Sleep-Related Painful Erections Following Sexual Intercourse

Sleep-related painful erections (SRPE) is a rare disorder characterized by recurrent painful nocturnal erections during REM sleep in the absence of pain during daytime erections. Approximately 35 cases of SRPE have been reported in the literature, none of them associated with preceding sexual intercourse. We add the report of a 40-year-old patient with a 6-year history of SRPE which only, but always, occurred after sexual intercourse with ejaculation in the evening before. As a result, the frequency of intercourse diminished, causing relationship problems. A non-pharmacological solution was found in shifting the time of sexual intercourse. The patient refused any proposed pharmacological treatment, because of “not wanting to be a patient at his age.”