r/PGADsupport Nov 09 '25

Female Compilation of information about causes and treatments

9 Upvotes

Hi, I've been putting off writing this for at least four months as this condition is so traumatic but we don't get enough help, at least here in the UK, so I'm trying to do something about it. Sorry if I have worded anything unclearly or repeated myself, as you can probably guess I am not in a good state usually.

this is a long post, but important, for it to be of any use I hope the mods will consider pinning it as it’s taken so much effort and I’ve not seen anything similar. I think it will only have use as a long-term post to be replied to over time. I found a post from years ago where somebody was doing their own survey but I can’t find anything about the results so I thought that all the information being public to begin with will mean that it stays visible and useful even if I personally don’t manage to come back a lot (because of trauma).

SUMMARY: I’ve made a list of questions which I will post below. Maybe if people reply with their story/symptoms we can create a collection of information that can give insight into if this is one disorder or multiple disorders with overlapping symptoms but completely separate causes and treatments. In your replies to each question (answer as many or as few as you want) please note if you’d recently taken SSRIs, had physical trauma, any other cause before your symptoms started. That is the key thing we want to find out I think.

I’m not sure the best way to do this but below I will post a list of topics and then people can respond and anybody who wants to reply about the same thing can reply to that person so that the discussion is nested and at least slightly organised!

After reading medical documents and forum posts and seeing a doctor it seems there’s so much that hasn’t been researched about this condition, despite it being so awful. The fact that one of the main causes (I think 45% of sufferers) is SSRIs and potentially SNRI/amitriptiline, but they are also some of the main treatments, makes it so difficult for us decision-wise. Like I’ve read of some people being warned off treating with those, while others are being offered them without mention of any risks. I’m convinced we as a group must have some information that the doctors either don’t have, as there’s not enough research. And if there are doctoes successfullt treating it then most of us will not rececive that information without getting it here or something changing.

The main thing I’m wondering about is whether there’s two main types of this disorder which aren’t even related and which are being treated under the same umbrella disorder. The three main causes from what I have read are a) nerve compression from tight pelvic floor muscles, b) nerve damage from childbirth or an injury, c) SSRI’s, usually coming off of them. So could there a version of PGAD which is a variant of puedendal neuralgia and then another with similar symptoms but which is not actually the same thing at all.

You can skip the rest of this post and jump straight to answering any questions if you wish as the rest is mostly just my thoughts behind this.

 

Long version:

IMO the pharmaceutical companies making money off SSRIs should be funding this research, as they’ve had two decades to put accurate and descriptive warnings on their medicine but they clearly aren’t taking responsibility. It seems like we have to do a lot ourselves. For some people the symptoms start immediately after a medicine change or childbirth/injury, or have always been present; but for others the cause is less obvious. If there was research to more easily figure out the cause then it would be safer to decide on treatment. For example if there’s a specific symptom which is only present from physical nerve damage then statistically SSRIs would be the safest treatment, etc, but when you’re unsure (eg I had slight trauma to the area the same year as stopping SSRIs) it’s impossible to know whether to risk trying them.

There are so many separate threads on here often asking repeat questions, which is fine, but I thought it might be useful to have it all in one thread but also as a way to do some research ourselves. I read a thread from years ago that somebody had being surveying people, but I couldn’t find any trace of it so I thought it best to have it on a visible thread, so it isn’t lost if it gets abandoned.  I’ve been trying to post this for many months but I definitely have whatever the non-post version of PTSD is, so felt unable until now. But over that time, any time I had a symptom or thought about a possible, or read about a potential cause I noted it down. Below I will post them all as separate comments and hope that over time people will reply to each symptom with information about their known causes.

Regarding SSRIs: We don’t know if SSRI’s are causing damage by themselves, or if instead, the numbness they can cause means that people are not feeling injury to the area, or are being more forceful during sex because of this and are causing injury. But this seems unlikely as I’ve heard some people have symptoms after taking SSRIs just one single time? Or is this not the case, I just can’t find much information at all. And either way it is still SSRIs causing the danger and should be warned about before taking/in the pamphlet. There is also a PSSD community on here which is essentially SSRIs causing the opposite issue, which makes me think that the SSRIs are causing damage; I’ve read there is may be small fiber damage (but that is from memory, I may be wrong).

In your replies please note if you took SSRIs or had a physical trauma etc etc sometime before your symptoms started so we can piece together if there’s any trends between these. If there’s anything I haven’t asked please feel free to add your own comment below for people to reply to it.

