Honeymoon Rhinitis

Honeymoon rhino, also known as honeymoon rhinitis, is a type of nasal allergy or rhinitis that occurs after sexual stimulation. It usually resolves itself. The mechanism by which it occurs and disappears on its own is unknown. A study reported 23 allergy sufferers (9 women and 14 men), all of whom had experienced 5–15 minutes of sneezing, rhinorrhea, and nasal obstruction immediately after (but never before or during) sexual intercourse. All 23 participants were made to climb two flights of stairs three times to simulate the energy expenditure during a sexual experience, but none of them developed rhinitis as a result of these tasks. The precise mechanism through which sex causes honeymoon rhinitis is unknown. Certain theories, however, have been proposed to explain the phenomenon.

During sexual arousal, the symptoms include nasal congestion, irritation, watery secretions, mucous membrane inflammation, running nose, and sneezing. Sexual thoughts and arousal cause these people to sneeze. Sneezing can occur at any time during the sexual experience, regardless of external nasal stimuli or allergens. People who already have nasal congestion due to allergies or other factors may experience worsening symptoms during this time.

Sneezing in response to sexual orgasm may be an inherited trait that runs in families. Sneezing was previously thought to be inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern and to be caused by parasympathetic system-dependent mechanisms. It may be difficult to know because parents and children rarely discuss these topics in general.