Sudden, severe pelvic and leg cramping after sex

January 24, 2007 10:09 AM

What could cause severe, sudden pelvic and leg cramping after sex in a healthy, definitely not pregnant 28 year old female?

I have no history of pain with sex, or any gynecological problems like endometriosis or STDs. My husband does not have any STDs either. So I was extremely surprised to have sudden, severe cramps in my pelvis and legs after sex recently. The cramps lasted maybe 20 minutes and went away on their own, after I laid quietly and had the heating pad on my pelvis. A day later, my lower back still feels slightly crampy, like a menstrual cramp, and my legs are a bit shaky. It was SO amazingly painful, the worst pain of my life--I started sweating and got very cold.
I called my gynecologist's office the next morning and spoke with a nurse. She said I can come in for an exam or not, but didn't think it was an emergency or cause for alarm. I'm satisfied with that, although if it happens again, I will schedule an exam.
I'm definitely not pregnant--I'm 100% compliant with my pills, which I've been on for the past 12 years, and a home pregnancy test confirmed that last night. All Google could tell me when searching on "cramps after sex" was either you're pregnant or you have endo. I've also heard of hormones in ejaculate causing cramping, but like I said, this has never happened, and we've had sex without a condom many, many times.
Has anyone else experienced this, and what kind of explanation did you get? Did it happen again?

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (9 comments total)

GO TO THE DOCTOR.

I'm really shocked that the nurse didn't thnk it was a big deal. My first thought was pelvic inflammation.
posted by agregoli at 10:34 AM on January 24, 2007

A few women have ovarian cysts that can become agitated during sex. A friend of mind has them, and after some run of the mill sex she got on a plane the next day and had one of them rupture while she was in mid-air. Fun fun.
posted by smallerdemon at 11:01 AM on January 24, 2007

I know you said that you have no STDs. But...what you describe sounds like symptoms some women have with chlamydia. (For which gyns don't always test, and you can have for quite awhile without symptoms.)
posted by desuetude at 11:24 AM on January 24, 2007

I second the ruptured ovarian cyst possibility, which causes an unbelievable amount of pain (with pain-induced sweating, chills, even vomiting) and then just goes away. Definitely get it checked out by a doctor, though.
posted by agent99 at 11:25 AM on January 24, 2007

I don't know if this is immediately after sex, but is it possible it was charley horses? I've gotten them in my legs during sex if I'm clenching too hard.
posted by loiseau at 11:52 AM on January 24, 2007

"Muscle cramps range in intensity from a slight tic to agonizing pain. A cramping muscle may feel hard to the touch and/or appear visibly distorted or twitch beneath the skin. A cramp can last a few seconds to 15 minutes or longer. It might recur multiple times before it goes away.

Why cramps happen

Although the exact cause of muscle cramps is unknown (idiopathic), some researchers believe inadequate stretching and muscle fatigue leads to abnormalities in mechanisms that control muscle contraction. Other factors may also be involved, including exercising or working in intense heat, dehydration and depletion of salt and minerals (electrolytes)."

IANAD, but could it be that you were dehydrated and exercising intensely?
posted by Carol Anne at 11:57 AM on January 24, 2007

It is possible for this to happen from just the 'exercising' aspects of sex. New position or unusual intensity might cause cramps. This might be why the nurse was blowing you off.

Do get checked though -- but no need to stress to much until then.
posted by yohko at 1:38 PM on January 24, 2007

Try looking up Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, which is the cause of the ovarian cysts mentioned above. They definitely can cause that kind of pain for that length of time.
posted by nursegracer at 9:15 PM on January 24, 2007

Someone once found my cervix fascinating (with his finger) while going down on me and it caused some of the worst pain I'd had since labor. It took about two days to go away. Was your cervix overstimulated?
posted by frecklefaerie at 6:46 AM on January 25, 2007