Please write any information that you can, it doesn't have to be an answer to every question! Anything will help. Thank you


r/PGADsupport Sep 28 '24

This is a safe space for those who live with PGAD/RGS. Perverts will NOT be tolerated and WILL BE REPORTED TO REDDIT.

41 Upvotes

PGAD/RGS is a medical condition and it is NOT sexual. Even if this subreddit was about a sexual disorder, which it is not, SEXUAL HARASSMENT (sexualizing a person without their consent, sexualizing a medical disorder, pedophilia, unsolicited sexual comments, etc.) IS NEVER TOLERABLE.

Our community deserves to be safe and, I assure you, if you are here to be a motherfucking pervert, I will kick your face and I will inform Reddit of your predatory behaviour.

To our community, 💐🌺🫶🏻

  • We monitor discussions on the subreddit, but if you spot something unsettling before we do, we encourage you to use the report button.

  • If you receive DMs, know that you are not obligated to respond to them! If you receive an unsettling DM, please report it to Reddit. You’re also more than welcome to contact us via the option “Message the mods” and we’ll look into it.

You deserve to be safe!

Thank you for helping us ensure a safer space.

Lots of love to the community,

Meraki


r/PGADsupport 4h ago

Support How to stop wet dreams?

2 Upvotes

I keep having dreams of masturbating every night. Most likely because I stress and scare myself over it everyday. Recently, my minds just been telling me, "why don't you masturbate? You know you want to do it! It'll feel good then it'll all go away!" (I think I have OCD.) Haha no. I've been through this so many times before and unfortunately I can't be masturbating anymore because it'll put me into a terrible flare.

Does anyone have any tips to stop these dreams? Like meditation tactics before bed—etc.


r/PGADsupport 1d ago

Vent/rant It seems that no one especially Medicaid insurance for this condition and it’s all out of pocket.

1 Upvotes

that is all.


r/PGADsupport 2d ago

Support An easy fix for my wifes PGAD

6 Upvotes

About ten years ago my wife had her first bout with PGAD. A web search yielded accounts about it being so bad that some were driven to suicide. One article talked about surgery to sever nerves. That sounded extreme to me but the mention of nerves prompted me to remember using magnesium oil for pain relief. She rubbed it on her lower back once and got relief within a short time. She continues to have bouts every few months but the magensium oil stops it quickly every time. Occasionally she uses a 50/50 mix of magnesium oil and DMSO and that works too.


r/PGADsupport 1d ago

Male My story plz help

3 Upvotes

I am a male and 15 years old I have had this started at around 13 I used to orgasm sometimes and it was normal but one day it hurtled and each time it happened the pain got worse and then I also have pain when I pee so I went to the doctor did all the tests and everything was normal then I kept getting more scans because I knew something was wrong still but still nothing so I kept going on with my life and it was fine until one day after soccer I stopped to get water and I was getting very strong arusal sensations and it was very scary because the arusal would eventually lead to orgasm but for me orgasm was very painful so I was trying to avoid it now this stayed for a long time I had to sit on the couch I could hardly move for 5 months because when I did move I would feel like I would orgasm I was trapped. This was very stressful for me and I did not like to talk about it with my family but at least my mom took care of me. Also this whole time I was trying to go to physical therapy and talk therapy with a lot of people constantly and then finally I got up to go get a nerve block and I’m about 14 now at this time so I got a nerve block and it helped a little and then I started taking a ssrii called duloxotine and that helped a lot and I stopped feeling the arousal sensations but I still would get sharp burning and all types of weird sensation which makes me believe I have a nerve issue anyways i kept doing physical therapy until I could get into school again but I felt like physical therapy wasn’t doing anything so I stopped I hated doing it. So now Im 15 still having the pain when I pee the random burning the painful orgasm I think the last time I had a orgasm was 4 months ago and it hurt so bad it felt like my whole pelvis was burning in flames I was crying. So I avoid it as much as I can and today I’m still afraid that the pgad like sensations will come on again but they haven’t yet im just getting other things also like very deep itching in my butt it feels like idk but in total this whole thing just makes me sad that I feel like I’m gonna miss out and idk if it will ever get fixed im afraid ill never be able to enjoy sexual pleasure at all but I do my best to manage it so if anyone has any suggestions plz lmk


r/PGADsupport 2d ago

Support how does anyone relax

10 Upvotes

How does anyone relax? Do we just not ? My shoulders are so tight my wrists ache from constant relieving myself I can’t and don’t go out any more the sun shines outside I had the perfect life before this happened.

