Systematic Review Highlights Treatment Options for Postorgasmic-Illness-Syndrome
Systematic Review of POIS Treatments Published
A new systematic review published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine provides the most comprehensive overview to date of treatment options for postorgasmic-illness-syndrome (POIS). Researchers analyzed dozens of publications to evaluate which therapies have been tested and how effective they are for patients suffering from this rare but highly debilitating condition.
Research Scope and Methods
The scientists screened international medical databases and applied strict selection criteria. Out of 58 identified publications, only 14 studies met the inclusion requirements, covering:
- case reports
- cohort studies
- cross-sectional studies
Interestingly, while POIS is usually reported in men, two studies investigated women, demonstrating that the syndrome may not be limited to one sex.
Treatments Investigated
The review highlighted a wide range of attempted treatments, including:
- Medications: antihistamines, steroids, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
- Immunological approaches: autologous semen injections, allergen-specific immunotherapy.
- Surgical interventions: mentioned in isolated case reports.
Despite these efforts, no single treatment proved consistently effective.
Limited Success and Expert Observations
Although POIS significantly disrupts quality of life, effective therapies remain elusive. According to the review, only about 18% of experts report that more than 30% of their patients experience noticeable improvement in symptoms. This underscores the lack of standardized treatment recommendations.
Call for More Research
The authors stress that much more research is urgently needed to understand the underlying mechanisms of postorgasmic-illness-syndrome and to develop effective therapies. However, there is room for optimism:
- The number of POIS studies is steadily increasing,
- international collaboration is improving data quality,
- new approaches are under investigation, bridging immunology, neurology, and sexual medicine.
As the review concludes, each step forward brings the medical community closer to identifying reliable treatment options for POIS patients worldwide.
Source
The full-text article is available open access:
- Ponce S, Chapalamadugu M, Levine S, Stokes C, Radillo K, Johnson O, Bronson I, Rubin RS. Treatments for post-orgasmic illness syndrome: a systematic review. The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2025;22(7):1236–1243.
🔗 Read the study here
Additional POIS-related publications can also be found in our “Literature” section.