High inflammation levels linked to greater sexual satisfaction and more orgasms? Study finds strange link

Study indicates that individuals with higher inflammation levels may experience sexual satisfaction and orgasms when motivated to connect with their partners.

Could higher levels of inflammation be associated with greater sexual satisfaction and a higher frequency of orgasms? A new study has uncovered that individuals with higher levels of inflammation might be motivated to be close to seek the company of people they love and trust, which could extend to sexual intimacy between partners as well.

The researchers found that those with higher inflammation levels tended to report greater sexual satisfaction and more orgasms. (Pexels)

It is a hypothesis which is quite different from what earlier studies suggested - when under inflammation, a person often starts manifesting “sickness behaviour,” which is characterised by social withdrawal.

Sex, orgasms and inflammation

Sex plays an important role in both our individual lives and social relationships. People have sex to reduce stress, experience pleasure, and more. Furthermore, their ability to have and enjoy sex also gets impacted by physical conditions, like inflammation (our body's immune response to injury, infection, or stress).

In a new study published in Brain Behavior and Immunity, author Tatum A. Jolink found that higher levels of systemic inflammation might be associated with better sexual well-being in a romantic relationship. The researchers studied 158 individuals between 18 and 55 years of age, 84% of whom were women. They had to have been in a committed, exclusive romantic relationship for at least six months prior to the study.

People's ability to have and enjoy sex gets impacted by physical conditions, like inflammation. (Freepik)

They participated in three lab visits, one every two weeks over the course of a month. There, they provided blood samples, which the researchers used to measure C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (a protein produced by the liver in response to inflammation). They also completed a survey assessing sexual satisfaction and how motivated they were to enhance their connection with their partner versus avoiding them.

Conclusion

The study found that inflammation was not associated with sexual satisfaction, orgasms, or frequency of sex when all participants were considered. However, when individuals who wanted to enhance their connection with their partner were studied, the researchers found that those with higher inflammation levels tended to report greater sexual satisfaction and more orgasms in the past month.

“Inflammation alone may not drive people toward – or away from – having satisfying, orgasm-filled sex. Instead, individuals highly motivated to reap the rewards of having a romantic partner may have more rewarding sexual experiences with that partner as they experience higher levels of inflammation,” the study authors concluded.