When I start to even relax slightly, my body jolts me back into panic and concern. The arousal is all day every day unless I take medication that’s not even prescribed to me and I’m running out (tramadol, diazepam) I cannot wrap my head around that it’s happened to me. I was perfectly happy and had every opportunity. Started being a musician. Loving my job. And the way it happened is so humiliating and I dropped my standards for one man who brought me very bad luck. I have been told by a very high up PGAD specialists that based on my case this will go away. They introduced amitriptyline back into my medication regime as I seem to be receptive to sodium channel targeters

I can’t remember the last time I actually felt relaxed in any way. I don’t think I will until this gets better. I miss inner quietness and peace, i got detained from tryna unalive myself at the train station and even had to relieve myself in the back of an ambulance
Vomiting on the floor in a public station

I was so beautiful and classy. My hair is falling out like crazy from the stress and I’ve lost my whole figure from laying down for four and a half months. I cannot believe this. If you told me this would happen to me I’d never believe you. I miss my life before this condition


r/PGADsupport 2d ago

General triple numbing cream

4 Upvotes

hey y'all! someone recently posted about lidocaine and then deleted it, but I promised under that post that I'd update about a compounded triple numbing cream I was about to try. it's benzocaine 20%/lidocaine 6%/tetracaine 4% compounded into a "versapro" cream base (no idea what that means. just reading the lable).

unlike over-the-counter lidocaine, it doesn't burn upon application at all! it's very gentle. it has worked to numb my clitoris 🥳 and it doesn't feel too weird. I will absolutely be using it before I need to do anything important or before bed when I want my nerves to shut up and let me sleep.

I tried compounded topical gabapentin 6% ellage cream as well. it did nothing. I understand that this takes longer to have an effect, like several weeks, but I'm hella tired of patiently waiting to see if something helps only to find out that it doesn't.

so if you can get a provider to prescribe you, via a specialized pharmacy, triple numbing cream that's safe for use on the genitals, it's definitely worth a shot. it can be expensive, fair warning.

no clue how this would work for those with penises. my apologies. I recognize that you folks exist here too.


r/PGADsupport 3d ago

Female Is this pgad?

3 Upvotes

a few months ago after an orgasm the nerves stayed firing and since then I’ve had trouble getting rid of it. immediately after I felt like I was about to climax at random moments. my whole body would feel very shaky and nervous too and I would feel the need to clinch the area or push out because it sort of feels plugged up? for about a month it was very bad and my whole body was always shaky and I was afraid of getting that feeling. now for the most part I feel the nerves still there but I sometimes get episodes of what i was experiencing before. I haven’t masturbated or anything because it just feels weird and the one time I tried it felt like everything was happening too fast? now the thing that makes me wary of whether this is pgad or not is that I have not had an orgasm from this I just feel like I’m about to at times. and it’s mostly the nerves firing down there. for a bit more context I’ve never had sex and this happened after maybe my second or third orgasm ever and all my orgasms we’re quite intense and not comfortable at all. I’ve gone to the doctor and they don’t seem to know the cause yet and only prescribed me gabapentin and they were going to look more into the issue if that doesn’t help. I think it’s helped a bit but the issue is still very much there.


r/PGADsupport 4d ago

Trigger Warning What's Been Helping Me With PGAD

7 Upvotes

Hey guys so this started in my teen years and I have been dealing with this a long time as well as other issues that are difficult to explain. This post won't be long at all, but I just thought I would share what's been helping me and yes this is something you can ask your doctor about.

Symptoms I'm about to be very candid but I do wish to help in any way I can:

• Feeling like I need to be "stretched"

•Feeling like there is too much pressure

• An itch type feeling that I can't scratch and it only is mildly satisfied for about 3 seconds after climax and then it returns it's the closest description

• Feeling uncomfortable in my genital area and hyper aware of my genital area

• A moving pressure point that never stays in the same space

• Can feel like TV static in the upper area

• If I participate in any self activities it takes up to 3 days to resolve as a result of my nerves over firing so I'll end up miserable and having a hard time focusing

• Occasionally it feels like your feet falling asleep without the pain

• It's as if it is only one point that I can never reach and it is constantly activated and out of reach

• After any self activity it does not feel great it feels abnormal, over active, and I am way too aware of that area

• The feeling is best described as a specific spot deep in your core/area that's activated that you can never find

• Mine is one sided particularly the left

• I lose my hearing during any self activity

What's Been Helping:

• Lidocaine

• Heat

• Magnesium Spray

• Magnesium Complex/Magnesium Glycinate

(Additionally look into L-Theanine and GABA)

• Cotton Swabs/Something to apply.

