Kim Ramsey, 44, took a tumble one day that resulted in a condition in which just the slightest friction can lead her to orgasm. Termed Persistent Arousal Disorder (PGAD), this extremely rare condition keeps the British nurse on the verge of sexual climax, which inhibits her normal functioning.
“Doctors believe the incurable syndrome was caused by an accident in 2001 when she fell down some stairs,” reports the Daily Mail. “This may have led to a Tarlov cyst on her spine, at the point where a woman’s orgasm originates.”
It is possible, doctors assert, that this cyst enables Ramsey to have up to one hundred orgasms a day — some lasting for hours.
Her condition became acute four years ago when, after sex with a boyfriend, “I had constant orgasms for four days. I thought I was going mad,” she said.
To many women and men — especially those who find it difficult to achieve orgasm — this sounds like a gift. But to Ramsey, it’s a curse.
“While other women wonder about how to orgasm I wonder how to stop mine,” she related to the press. “It’s uncomfortable, painful and emotionally draining to constantly distract myself from this uncontrollable urge every day.”
This may sound fictitious, but doctors acknowledge the condition as real.
“PGAD sufferers experience intrusive, unsolicited and spontaneous genital arousal that can be unrelenting. This arousal can persist for hours, days or even longer,” sexual medicine expert Dr. David Goldmeier told the Mail. “This can be highly distressing for a woman and despite attempts to relieve it with sexual activity or orgasm, this often doesn’t help or can worsen the symptoms.”
Kim, who now lives in New Jersey, was officially diagnosed with the disorder in June. She awaits a September appointment with a PGAD specialist in London to get a prognosis for her condition. Until then, she suffers through having dozens of orgasms a day — in public and private — and the disruption PGAD causes in her intimate relationships.
For Ramsey, too many orgasms has led to deep misunderstandings with men, who prefer to see her disorder as ego-boosting evidence of their sexual prowess.
“At the moment I am able to work,” she said of how persistent arousal interferes with her life. “But without the correct treatment this condition can limit my ability to work. I don’t want that. It’s already destroyed my chance of having a relationship.”
Follow Alexis Garrett Stodghill on Twitter at @lexisb