Sufferers find the condition distressing and intrusive.

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SYDNEY: Mention sexual disorders, and most people think of a lack of physical arousal, such as erectile dysfunction or inability to orgasm. But a small group of women have the opposite problem: persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD).

Women with PGAD have physical feelings of arousal that can last for days or weeks - and are in some cases constant. They describe the sensations as congested, throbbing and tingling, with an intensity that ranges from uncomfortable and distracting to painful.

PGAD is often confused with hypersexuality. But unlike hypersexual individuals, PGAD sufferers have the physical effects of arousal without any of the desire. Instead, they find them distressing and intrusive, but are often too embarrassed to seek help.

First reported in 2nd century?

Something that appears like PGAD was noted by Ancient Greek physician, Soranus of Ephesus, in the 2nd century. But it wasn't diagnosed by
modern medicine until 2001 when Sandra Leiblum, a psychiatrist at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, USA, wrote about the syndrome in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy.

Age is no barrier to experiencing PGAD, Leiblum found: one of her patients was 81 years old, and in a later study, another woman recounted having episodes when she was a small child.

Leiblum couldn't tell what caused PGAD initially, but since then a bewildering array of causes have been found: treatment with antidepressants, too much blood to the genitals, phyto-oestrogen in the diet and even the after-effects of a stroke.

Sometimes surgery is needed

Some women are easily treated by modifying their diet, halting medication or applying anaesthetic creams, while others require surgery to correct blood supply or remove brain lesions.

For most, though, there is no straightforward cure, says David Goldmeier, an expert on sexual medicine at Imperial College in London. For these women, cognitive behaviour therapy can help them change the way they think about their condition.

"By restructuring belief systems about the meaning of genital sensations … these woman can increase their coping skills," he says.

Researchers aren't sure how prevalent PGAD is, though some estimates suggest it afflicts 1% of women. One thing experts are sure of is that it's massively under-reported. After all, "would you go to a doc to complain of it?," says Goldmeier.