Step 1: I check the area and I try my best to locate the general area of where it is.

Step 2: You have to coat the outside and upper perineum and directly over the entrance to your vagina, yes you can place it inside as well (meaning yes you can place lidocaine inside the vaginal canal if external by itself is not working). WARNING LIDOCAINE CAN BE TOXIC SPEAK TO YOUR DOCTOR! If you become too desperate for relief and apply too much it can be dangerous. I apply 1-3 times a day depending on how bad it is. DO NOT get this anywhere near your urethra or upper lips it will burn like heck, but you will be fine once the burning subsides. You should attempt to avoid getting it in anywhere near the upper area but it definitely happens. I always add a little bit of tissue folded where the area is for extra assurance that it stays in the area that I want it (between my vulva).

Step 3: Get your magnesium spray and SPRAY IT ON THE VULVA and lower outer areas only! (I do spray directly but this can burn if you choose to do this only do 1-2 sprays do not over do it).

Step 4: Spray your lower back with the magnesium as well this helps me.

Step 5: Take magnesium glycinate and nerve calming/supporting supplements.

What I noticed is that it took me a few times before I figured out what general area I need it in and how to apply it. When I first did it the first couple of times I wasn't sure if it was working but now I know for a fact that this works! I use over the counter lidocaine to do this but doctors can prescribe this as well. I'm a virgin so I definitely can't get it exactly where I need it but thought this might be helpful. Please be safe when doing this, read the instructions. Only use a pea size or less preferably less. Sometimes I kind of "dip" throughout the day by coating my finger and reapplying small amounts.

This is probably a silly post but I hope it helps someone. Please note this is for uncomfortable feelings, sensations, or over active sensations only.


r/PGADsupport 5d ago

Female Very worried I’ll orgasm in front of the doctor

8 Upvotes

I’ve (21f) been dealing with this for around 15 months now and I’ve had enough.

I saw a doctor for this a few months ago but ended up declining the pelvic exam as I could feel an orgasm coming on. Ive finally built up the courage to go back for the pelvic exam but the issue gets worse when I’m anxious which I will be during the exam.

I’m so so scared I’ll orgasm in front of the doctor even though I know that’s literally the issue I’m there for so it could actually be helpful for them to witness it. It’ would be very visible to anyone looking down there if it’s happening and I’m not sure what to do.

Has anyone been in this situation? Did you manage to not let it happen? If it did happen how did you handle it?


r/PGADsupport 6d ago

Trigger Warning Empty

2 Upvotes

In disbelief. You never expect chronic symptoms to happen to you and you certainly never expect that at 19 a COVID infection will cause you to feel uncontrollably on verge of ejaculation two months later. There’s really no way to exist in society while feeling like it could happen at any moment. Even if I were to be fully healed today, it would take months to mentally recover and another infection could cause it to come back tenfold. I’ll never be able to get another COVID vaccine because ive read it could make it worse, and risking that seems suicidal.

In grief thinking of the life I had before. Never knowing this sort of thing was even possible. In college, amazing at it, great career prospects, amazing friends, perfect life. It is now summer break and I haven’t officially lost any of that yet, but if this continues I will. One by one I will have to let go of everything I love and I just don’t imagine I decide to continue living on after that.

I suppose I should be grateful for the years I did have, even if they weren’t many. When this first began I could never have possibly imagined I would still be with symptoms 4 months later. If you told me that back in March I would have killed myself immediately. I used to worry that in 5 years I would still have these problems, now I’m worried that in 5 years I’ll still be alive. My symptoms are very mild compared to many people I read about, maybe one day it will get better, but then again it will probably come back at some point, it seems very rare this ever goes away 100% forever for people after it’s happened for months. I am uninterested in life without 100% recovery. I don’t mind the muscle pain or urinary symptoms even a little, but even 1% uncontrollable arousal is non-negotiable for me as a male, I am deathly terrified of sudden ejaculation, which has almost happened several times. The day it does happen in public is the day that I die. Non-negotiable on that. I want to say I feel that I could have dealt with any other issue but that’s just the bargaining stage of grief talking. Sooner or later I’ll have to accept my life ended one day in March and shall never return. I feel trapped in a dream.


r/PGADsupport 6d ago

Support Hoping to support my partner

3 Upvotes

Hi All,

A bit of context; a few years ago my partner had a terrible experience with Sertraline that triggered PGAD, although the lack of sources and information on the topic meant it took a long time for us to figure out what it truly was.

