For a whole week, Ruth spent her nights staring into the darkness. She could not sleep.
“I have thought about it, and it can only be witchcraft. I’m sorry, but it is weird, and I cannot find any other explanation,” she said when she came to the sexology clinic.
Her eyes were red and swollen. She may have been crying, or perhaps it was simply lack of sleep.
“Whatever it is, I am sure we can find a solution. Let us talk about it,” I said reassuringly. Ruth hesitated, turned her head to check that no one was eavesdropping in the consultation room, then, fidgeting uneasily with her fingers and toes, she whispered,
“No, no, no!” she exclaimed emphatically.
Ruth was 30 years old, married, and had two children, the youngest just a year old. Her pregnancies had come in quick succession, with only an eleven-month age gap between the children.
“I never resumed my monthly periods after the first delivery. I conceived immediately,” she explained.
Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and caring for her babies at home led to significant weight gain. She added 10 kilos to her pre-pregnancy weight. Friends urged her to “shape up,” warning that she risked losing her husband’s interest. Feeling pressured, she started going to the gym.
“And that is when the witchcraft became apparent to me,” she said, slipping back into her anxious state.
Is that really an orgasm you’re having at the gym? Photo | Photosearch
On her first day at the gym, she experienced unusual sexual arousal while doing abdominal exercises.
“On the second day, the excitement peaked, and I climaxed,” she explained. She was stunned but composed herself and continued exercising.
“Then, it happened again, more intensely. I screamed and groaned,” she said, her voice growing hoarse as tears welled in her eyes. “I noticed everyone had stopped exercising and was staring at me as my body jerked.”
Ruth is among the men and women who experience orgasm during exercise. This phenomenon is known as coregasm, or exercise-induced orgasm. It is estimated that about 10 per cent of women experience coregasm, while many more report heightened sexual arousal during physical activity.
Coregasm most commonly occurs during abdominal workouts, weightlifting, and cycling, but it can also happen during yoga, hiking, or even brisk walking.
It is important to note that coregasm is not a disease. Although more research is needed to fully understand its physiology, it appears to result from the interaction of muscle contractions and nerve stimulation during exercise, which can inadvertently activate the body’s sexual response system. In such cases, muscles and nerves associated with orgasm synchronise, producing a non-sexual orgasm.
“But doctor, what do you think my husband will say if he learns that I climaxed in the gym? Remember, the gym instructor is a man,” Ruth interjected.
Coregasm has nothing to do with infidelity. The mind and emotions are not involved; one does not need to be thinking about sex for it to occur. That is why it is often referred to as an accidental orgasm. It can occur in both sexes. In men, it can even happen without an erection, as it is an involuntary response caused by muscle and nerve stimulation.
As Ruth left the clinic, she accepted that certain exercises might not suit her. Fortunately, there are alternative workouts she can adopt, ones less likely to trigger such reactions and spare her an unexpected orgasm at the gym.
