There are many reasons married couples see their sex lives start to fizzle, but could a headache be one of them? It may be an overused excuse by some spouses to avoid time in the bedroom, but for others it's no excuse at all. Actually having sex can lead to excruciating headaches.

It's a true medical condition called coital headache. It's associated with an increase in blood flow. Sex headaches can last just a few minutes or several hours. It's a condition men are more likely to experience than their women.

The severity of the headache can range from hardly noticeable to as intense as a migraine. It's so bad that some people may avoid an orgasm to avoid an intense sex headache, but others say the pain is worth the pleasure.

While rare, a sex headache can be a sign of a more significant problem. According to the Mayo Clinic, sex headaches can actually be a precursor to a brain hemorrhage or stroke.

So what can you do to avoid sex headache? Try to take it slow and your let your partner take the lead. Ironically, some people use sex to relieve certain types of headaches, especially stubborn migraines.

If you do experience sex headache, you should talk with your doctor just to make sure it's not something serious. Your doctor can also prescribe certain medications to take before or after intimacy to help prevent or reduce a sex headache.