She struggles with ocd, and one of the compulsions she has is to check how her body feels, often neurotically rekindling her sensations, so although we think the chemical stimulation is long gone, the psychological aftershocks are still reactivated often.

My main question today is that she has been proscribed Prozac for anxiety and ocd, and I’m curious if anyone has knowledge or experience with whether the disorder flares up from all SSRIs or if different ones may have different successes.

Also, I would be hugely grateful for any studies or accounts people could point me towards to gain a better understanding of how I might support her.

Thank you!


r/PGADsupport 6d ago

Help finding specialist I survived a domestic violence marriage, an explosive 10-minute delivery, and a hormonal IUD that ripped through my uterus. At 20, I am completely sexually numb, experiencing empty orgasms, and facing total fertility loss. My body feels like a ghost and my life is an unyielding living hell.

4 Upvotes

I survived a domestic violence marriage, birth trauma, and a perforated IUD surgery. Now I am 20 years old, completely sexually numb, experiencing empty orgasms, and facing unexplained infertility. The absolute destruction of my womanhood has ruined my life.

Hi everyone. I am typing this message through a heavy blur of tears because I am entirely out of answers, physically exhausted, and carrying a level of emotional grief that feels far too heavy for my shoulders. I am only 20 years old, but the past few years of my life have devolved into a relentless, unyielding living hell. I am reaching out to this community because the formal medical system is moving too slowly, and the absolute isolation I experience on a daily basis is completely crushing me. It is a deeply painful, heavy thing to watch other young mothers rebuild their lives after childbirth, enjoy genuine physical intimacy with their partners, and remain effortlessly healthy, while my own body feels like it is fading away into a dark, silent void.
This nightmare has completely consumed every single aspect of my life. It has stolen my confidence, stripped away my peace of mind, and eroded my sense of identity as a woman. There are moments when the sheer weight of this physical numbness, paired with an overwhelming sense of self-blame, damages my mental health so severely that I feel completely hopeless and don't even want to be here anymore. It genuinely feels like a part of my soul is actively disappearing, leaving me trapped inside a physical shell that feels more like a prison than a home. I am writing down every single detail of my history because I am desperate to find a community of survivors who understand. I need to know if anyone else has ever stood in this exact darkness and found a way back.

  1. The Onset of Trauma: Abuse and Pregnancy
    My history with pelvic trauma began when I was 18 years old and discovered I was pregnant. Instead of being a safe, joyful chapter, the first two months of my pregnancy were spent trapped inside a severely abusive domestic violence marriage. During that month. Myy body experienced a sudden, month-long phase where I completely lost the ability to feel any sexual pleasure whatsoever.
    After my ex-husband was finally arrested and went to jail, that specific numbness went away, and my normal feelings temporarily returned. Looking back now with what I understand about the nervous system, I realize that was the very first time my body pulled the emergency brake. It was a physical defense mechanism—my brain's way of completely locking down my pleasure pathways to protect me from the severe trauma I was actively enduring.

  2. Preterm Complications and an Explosive Delivery
    The physical trauma to my pelvis accelerated during my third trimester. At 32 weeks, a routine checkup revealed that I was already dilated to 2 cm and at high risk for preterm labor. To handle the complications, I had to undergo iron infusions and receive steroid injections to rapidly mature my baby’s lungs in case she arrived early.
    My daughter held on and was ultimately born exactly at 38 weeks on March 13, 2025 (she is now 15 months old). While the total labor lasted less than 24 hours, the actual second stage of delivery happened at an explosive, unnatural speed. I only pushed for a total of ten minutes. My water did not even break until that very first push. Because of hospital delays, I was forced to wait for over two agonizing hours just for my doctor to arrive at my bedside. By the time the doctor finally administered my epidural and checked me, I was already fully dilated at a 10 cm. The sheer velocity of that rapid ten-minute delivery put an immense, sudden physical strain on my pelvic floor muscles and the surrounding nerve pathways.

