Do you feel like crying after sex? You've got post-coital dysphoria

Feeling depressed after having sex? You're not alone. Photo: Shutterstock/IndiaPicture

You know that excitement with which you anticipate getting intimate with your partner? While the experience is a fulfilling one filled with pleasure, you might not feel the same way (not even close) post the act is over.

Chances are that you feel tearful, sad, anxious, aggressive, agitated or melancholic after having sex. We are talking about consensual sex here, ladies. So there's no trauma or pain involved. And it's not like you don't enjoy the act or end up regretting it. But you just feel sad once it's over.

This condition which is likely to occur after a sexual intercourse is medically known as post-coital dysphoria (PCD) and is a rather commonly-experienced one. So if you too face the blues after having sex, don't worry, you are not alone.

Also read: Love me but don't touch me: All you need to know about overcoming sexual frigidity.

According to a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, 46% of the female participants showed PCD symptoms at least once in their lifetime. In fact, in another Australian study published in the International Journal of Sexual Health in 2011, one-third of the participants admitted to feeling depressed even after having satisfactory sex.

Even though this is still a little-understood phenomenon, the sadness is usually blamed on the sense of separation and a fear of abandonment post a physical union with your partner.

The fear of abandonment and separation can lead to PCD. Photo: Shutterstock/IndiaPicture

Denise Knowles, sex therapist and counsellor at relationships charity Relate, told The Independent: "Having sex is a hugely intimate act and an orgasm releases lots of wonderful feel-good bonding hormones. Those hormones drop following the peak of an orgasm, and as you separate from the closeness that brought it about, a sense of sadness can follow."

Also read: Do you live in constant fear of getting raped? You are not alone.

Yes, this condition is normal, but only if you experience it once in a while. If it persists, it is advisable to visit a counselor and seek professional help. After all, sex is meant to be enjoyed, not to stress over.