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No explanation has been found to explain the feelings of unrelieved genital arousal. There is no known association with medication, injury or surgery, or hormonal insufficiency or the use of hormone replacement treatment.
Although the complaint is infrequent, it is puzzling. It is the opposite of the more typical female disorder of insufficient or lack of sexual arousal. It is also puzzling because of its sudden and mysterious onset and the persistence of the genital sensations despite one or multiple orgasms.
PSAS Triggers:
- physical sensations such as sexual stimulation, or masturbation
- psychological reactions such as stress or anxiety
- touch and visual [erotic] stimulation
- masturbation and intercourse may worsen or relieve the symptoms
In one reported study [1] orgasms provided some relief in almost half of women, but only eliminated the symptoms in 13%, and in those women over 5 orgasms were necessary to stop the feelings of genital arousal. 28% of women who were studied required half an hour to reach an orgasm, and half of the women needed more physical pressure than usual to achieve an orgasm, and many of the women viewed the process as painful or physically distressing.
The majority of women with PSAS feel extremely upset, anxious and depressed about their insistent feelings of genital arousal.
A minority of women with this condition reported only mild distress and positive emotional reactions to their genital arousal - they were more likely to have a current sexual partner, and enjoy the sensations some of the time, and some viewed it as evidence of their sexual vitality.