  3. The Choice I Can't Forgive Myself For: The Perforated IUD
    On April 22, 2025, just weeks after giving birth, I went in for my postpartum checkup. During this visit, my Nana and my doctor strongly encouraged and pressured me to get birth control. It was not the copper one; it was the other option—a hormonal IUD. Neither of them explained the risks of migration or perforation to me. They completely failed to warn me about the potential for severe anatomical complications. I didn't want to disappoint my family or cause problems for the medical staff, so I trusted them and agreed to the insertion.
    I carry an overwhelming amount of self-blame and crushing guilt for that choice every single day. I blame myself for not fighting harder against the pressure, and for allowing them to place a device inside me that I feel completely ruined my body.
    Immediately after the insertion, my life turned into an agonizing medical nightmare. For 10 straight days, I bled excessively and suffered from contractions so violent it felt like my daughter's head was actively forcing its way down through my cervix all over again. I was losing massive amounts of blood and was in unrelenting pain. When I reached out to my doctor out of fear, they completely brushed it off, reassuring me that heavy bleeding and severe cramping were entirely "normal" during the first few months.
    Fearing for my life and trusting my instincts, I sought a second opinion from a different doctor. This new provider conducted a thorough exam and an ultrasound, but they could not find the IUD or its strings anywhere in my uterus. They immediately ordered an X-ray, which revealed a terrifying reality: the hormonal IUD had completely perforated my uterine wall, migrated entirely out of my reproductive tract, and was lodged deep in my abdomen close to my left pelvic area. The very next day, on May 3, 2025, I underwent emergency laparoscopic surgery to have the misplaced device removed from my gut. It was physically and emotionally taxing, and I have not touched a single form of birth control since.

  4. Living in a Numb Body: The "Pleasureless" Orgasm
    Since surviving that perforation surgery, my intimate life has become a source of profound, silent grief. I can still feel basic physical sensation—meaning I can feel touch, localized pressure, and temperature changes—but I feel absolutely zero sexual pleasure. It does not matter how gentle, loving, patient, or non-rough the intimacy is; the pleasure is entirely gone. I used to enjoy rough sex or fingering, but gradually, that capacity for joy has completely vanished into thin air.
    The most confusing and heartbreaking part of this entire condition is that I can still achieve a physical orgasm, but I do not feel an ounce of pleasure leading up to it or during it. I can only feel my clitoris, and gets a brief moment of intense build-up plesure that feels like a quick, localized heartbeat in my vaginal lasting for less than two minutes, going completely numb again. Right after that physical clitoral sensation completely vanishes, and my vaginal gets tight.
    I do not have any physical pain during sex, but I get score afterward. Out of absolute desperation to fix myself, I spent over 5 months doing rigorous pelvic floor physical therapy three times a day, completing sets of 10 for each exercise. My daily routine was extensive, including:
    • Supine diaphragmatic breathing
    • Supine nerve glides
    • Supine pelvic floor stretches
    • Clamshells and sidelying reverse clamshells
    • Straight leg raises with TA flexion
    • Supine bridges with resistance bands
    • Prone hip extensions
    • Sit-to-stand movements with pelvic floor contractions
    • Seated pelvic floor lengthening
    • Supported butterfly stretches with pelvic floor relaxation
    • Kegel towel roll sitting
    Despite all this intense daily effort, it felt like my physical therapy was for absolutely nothing. The numbness remained completely unchanged, and it felt like a part of my womanhood was actively fading away. Out of sheer frustration and heartbreak, I recently paused my physical therapy. My standard pelvic MRI came back completely clear, but I am currently fighting to get a specialized MRN (Magnetic Resonance Neurography) ordered so doctors can look directly at my pelvic and pudendal nerves for deep nerve pathways that a standard MRI misses.

  5. My Body is Acting Like It's Pregnant, But I Cannot Conceive
    On top of the sexual numbness, my cycle and my hormones are in complete chaos. I have had very erratic, irregular periods since I was 12 years old, but ever since I gave birth, they have become incredibly heavy and are filled with small blood clots every single month.
    Lately, my body is playing a cruel psychological trick on me: my nipples have been intensely, non-stop sore for months. The only other time in my entire life that I have ever felt this specific, painful sensation was when I was actually pregnant with my daughter. Yet, I am still bleeding heavily at the end of every month. My recent tracked cycles were March 16 to 24, April 27 to an unknown date, and May 25 to June 2, 2026. My MRI also showed a small right ovarian lesion, which the doctors think is a hemorrhagic or complex cyst—the exact same kind of cyst I had before my first pregnancy that mysteriously disappeared while I was pregnant.
    I am now in a safe, loving relationship with a new partner. We are completely unprotected and have not used birth control for over a year since my emergency surgery, but nothing happens. I cannot get pregnant. My fertility has completely vanished. My body is sending all the physical signals of early pregnancy through my chest, yet it is completely failing to actually conceive. I am terrified that the trauma from the IUD ripping through my walls or the emergency surgery left permanent internal scar tissue that has closed off my reproductive system forever.

