Restless Genital Syndrome

In normal circumstances, a male gets the boner when/ if they are thinking or seeing something really sexy but what if a person gets physical aroused in the absence of a sexual stimulus? Sounds strange, right? Well there is a well-recognized disorder known as, restless genital syndrome in which a person experiences continuous genital arousal without any sexual stimulus or fascination.

The very first case of restless genital syndrome (also known as RGS) was reported last year in which the affected male claimed that he experiences orgasms without any sexual stimulation (1).

What Is Restless Genital Syndrome?

If you experience strong thumping or sexual excitation in the genitals without any sexual stimulus, then you might be suffering from the restless genital syndrome. The symptoms of RGS are not the same in every individual. Besides sexual excitation, other symptoms of RGS are:

• Genital discomfort
• Irritation
• Congestion
• Tingling
• Itching
• Pain

One can get aroused while lying down or sitting on couch or even when riding a bike! The physical arousal due to RGS is unwanted and forceful instead of being pleasant. Many people forcefully induce orgasm when this undesirable arousal strikes, because they believe that this is the only way to relieve or get over the disturbing sensation.

What Causes Restless Genital Syndrome?

Restless genital syndrome has been diagnosed in only a few men and less than 1% women. There might be other victims too which have not yet discussed about their problem. This is mainly because in this situation most men think that their libido is higher than the normal population and therefore they get these unwanted boners.

Right now it is difficult for doctors to highlight the exact cause of RGS, but so far they have come up with the most possible logic that there is some abnormality in the nerves that carries the sensations towards penis. The nerve signals in penis reach to the brain and gives the message that there is something sexually appealing while in reality there is nothing like that.

Doctors also believe that restless leg syndrome and restless genital syndrome might be associated. Both are neurological disorders that produces a thumping sensation in the affected organ (2). According to another study reported in the JAMA Neurology journal (2), investigators suggested that RGS is associated with Parkinson’s disease and should be included in the differential diagnosis of such disorders.

How Does It Affect You?

According to doctors, RGS does not have any negative impact on the overall health but it may affect you psychologically. Getting sudden physical arousals anytime anywhere for no reasons can burden you mentally. It can also put you in embarrassing or awkward situation. If these sensations becomes robust, it may badly affect your social and personal life. If you feel that RGS is interfering with the quality of your life; then you must immediately consult a doctor.

Management Of RGS

Since, the exact etiology is not clear therefore, there is no standard treatment to address the symptoms of RGS. But a class of anti-depressants; i.e. selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can be advised to manage the symptoms; because SSRIs have a side effect of lowering the sexual drive; making sexual excitation and ejaculation difficult.

Some men have also reported that their symptoms relieved after taking low doses of drugs that are used for the management of restless leg syndrome and Parkinson’s disease. But, it is not necessary that these drugs will relieve your symptoms as well. It is therefore highly recommended to speak to a sex health expert to learn what treatment strategies will be helpful in your case.

References

1. Serefoglu, E. C. (2016). P-03-074 Restless genital syndrome in a 38-year-old man: A case report. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 13(5), S210.

2. Aquino, C. C., Mestre, T., & Lang, A. E. (2014). Restless genital syndrome in Parkinson disease. JAMA neurology, 71(12), 1559-1561.

3. Suzuki, K., Miyamoto, T., Hirata, K., & Miyamoto, M. (2015). Pathophysiological similarity between restless genital syndrome and restless legs syndrome in Parkinson's disease. Rinsho shinkeigaku= Clinical neurology, 55(11), 848-849.