Postorgasmic-Illness-Syndrome: First major study in the US
The first large-scale study investigating postorgasmic-illness-syndrome was launched in June 2025 in the US. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was delayed by five years. Originally, the first test subject was supposed to be examined on the first day of the lockdown in the US. However, the study had to be postponed indefinitely. Now, a new attempt is being made. The selection process is currently underway and the first participant has already been through the research laboratory. This has raised high hopes in the POIS community.
The study is being conducted by scientists Tierney Lorenz from the University of Lincoln-Nebraska (UNL) and Nicole Prause from the University of California (UCLA). Neuroscientist Prause is the founder of the independent Liberos Institute and has been researching brain activity and orgasm for years. Lorenz is a psychologist at UNL, where she heads the “Laboratory for Women, Immunity, and Sexual Health.” Her previous research has focused on women’s immune responses during ovulation—an exciting basis for the current POIS study.
Why is the system going haywire?
A total of 100 men are being studied, half of whom have post-orgasmic illness syndrome and the other half are a “healthy” control group, i.e., without POIS. Most of the research will take place in Prause’s laboratory in California.
The aim of the study is to investigate the role of the nervous system, hormones, and the immune system in the development of POIS symptoms and to better understand the mechanisms behind the disease. To this end, various data are measured before and after orgasm and numerous biomarkers are examined, including inflammation values associated with cytokines. Cognitive factors are also taken into account, the sympathetic nervous system is examined, and electrographic values are recorded using an EEG. The focus is on what happens in the brain during male orgasm and why the system goes haywire in POIS, in order to draw conclusions about normal function.
“If we understand how something in the body becomes unbalanced, we can also better understand how it works,” Lorenz explains the research approach. The aim is to identify the causes in order to develop better treatment options.
Largest study on male orgasm to date
Understanding POIS could not only help those affected, but also provide new insights into the physiology of male orgasm and sexual health in general. According to Prause, there has been no major study on male orgasm to date:
„This study is every neuroscientist’s dream, because much of the data has never been collected in men before. Hard to believe in 2025. So, in addition to POIS research, we are also conducting important basic research on the male orgasm.“
Financed through crowdfunding
The study is funded by the North American Organization for Rare Diseases (NORD), the Fulton Family Foundation, and also through crowdfunding. A total of $31,000 was raised through the patient forum www.poiscenter.com to make the study possible. According to Prause, this shows the high level of suffering among men. The initial impetus for such a study also came from the community itself.
POIS is a rare condition that affects men and women after ejaculation or orgasm. Those affected develop flu-like symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, sore throat, and nasal congestion. Many sufferers also report extreme fatigue, depressive moods, and severe cognitive impairments such as brain fog and concentration or memory problems. The symptoms can last for several days, in some cases even weeks.
Sources:
1. “Crowdfunded grant will help UNL researcher study sex-related condition,” Lincoln Journal Star, June 26, 2019; last accessed on May 19, 2025.