POIS is mentioned in this article.
”How we made our orgasm detector”
Dr. Nicole Prause, our NORD POIS Co-Investigator
https://www.wired.com/story/the-strange-saga-of-the-butt-plug-turned-research-device/
"direct health problems like postorgasmic illness syndrome, in which men are struck with headaches and fatigue following ejaculation. It might be due to some sort of autoimmune response to ejaculate, or it might have something to do with the number of contractions these men have, which the device can measure."
What? how the heck does that relate to the symptoms we suffer from?
Nas, I started to reply to you but then - thinking of wider ramifications to your Q. - decided to pass your question on to both of our NORD researchers, even though they are *unpaid consultants* (I’d like everyone here to be aware of this) at this stage where contracts are still undergoing review, not yet finalized. Therefore, I would like to limit our interactions till we are in full swing.
Thanks everyone,
Demo“Hi,
Qualities of the climax could relate to POIS symptoms in a number of ways that make them worth measuring. One possibility is that POIS is associated with orgasm qualities that are more intense than typical 8-12 contractions, such as 15-20 contractions. If this were so, this might point us to look at the data from the perspective of some nervous system regulation. Another possibility is that POIS is associated with orgasm qualities that are less intense, such as fewer contractions or less pelvic pressure than is typical. This could reflect an additional symptom of POIS (e.g., orgasm quality may be degraded), but, more likely, some lack of coordination in the systems that generate orgasmic contractions. In either case (more/less contractions/pressure), it helps us know how to understand the other measures (e.g., IL-6) that we are collecting.
The other reason we included the measure was to verify the presence of climax. Our studies are showing it is very common for women to report having had a climax when they actually have no contractions. What if a high proportion of men with POIS also are having that experience? That would be extremely important to know, because then the symptoms are not specific to physical climax, but some process that co-occurs (i.e., with high sexual arousal). I do not think it is likely this would be the case, as we have not seen it in men, but it is important to rule out.
All that said, any participant will be allowed to opt-out of this specific measure, because we realized it may be a barrier to participation for some people who otherwise would participate. We will do all we can to make it comfortable to use, and want participants to be completely comfortable and confident that they want to participate in each part of the study to which they consent.
NP
Nicole Prause, Ph.D.”
