An unusual question has been raised online which may resonate with you or sound totally ridiculous.
When your nipples are touched do you suddenly feel sad for no reason?
While many people get pleasure from having their nipples stimulated some are suffering from the strange phenomenon now dubbed “sad nipple syndrome”.
One such sufferer goes by the name of @fairygender on TikTok – and he made a video to seek out fellow minded individuals.
He said: “LMAO this is so weird but… does anyone else feel EXTREME sadness when u touch your nipples?
“Pls this can’t just be me like I touch those mfs even by accident and suddenly I’m depressed.”
It seems it’s not just him as thousands of people commented on the video that they had felt morose, melancholy, upset or downright strange when their nipples are touched.
One person commented: “It’s like a really weird sinking feeling like impending doom or really bad nostalgia I hate it.”
“It’s almost like disgust with myself or sadness,” added another.
While a woman said: “It’s like homesickness and guilt.”
Beth, 27, told the Metro that she’d had the feeling since she was a child.
She explained: “Homesick is exactly it.
“And mournful.
“It’s usually just a flash of that feeling, so it’s not like it affects my life in any way – although I don’t like any kind of nipple touching during sex because it just ruins it instantly.”
But, what causes sad nipple syndrome?
Well, apparently nobody knows – it hasn’t really been looked into.
However, some doctors have suggested it may be related to dysphoric milk ejection reflex – a medical condition where women feel negativity, sadness or self-loathing during and after breastfeeding.
Sreedhar Krishna, a consultant dermatologist, said that there is some evidence which suggests there is a small drop in the pleasure chemical dopamine when the nipple is stimulated in these cases.
Dr Deborah Lee at Dr Fox Pharmacy told the Metro: “Dysphoric milk ejection reflex (D-MER) is described as a brief feeling of negativity/self-loathing at the time of breastfeeding associated with the milk let-down reflex.
“This might be because nipple stimulation leads to a reduction in levels of dopamine, a brain neurotransmitter which governs mood.
“Whether nipple stimulation when not breastfeeding can have similar effects, is unknown.
“In theory, any nipple stimulation could affect mood, and sexual function.”
Dr Giuseppe Aragona, GP and Online Doctor for PrescriptionDoctor.com, added: “It is largely unclear as to why these feelings of sadness or unrest occur.
“Those who experience sad nipple syndrome have noted that when their nipples are touched or aroused, either by themselves or another person, they experience feelings of sadness, dread, depression, anxiety or even nausea.
“One possibility for why this happens could be that those with very sensitive nipples find the sudden release of endorphins from having their nipples touched may in turn cause dysphoria.”
However, while it seems fairly normal there is almost no research into sad nipple syndrome bar a few case reports.
If you’re suffering with D-MER while breastfeeding you can visit d-mer.org for support.