Background: Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) has been reported in association with sexual activity. A case-series of patients with ICH following sexual activity is presented to further elucidate the role of the physiologic sexual response as a trigger of ICH.
Method: A retrospective review of the medical record was performed, identifying patients presenting with ICH temporally related to sexual activity. Clinical and radiographic data were collected and reported.
Results: Sixteen patients presented with non-traumatic ICH temporally related to sexual activity. Eight (50 %) patients presented with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, four (25 %) with angiogram-negative subarachnoid hemorrhage, two (12.5 %) with a ruptured arteriovenous malformation, and two (12.5 %) with an intracerebral basal ganglia hemorrhage. Overall average age was 49.9 (range, 28-74) years. Sexual activity involved male-female intercourse in 14 (87.5 %) patients and masturbation in 2 (12.5 %) patients.
Conclusions: Sexual-activity-related ICH is rare and includes various etiologies. The human sexual response in associated with dramatic increases in arterial blood pressure, which likely underlies the association.
Keywords: Coitus; Hemorrhage; Sex; Sexual activity; Stroke.