Usually things in the bedroom happen in a certain order. You get sexually aroused from things you see, feel and touch, then your body responds and you have an orgasm.

It’s all quite exciting in more ways than one.

But sometimes, you have an orgasm out of the blue, with absolutely nothing triggering it.

This is not quite as exciting.

For many, its actually frustrating, embarrassing and even painful.

Such a condition is known as persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD) — or persistent sexual arousal syndrome.

Here’s everything you need to know about this strange disorder including symptoms and ways to treat it.

What is Permanent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD) and is my sex drive normal?

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People with persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD) become sexually aroused without any sexual activity or stimulation.

This means they can feel all the signs of arousal like swelling of the vagina and throbbing in the genital area, resulting in a near-constant orgasm.

PGAD can cause you to feel aroused for hours, days, or weeks at a time, and can be quite disruptive to your daily life.

Having an orgasm gives temporary relief, but the symptoms often return and can also be accompanied by pain in the pelvis, buttocks and legs.

Besides physical symptoms, the nature of the condition can sometimes strain relationships and cause mental stress and feelings of depression or anxiety.

Other common symptoms of PGAD include:

• face and neck becoming red or flushed
• abnormally high blood pressure
• abnormally high heart rate
• shallow, rapid breathing
• muscle spasms throughout the body
• blurred or spotty vision
• pain in your genital area, especially the clitoris or penis shaft

Doctors are still working to learn all the possible causes of PGAD, but the disorder has been linked to psychological concerns, including stress, hormonal changes, side effects to medication and genital infections.

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Research also shows that nerves may play a role in the disorder.

Many women with the condition were found to have cysts on the nerves near the base of their spine, while another was found to have a herniated disc.

Can both men and women get PGAD?

PGAD is more common in women than men, though there have been reported cases of men suffering from it as well.

When men have this condition, it's can result in priapism — which occurs when a man has an erection lasting several hours or more — even without anything sexually arousing causing the erection.

How is PGAD treated?

Doctors treat PGAD on the basis of what appears to be causing the persistent arousal.

In certain cases, masturbation to orgasm may reduce some of the symptoms, but this is not a solution especially since frequent masturbation to relieve PGAD may actually make symptoms worse or last longer.

If doctors are sure of the exact cause – for example a cyst – they'll focus on treating that specific cause. But if they are unsure, treatments will be mainly focused on managing symptoms.

Some treatments include:

• Pelvic massage
• Numbling gels
• Ice or ice baths
• Acupressure
• Muscle relaxants

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