The Heartbreak of It All
I don’t understand why my life has been broken like this. Why can I achieve a physical orgasm but feel absolutely no joy from it? Why is my body mimicking pregnancy symptoms while refusing to actually let me conceive?
I have an appointment with a new gynecologist, but the waitlist is so long that I cannot be seen until November. If anyone has any insight into post-traumatic pelvic numbness, pudendal nerve irritation, abdominal scar tissue from a perforated IUD, or hormones that mimic pregnancy while causing fertility issues, please talk to me. I just want to feel whole again.


r/PGADsupport 7d ago

Female Physical solutions to what's prob PGAD

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

I've been having some problems with my pelvic floor recently, it's a bit embarrassing but i wanted to talk about it just to ask a question.

I've might have masturbated too much in those previous weeks (it's a response to stress i had for as long as i can remember) and in the past ours I've been experiencing some internal pulsation activity (out of nowhere) and it's not that it hurts, but those arousal-kinda of spasm are giving me the worst uncomfortable feeling.

In the past I've even experienced the same problem with my clit, I couldn't walk, or pee in peace, because it was overstimulated even without any sexual stimulation.

This feels like PGAD, but I'm not sure, i did talked about it some time ago with a gynecologist but she didn't told me much, my doctor told me to do some pelvic floor rehabilitation but rn i don't really have the money, or even worse, spending it on something i did to myself in the worst possible way. (not judgemental towards the topic, it's just the way i feel about it to myself)

Furtunaly this time, is more handleable, but does anyone have a remedy? Usually i just wait for it to be gone, like I did in the past, but i wish there was something fast just to feel better.

(yes i know i should also deal with this bad habit, it's very hard but i will do my best.)


r/PGADsupport 9d ago

Female My (Unlikely) PGAD Cause Discovered

24 Upvotes

This is a post of hope and discovery:

I am a medical provider myself who has endometriosis/adenomyosis/PCOS/May Thurner/pgad/interstitial cystitis... the works.

Out of complete desperation and panic from having 100 involuntary orgasms in 12 hours at the clinic, I went to an ER to get a CT abdomen/pelvis with contrast. Of course, the impression was largely negative, so I called my interventional radiologist, gave him the CD, and he found that my iliac vein has drained down around my S2-S3 so badly that the nerves in that area are understandably angry (I have a nickel allergy, so I cannot get a stent).

My symptoms are explained. I am not crazy. I now have a path moving forward, including injections and radio frequency ablations.

Do not stop advocating for yourself; be persistent.


r/PGADsupport 9d ago

Support Lysis of Clitoral Adhesions and PGAD

4 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to reach out to see if anyone with PGAD has undergone a lysis of clitoral adhesions procedure.  If so, did the procedure help with your PGAD symptoms, further exacerbate/worsen symptoms, or were there no improvement in symptoms at all? My gynaecologist has recommended this procedure as I have clitoral adhesions which they said may be contributing to my PGAD symptoms. I’m hesitant about going forward with the procedure as there’s not much research out there in terms of PGAD and clitoral adhesions so I would really appreciate any personal anecdotes. Thank you!


r/PGADsupport 9d ago

Female PGAD Treatments: What Worked, What Didn’t, and What Made Things Worse?

5 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I have PGAD and I’m trying to learn more about different treatment options. If you’ve tried treatments such as a pudendal nerve block, topical lidocaine, medications, pelvic floor physical therapy, surgery, or anything else, would you mind sharing your experience? What helped, what didn’t help, or what made your symptoms worse? I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences and any advice you have. Thank you!


r/PGADsupport 10d ago

Vent/rant Well endowed with pgad

5 Upvotes

I feel like in public I look so much more perverted or disgusting because I can’t hide the size of my penis, even without pgad its an issue but then pgad comes along and says “aw that’s rough buddy, let’s make it 10x worse”. I literally wear two pairs of underwear and are tight enough I feel like one of those watermelons with rubber bands from that trend a few years ago, it is so annoying and embarrassing any time I try to go outside


r/PGADsupport 10d ago

Female My skin is BURNING from head to toe! Is this a part of pgad?

