provider
You should see a healthcare provider if you experience headaches that:
Seek immediate medical care if you experience:
Summary
Having an orgasm may help with migraine and cluster headaches for some people, but for others, orgasms may make headaches worse.
It isn’t known exactly why orgasms may help headaches, but scientists think it might have something to do with endorphins, which help relieve pain.
Orgasms are not a cure-all, so talk with your healthcare provider to find treatments that can relieve your symptoms and prevent future headaches.
15 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hambach A, Evers S, Summ O, Husstedt IW, Frese A.The impact of sexual activity on idiopathic headaches: an observational study.Cephalalgia. 2013;33(6):384-9. doi:10.1177/0333102413476374Scislicki P, Sztuba K, Klimkowicz-Mrowiec A, Gorzkowska A.Headache associated with sexual activity—a narrative review of literature.Medicina (Kaunas).2021 Aug;57(8):735. doi:10.3390/medicina57080735Krassioukov A, Elliot S.Neural control and physiology of sexual function: effect of spinal cord injury.Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil.2017 Winter;23(1):1–10. doi:10.1310/sci2301-1Borsook D, Erpelding N, Lebel A. et al.Sex and the migraine brain.Neurobiol Dia.2014 Aug;68:200-14. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2014.03.008Pearce E, Wlodarski R, Machin A, Dunbar RIM.Variation in the β-endorphin, oxytocin, and dopamine receptor genes is associated with different dimensions of human sociality.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.2017 May 16;114(20):5300–5. doi:10.1073/pnas.1700712114Cutrer FM, Delange J.Cough, exercise, and sex headaches.Neurol Clin.2014;32(2):433-50. doi:10.1016/j.ncl.2013.11.012Lin PT, Chen SP, Wang SJ.Update on primary headache associated with sexual activity and primary thunderclap headache.Cephalalgia. 2023;43(3):3331024221148657. doi:10.1177/03331024221148657MedlinePlus.Migraine.Ha H, Gonzalez A.Migraine Headache Prophylaxis.Am Fam Physician. 2019;99(1):17-24.PMID: 30600979Li YX, Xiao XL, Zhong DL, et al.Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture for Migraine: An Overview of Systematic Reviews.Pain Res Manag. 2020;2020:3825617. Published 2020 Mar 23. doi:10.1155/2020/3825617Millstine D, Chen CY, Bauer B.Complementary and integrative medicine in the management of headache.BMJ. 2017;357:j1805. Published 2017 May 16. doi:10.1136/bmj.j1805Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cluster headaches.Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Acupressure for Pain and Headaches.Houston Methodist.When to see a doctor for headache.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Headache.
15 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hambach A, Evers S, Summ O, Husstedt IW, Frese A.The impact of sexual activity on idiopathic headaches: an observational study.Cephalalgia. 2013;33(6):384-9. doi:10.1177/0333102413476374Scislicki P, Sztuba K, Klimkowicz-Mrowiec A, Gorzkowska A.Headache associated with sexual activity—a narrative review of literature.Medicina (Kaunas).2021 Aug;57(8):735. doi:10.3390/medicina57080735Krassioukov A, Elliot S.Neural control and physiology of sexual function: effect of spinal cord injury.Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil.2017 Winter;23(1):1–10. doi:10.1310/sci2301-1Borsook D, Erpelding N, Lebel A. et al.Sex and the migraine brain.Neurobiol Dia.2014 Aug;68:200-14. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2014.03.008Pearce E, Wlodarski R, Machin A, Dunbar RIM.Variation in the β-endorphin, oxytocin, and dopamine receptor genes is associated with different dimensions of human sociality.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.2017 May 16;114(20):5300–5. doi:10.1073/pnas.1700712114Cutrer FM, Delange J.Cough, exercise, and sex headaches.Neurol Clin.2014;32(2):433-50. doi:10.1016/j.ncl.2013.11.012Lin PT, Chen SP, Wang SJ.Update on primary headache associated with sexual activity and primary thunderclap headache.Cephalalgia. 2023;43(3):3331024221148657. doi:10.1177/03331024221148657MedlinePlus.Migraine.Ha H, Gonzalez A.Migraine Headache Prophylaxis.Am Fam Physician. 2019;99(1):17-24.PMID: 30600979Li YX, Xiao XL, Zhong DL, et al.Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture for Migraine: An Overview of Systematic Reviews.Pain Res Manag. 2020;2020:3825617. Published 2020 Mar 23. doi:10.1155/2020/3825617Millstine D, Chen CY, Bauer B.Complementary and integrative medicine in the management of headache.BMJ. 2017;357:j1805. Published 2017 May 16. doi:10.1136/bmj.j1805Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cluster headaches.Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Acupressure for Pain and Headaches.Houston Methodist.When to see a doctor for headache.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Headache.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Hambach A, Evers S, Summ O, Husstedt IW, Frese A.The impact of sexual activity on idiopathic headaches: an observational study.Cephalalgia. 2013;33(6):384-9. doi:10.1177/0333102413476374Scislicki P, Sztuba K, Klimkowicz-Mrowiec A, Gorzkowska A.Headache associated with sexual activity—a narrative review of literature.Medicina (Kaunas).2021 Aug;57(8):735. doi:10.3390/medicina57080735Krassioukov A, Elliot S.Neural control and physiology of sexual function: effect of spinal cord injury.Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil.2017 Winter;23(1):1–10. doi:10.1310/sci2301-1Borsook D, Erpelding N, Lebel A. et al.Sex and the migraine brain.Neurobiol Dia.2014 Aug;68:200-14. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2014.03.008Pearce E, Wlodarski R, Machin A, Dunbar RIM.Variation in the β-endorphin, oxytocin, and dopamine receptor genes is associated with different dimensions of human sociality.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.2017 May 16;114(20):5300–5. doi:10.1073/pnas.1700712114Cutrer FM, Delange J.Cough, exercise, and sex headaches.Neurol Clin.2014;32(2):433-50. doi:10.1016/j.ncl.2013.11.012Lin PT, Chen SP, Wang SJ.Update on primary headache associated with sexual activity and primary thunderclap headache.Cephalalgia. 2023;43(3):3331024221148657. doi:10.1177/03331024221148657MedlinePlus.Migraine.Ha H, Gonzalez A.Migraine Headache Prophylaxis.Am Fam Physician. 2019;99(1):17-24.PMID: 30600979Li YX, Xiao XL, Zhong DL, et al.Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture for Migraine: An Overview of Systematic Reviews.Pain Res Manag. 2020;2020:3825617. Published 2020 Mar 23. doi:10.1155/2020/3825617Millstine D, Chen CY, Bauer B.Complementary and integrative medicine in the management of headache.BMJ. 2017;357:j1805. Published 2017 May 16. doi:10.1136/bmj.j1805Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cluster headaches.Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Acupressure for Pain and Headaches.Houston Methodist.When to see a doctor for headache.National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Headache.
Hambach A, Evers S, Summ O, Husstedt IW, Frese A.The impact of sexual activity on idiopathic headaches: an observational study.Cephalalgia. 2013;33(6):384-9. doi:10.1177/0333102413476374
Scislicki P, Sztuba K, Klimkowicz-Mrowiec A, Gorzkowska A.Headache associated with sexual activity—a narrative review of literature.Medicina (Kaunas).2021 Aug;57(8):735. doi:10.3390/medicina57080735
Krassioukov A, Elliot S.Neural control and physiology of sexual function: effect of spinal cord injury.Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil.2017 Winter;23(1):1–10. doi:10.1310/sci2301-1
Borsook D, Erpelding N, Lebel A. et al.Sex and the migraine brain.Neurobiol Dia.2014 Aug;68:200-14. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2014.03.008
Pearce E, Wlodarski R, Machin A, Dunbar RIM.Variation in the β-endorphin, oxytocin, and dopamine receptor genes is associated with different dimensions of human sociality.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.2017 May 16;114(20):5300–5. doi:10.1073/pnas.1700712114
Cutrer FM, Delange J.Cough, exercise, and sex headaches.Neurol Clin.2014;32(2):433-50. doi:10.1016/j.ncl.2013.11.012
Lin PT, Chen SP, Wang SJ.Update on primary headache associated with sexual activity and primary thunderclap headache.Cephalalgia. 2023;43(3):3331024221148657. doi:10.1177/03331024221148657
MedlinePlus.Migraine.
Ha H, Gonzalez A.Migraine Headache Prophylaxis.Am Fam Physician. 2019;99(1):17-24.PMID: 30600979
Li YX, Xiao XL, Zhong DL, et al.Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture for Migraine: An Overview of Systematic Reviews.Pain Res Manag. 2020;2020:3825617. Published 2020 Mar 23. doi:10.1155/2020/3825617
Millstine D, Chen CY, Bauer B.Complementary and integrative medicine in the management of headache.BMJ. 2017;357:j1805. Published 2017 May 16. doi:10.1136/bmj.j1805
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cluster headaches.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Acupressure for Pain and Headaches.
Houston Methodist.When to see a doctor for headache.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Headache.
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