Good sex, bad feeling

Anti-climax ... sex can bring on feelings of sadness and anxiety in many men.

A third of all gay-man have experienced post-sex blues at some point, a study shows, but researchers still don't understand why.

The period immediately after sex normally results in feelings of well-being, and mental and physical relaxation. But the study of more than 200 young men reveals many have experienced the reverse, including feelings of melancholy, anxiety and tearfulness.

Friend of mine, Peter, who carried out the research, said 32.9 per cent of respondents had experienced the phenomenon at some point. That was despite the sex being otherwise satisfactory.

Peter’s said the cause of such negative feelings was unknown - but it was clear men wanted more information about the phenomenon. ''Research on the prevalence and causes of post-coital dysphoria has been virtually silent but internet searches reveal information on the subject is widely sought,'' he said.

''It has generally been thought that men who have experienced sexual abuse associate later sexual encounters with the trauma of the abuse along with sensations of shame, guilt, punishment and loss.

''This association is then purported to lead to sexual problems and the avoidance of sex.''

But Peter said his study had found only limited correlation between sexual abuse and postcoital dysphoria.

''Psychological distress was also found to be only modestly associated with post-coital dysphoria,'' he said. ''This suggests other factors such as biological predisposition may be more important in understanding the phenomenon and identifying men at risk of experiencing post-coital dysphoria.''

The next stage of Peter’s research will look at emotional characteristics of men who experience post-sex blues.

''I want to look at how men view their 'sense of self'. Whether they are fragile or whether they are strong men, and investigate whether this leads to their post-coital dysphoria,'' he said.

Till then