postorgasmic illness syndrome
Findings
No curated finding names postorgasmic illness syndrome yet. Everything below is reference data from Mondo, HPO and GenCC, not evidence about what affects it.
Definition
A rare condition in which a man develops flu-like symptoms after ejaculation (when semen is released from the penis). Specific symptoms can include extreme fatigue, weakness, feverishness or sweating, mood changes or irritability, memory or concentration problems, and/or a stuffy nose or itching eyes. Symptoms may occur within seconds, minutes, or a few hours after ejaculation. Most symptoms last for 2 to 7 days and go away on their own. The underlying cause of POIS is poorly understood. Some scientists believe it may be due to a semen allergy that causes an immediate hypersensitivity reaction. There is no standard treatment for POIS, but some men have been treated with SSRIs, antihistamines, and/or benzodiazepines. Hyposensitization therapy (decreasing the immune response by exposure to semen) reportedly improved symptoms in two men with POIS.
Definition from the Mondo Disease Ontology (MONDO:0017213), read 2026-09-29. CC BY 4.0.
Features
18 features
What the disease is reported to present with, and how often among people who have it — never how often a feature means the disease. HPO, annotations 2026-09-02.
- Abnormality of mental functionHPOHP:0011446
- Very frequent (80% to 99% of cases)
- FatigueHPOHP:0012378
- Very frequent (80% to 99% of cases)
- Abnormality of the noseHPOHP:0000366
- Frequent (30% to 79% of cases)
- FeverHPOHP:0001945
- Frequent (30% to 79% of cases)
- HeadacheHPOHP:0002315
- Frequent (30% to 79% of cases)
- HyperhidrosisHPO
Where it sits
Other names
1 name
Resolves to: postorgasmic illness syndrome
- Also called
- POIS