What Is PGAD?

Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder

Very often, patients have approached medical health professionals who have not heard of persistent genital arousal, and oftentimes their symptoms are dismissed. PGAD is a real disease and must be treated by professionals who have experience treating those who suffer with it.

Understanding PGAD & Pelvic Pain

What is Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder?

Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder, also known as PGAD Restless Genital Syndrome or Persistent Genital Arousal Syndrome, is a condition characterized by unrelenting, spontaneous, and uncontainable genital arousal. Arousal symptoms feel unbidden, intrusive, uninvited, and unwanted, and the symptoms cause distress.

Symptoms of Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder

The symptoms associated with persistent genital arousal can be painful, embarrassing, and difficult to manage. These symptoms typically last for hours or days and arousal symptoms are unrelated to any subjective sense of sexual excitement or desire.

PGAD in Men & Women

What Causes Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder?

While there are a number of causes for PGAD, it is important to understand that persistent genital arousal can be associated with underlying disorders:

It is also thought that pinching, compressing, or irritating a nerve called the pudendal nerve, which helps you feel sensations around your genitals, may cause PGAD.

  • icon

    Pelvic floor dysfunction

  • icon

    Chronic pelvic pain

  • icon

    Certain medications

  • icon

    Gynecological Disorders

  • icon

    Neurological Disorders

Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder

Risk Factors

Although the causes of persistent genital arousal can commonly be traced back to pelvic floor conditions, there are other conditions and lifestyle factors that can increase both a man’s and a woman’s chance of developing PGAD.

  • icon

    Gynecologic disorders

  • icon

    Pudendal Neuralgia

  • icon

    Repetitive Stress

  • icon

    Weaning off antidepressants

  • icon

    Tarlov Cyst

  • icon

    Post gynecologic surgeries

Do You Think You Have PGAD?

Diagnosing Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder

Diagnosing PGAD and the issues that are causing it requires an in-depth examination of both the nerves and muscles within the pelvis, learning of your medical history, and getting a full picture of your symptoms and lifestyle.

Here’s what you can expect when you are a patient at Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine:

  • icon

    Step One – First, our providers will ask questions about your medical history and listen to your symptoms to get a full picture of what is going on with you.

  • icon

    Step Two – Next, an external exam of your hips, abdomen, and posterior sacrum.

  • icon

    Step Three – Next, your pelvic nerves are evaluated externally with a soft cotton tip.

  • icon

    Step Four – Next, with your consent, gel is placed on a gloved finger and an internal exam is performed to allow us to evaluate the nerves and muscles within the pelvis. There is no speculum required as we are evaluating the pelvic floor muscles and nerves not the organs.

  • icon

    Step Five – Sometimes patients will need Imaging to help us understand if there is an associated cause of the pelvic nerve and muscle pain and dysfunction found on exam.

  • icon

    Step Six – Oftentimes, treatment can be started the same day as there is no down time. Our patients have been suffering with pelvic pain symptoms for 6+ months. We like to get them on the road to feeling better as soon as we can as the longer the symptoms are present the harder it is for us to resolve them.

Treatment Options for Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder

Once a proper diagnosis has been given, we offer a proprietary office-based procedure to treat the underlying causes of PGAD. This treatment consists of a series of pelvic nerve and muscle treatments to directly target the spastic pelvic floor muscles, inflammation in the pelvis, and nerve pain. Depending on the symptoms or condition causing your persistent genital arousal, other modalities may be needed in addition to our treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Experiencing persistent genital arousal can be difficult, but our team of pelvic pain specialists will listen to you, validate your experiences and symptoms, and partner with you on your rehabilitation journey.

The simple answer is yes, but the prognosis depends on the underlying causes of your symptoms. With our multimodal treatment approach, patients can experience increased pelvic function and decreased pain.

Tingling in the clitoris
Vaginal contractions
Vaginal lubrication

Pressure or fullness
Pounding or pulsating
Tingling or itching

We recommend scheduling an appointment with one of our pelvic pain specialists if you have been experiencing the symptoms of PGAD for longer than 6 months.

Unfortunately, PGAD is a chronic condition with no cure. With the PRM Protocol, PAD patients can experience increased pelvic function and decreased pain.
After the PRM Protocol, 88% of patients stated they missed 0 days of work due to their pelvic pain in the last 3 months.
After the PRM Protocol, 75% of patients stated their pelvic pain symptoms affected them 0 Hours per week while at work.
After the PRM Protocol, 96% of patients did not need to go to the ER for their pelvic pain in the past 3 months.
75% of our patients note a statistically significant improvement in pain and function.

You’ll meet with one of our pelvic pain specialists, who focuses solely on pelvic pain. We’ll start by reviewing your full health history, including a discussion of your symptoms. This will help us to understand what you’ve been experiencing, so we can work to identify the source of your pain.
Next, we’ll conduct a full pelvic exam. Externally, we will look at your hips, abdomen, and posterior sacrum. Internally, we will evaluate the nerves and the muscles within the pelvic area. This full exam is necessary, as it will help our pelvic pain specialists understand the connection between your symptoms, and your nerve and muscle pain and dysfunction. There is no speculum, so the exam is gentle and more comfortable than that of, for example, gynecological exams you may have experienced in the past.

Speak With A Professional Today.