Persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD) is a phenomenon, in which afflicted women experience spontaneous genital arousal, unresolved by orgasms and triggered by sexual or nonsexual stimuli, eliciting stress. Masturbation and orgasms offer little or no relief.
The primary symptom of PGAD is a series of ongoing and uncomfortable sensations in and around the genital tissues, including the clitoris, labia, vagina, perineum and anus.
These sensations can include wetness, itching, pressure, burning, pounding, pins and needles. It feels to the patient that they are about to experience an orgasm or they may experience waves of spontaneous orgasms. Episodes of intense arousal may occur several times a day for weeks, months, or even years.
However, these symptoms happen in the absence of sexual desire.
The condition can lead to psychological symptoms due to the persistent discomfort and impact on day-to-day living e.g. anxiety, depression, guilt and insomnia.
People with chronic, or incurable, persistent genital arousal disorder may eventually lose their notion of sexual pleasure, because the orgasm becomes associated with relief from pain rather than an enjoyable experience.
Causes can be:
- Central neurological changes e.g. brain lesion
- Peripheral neurological changes (e.g. pelvic nerve hypersensitivity or entrapment) vascular changes (e.g. pelvic congestion)
- Mechanical pressure against genital structures
- Medication-induced changes o Psychological changes (stress)
- Initiation or cessation of treatment with antidepressant medication and other mood stabilizers
- Onset of menopause
- Overactive bladder