May 15, 2000 -- In most cases, headaches that occur after intercourse, medically known as coital cephalalgia, are benign and are not a symptom of anything serious. Even so, they can be quite painful.

To get relief from the pain, you should see your doctor, who can also rule out anything more serious. Your doctor will likely ask you questions about the headaches themselves -- whether you get them only after sex or also during or after other exertion. Assuming that sexual headache is the diagnosis, your doctor will probably tell you that these headaches are very common and that they usually occur right after orgasm due to the sudden change in blood flow and blood pressure.

During the arousal phase, your extremities -- including your head -- fill with blood. Following orgasm, there is a sudden drop in this pressure. In your case, it sounds like the pressure drop is accompanied by pain.

Just to rule out anything serious, your doctor may order tests such as a computed tomography (CT) scan, a special X-ray. In this case, the doctor is checking to be sure there are no problems with the blood vessels in the brain. If the tests come back normal, and it is likely they will, you could ask your doctor about taking an over-the-counter pain reliever before having sex. Or your doctor may prescribe medicine for you to take.

You might also seek out a headache specialist, or even check out a headache clinic. The doctors at such clinics might have more specific suggestions for you and will know which drugs have been shown to be most effective for post-sex headache relief.

Sandor Gardos, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and sex therapist. He is a former post-doctoral fellow of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, and a former research scientist at the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, New York.

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