Dutch Woman Suffers Foot Orgasms Six Times a Day - World’s First Case

A 55-year-old woman from Netherlands is the world's first case to suffer from a unique neurological condition that causes unwanted orgasms in her foot.

The woman, who is referred to as Mrs A, experienced sudden orgasmic sensations without any stimulation in her left foot.  She experienced such unwanted orgasms at least five to six times a day.

Mrs. A reported that the orgasmic sensations started in her left foot and traveled up her leg to her genital area and she experienced an orgasm similar to one that is achieved during sex. Her case was so unique that a proper study of her condition was conducted.

According to the study, author Dr. Marcel D. Waldinger a neuropsychiatrist and professor in sexual psychopharmacology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, the orgasms were extremely embarrassing and worrying to the woman. She felt terrible about it, reports LiveScience. It was Dr. Waldinger who treated the woman.  

The woman started to experience these orgasmic sensations after she underwent a treatment for a sepsis infection in her foot one and a half years ago. Initially, the doctors assumed the sensation was due to partial nerve regeneration where the brain was not able to differentiate between the sensations appearing from the foot and her genitals.

According to the researchers, the sensory information from the foot and vagina enter the spinal cord at the same level. Because of the damage caused to the nerve in the foot, Mrs. A's brain misinterpreted foot stimulation as originating from the vagina.

The MRI scans conducted on the woman's brain and her foot revealed no abnormalities. But further tests spotted a difference between the nerves in the left and right foot. When her left foot was stimulated with an electric current it induced spontaneous orgasms in her foot, reports LiveScience.

To relieve Mrs. A from this abnormality, the doctors decided to inject anesthesia into one of her spinal nerves that receives information from the foot. This helped to stop the orgasms immediately. It has been eight months since the woman was treated and she has not reported any recurrence of the disorder. If the symptoms return she will need to take another anesthetic injection.

"It's not psychological. It's a neurological thing - we can explain it, we can treat it, " Waldinger told Livescience.

Dr. Waldinger and his colleagues have created a website to reach out to other women who may be suffering from the same condition but are embarrassed to discuss about it. They have also published their study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.