2 Upvotes

I feel it mixed with some weird tickle sensation (arousal) and its very upsetting. Its like a mixture of that with an extreme sunburn feeling. If you wanna have a clue, its like having painful warm vapor rub underneath all my skins head to toe and I even get itchy a bit everywhere. Sometimes I could feel something go up into my belly area or spine and neck to. I hate waking up to the fact that this feels worse as soon as I wake up. All my blood gets hot and makes my skin feel like its throbbing and gonna explode. Sometimes I scratch it to make it bleed a bit because I can't take the suffering anymore. Does this happen to anyone else? It's like all the blood is pooled into all my limbs too. Idk what to do about it.


r/PGADsupport 10d ago

General Has anyone heard of this as a treatment method?

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3 Upvotes

r/PGADsupport 10d ago

Female PGAD or something else?

3 Upvotes

Recently in the middle of May I decided to try to switch my SSRI. I am a 31 F and have been on Fluvoxamine 200mg for 25 years, since the fifth grade. It killed my libido, unable to be aroused and no orgasms during that time of being on it. The switch to my new med went fine at first, I was tapering off of my old med to my new one, Trintellix. Successfully stopped my old med and went fully on Trintellix after two weeks. Insurance screwed me over and said I had to try two lower tiered meds first before they would cover, so at that two week mark I immediately started Sertraline. That’s when the problems started. The second day on that med I woke up with a horrible orgasm that lasted over ten minutes and wouldn’t go away. It caused me a horrible panic attack. At the beginning after that I kept waking up from orgasms (less intense than the first one). I started having genital sensitivity and a throbbing feeling down there. I stopped that med after two days and restarted 50mg of my old medication. The genital sensitivity and orgasms stopped but came back June 16th and it was really bad. Now I’m working my way back up very slowly to 200mg. I had my last sleep orgasm on the 19th of June. However the genital sensitively keeps coming and going. Is this PGAD? Or is this my body responding after never having a chance to have arousal all of my life. Please help, I can’t live like this, I’m riddled with anxiety and panic. I’m scared, I need support.


r/PGADsupport 11d ago

Female Constant genital arousal linked with bladder and digestion

10 Upvotes

To be honest I have no idea if I have this at all I only began to consider that I might but regardless if I do or not I'm really am struggling with this and I don't know what to do. I get unwanted arousal whenever my bladder is filling up which is basically every hour or so and also linked to digestion being ready to go. Basically my theory is that my bladder and colon are pressing up against my internal clitoris and just causing arousal all the time and I don't know how to deal with it. It doesn't help that I already struggle to orgasm in general and if I could choose I would just never have to deal with arousal at all it's not important to me. But it's distressing to constantly have these Sensations and I don't know what to do about it.


r/PGADsupport 11d ago

Female Pgad and SSRI and UTI pls help

3 Upvotes

Hello, I am a 19-year-old woman from Iran, and unfortunately, awareness and knowledge about this issue are probably limited here.

Some time after developing a urinary tract infection, I began experiencing tingling on the outside of my genital area and the surrounding skin.

The university entrance exam in Iran is extremely difficult, and you have to study theoretical material continuously for up to 12 hours a day, which causes a great deal of stress. In addition, I have OCD.

I saw a psychiatrist, who prescribed 50 mg of sertraline, also known as Zoloft. Today was my sixth day taking it. For the first three days, I took one-quarter of a tablet, and for the next three days, I took half a tablet.

Since yesterday, I have felt pressure in my labia, as well as some pain. I am also experiencing strange sensations in my vagina.

I discussed this with my psychiatrist, and they said that, in order to stop sertraline, I should take 10 mg of fluoxetine for three days. They said I would feel better afterward.

Now I am worried about my ability to study. Can I still succeed under these circumstances? Can I manage the symptoms with lidocaine ointment? Will I ever recover?

I am extremely worried.

I should also add that we are dealing with a war with the United States, as well as the ongoing tensions surrounding it.

I have also developed frequent urination, and the pressure I feel in my labia seems to be strongly related to whether my bladder is full or empty.

I honestly have no idea what this could be. Has anyone experienced anything similar?


r/PGADsupport 12d ago

Male Anyone else have any good coping methods?

3 Upvotes

I find that usually combing through my hair with my fingers helps me to distract myself or not feel stuff as much, but the issue is I’m practically ripping my hair out at times…

Anyone have a similar thing like a fidget?