A woman almost died from an orgasm, medics have revealed in a new case report. The ‘pop’ she felt in her chest during sex turned out to be a life-threatening injury to her main artery.
The unidentified 45-year-old was having sex with her husband with her legs ‘pressed against her chest’.
She felt the strange popping sensation when she climaxed, which was accompanied by a sudden, stabbing pain near her heart.
Tests carried out when she got to her local hospital in Mississippi revealed her blood pressure was 220/140mmHg.
Doctors found a leak in her aorta, the largest artery carrying blood through the body, which is over an inch in diameter.
A woman nearly died after feeling a ‘pop’ in her chest during an orgasm that turned out to be a serious injury to an artery
What is an aortic intramural hematoma and how can they be caused by sex?
An aortic intramural hematoma is when blood leaks through the inner wall of the artery and gets trapped by the outer wall.
High blood pressure coupled with soaring heart rates — such as those caused by sex — can trigger a leak, if the vessel is already weakened.
Doctors say it is more likely in intercourse when people are cheating, having sex with a prostitute or masturbating.
The loss of blood flow means there is less oxygen for vital organs like the brain, kidneys and even the heart, which can be deadly.
If left untreated, up to half of patients progress to a full tear of the aorta — which can kill instantly, with the risk of death increases by 1 per cent every hour without medicine.
Her condition, medically known as aortic intramural haematoma, can lead to a full tear of the aorta if untreated, which kills up to 40 per cent of sufferers instantly.
It occurs in an area of the aorta that has been weakened over time, which can be due to having high blood pressure.
High-intensity weightlifting is already a known risk factor because of the extra pressure it puts on blood vessels.
Doctors who treated her claim the ‘shear stress’ of sex can also make a weakened aorta vulnerable to leaking.
She was discharged after three days after being given blood pressure-lowering drugs.
But medics at Merit Health Wesley in Hattiesburg warned the bizarre cause of her issue could have meant she was not diagnosed quickly enough to avoid long-term complications.
At the time of the injury, her back became hot and she felt a tightening in her chest, leaving her panicked and feeling sick.
The women, who was not named, rushed to the hospital, where she told doctors her pain levels were 10 out of 10.
She was given morphine and fentanyl to soothe her pain.
Dr William Bryan Bishop III and the team asked her about her medical history, which revealed she had smoked for nearly two decades.
High blood pressure coupled with soaring heart rates — such as those triggered by sex — can trigger a leak in the aorta.
It usually only occurs in areas of the blood vessel that have been severely weakened already.
If left untreated, up to half of patients progress to a full tear of the aorta — which can kill instantly, with the risk of death increases by 1 per cent every hour without medicine.
The loss of blood flow means there is less oxygen for organs like the brain, kidneys and even the heart, which can be deadly.
A full tear — known as aortic dissection — is incredibly rare, with only five to 30 cases per million people occurring in a year. It is more common in men aged 60 and over.
Emergency doctors quickly consulted with the surgery team, who decided it would be better to treat her with medication first.
She did not have to under the knife, which is usually reserved for when the leak is closer to the heart.
The team said the woman’s rare case can help doctors treat similar patients in future.
The wrote: ‘An aortic intramural hematoma in 45-year-old woman during sexual intercourse, as seen in the patient in our case, is not a commonly reported occurrence.
‘Understanding the physiologic changes and stress of sexual intercourse and how this effects hemodynamics can help predict adverse outcomes in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular risk factors.’
