Understanding Postcoital Dysphoria: Causes and Solutions
You wanted it. You chose it. You might have even enjoyed it in the moment. So why do you feel Postcoital Dysphoria? And then, afterward, the feeling arrives. It is not always easy to name. Sometimes it is a vague sense of wrongness. Sometimes it is a specific voice in your head that says something cruel. Sometimes it is tears you did not plan on crying, or a sudden need to be alone, or an urge to wash away what just happened. This experience has a name in the research literature. It is called postcoital dysphoria, or PCD. It is also known as postcoital sadness, postcoital tristesse, or post-sex blues. The name does not matter as much as the experience: a wave of negative emotion that comes after sex, even good sex, even wanted sex, even sex you asked for. Researchers estimate that approximately 46 percent of women and 40 percent of men have experienced Postcoital Dysphoria symptoms at some point in their lives. In one study, almost half of the women surveyed reported experiencing …










