Allergies in the bedroom: can you be allergic to intimate contact?

30th December 2019

Allergies in the bedroom: can you be allergic to intimate contact?

Spending intimate time with someone is a regular part of human life. But some women have complained they’re allergic to intimate contact – such as sex – with men. It sounds unbelievable, but there is research to suggest sex can trigger a legitimate allergic reaction. The reasons why are astonishing.

What is a ‘sex allergy’?

When people complain of a ‘sex allergy’, it’s actually an allergy to semen. It’s a very rare condition, but it does happen. The symptoms can include itching, burning, and swelling in the genitals. In more severe cases, the hives and swelling might appear elsewhere on the body and some women may experience difficulty breathing. 

Some people may mistake these symptoms as a sexually transmitted disease, or a similar infection. But, what is often specific to allergies is the time it takes for symptoms to appear. Typically, symptoms occur within 30 minutes of intercourse. But, in rare cases, they can be hours or even days later adding more confusion to the mix. 

What causes a semen allergy?

A study found out of 1,073 women who sought information on semen allergy, 130 had the allergy. Some women were only allergic to specific partners, while others were allergic to all. 

The compounds in the semen that appear to trigger allergic reactions seem to be proteins from the prostate gland. However, women aren’t always allergic to the semen itself, but rather chemicals in the semen from food, drinks, or medications the man has ingested. This is even rarer than an allergy to semen itself. Around half of women with a semen allergy have other allergies too, like hay fever or a nut allergy, for example. 

Treatments

You can successfully treat a semen allergy. Allergy doctors can help women desensitise themselves to the body fluid by applying diluted samples every 20 minutes over several hours. Another option is to receive allergy shots containing small amounts of the fluid over several weeks. Both treatments require regular intercourse to train the immune system. 

An allergy to semen can be unpleasant. It affects sensitive parts of the body, can inhibit a good sex life, and can put the breaks on any planned pregnancy. But there are treatments available. No one, no matter the allergy, should suffer in silence.

If you’re struggling with strange allergy symptoms, it’s best to speak to one of our professional consultants. They will test you to see what you’re allergic to. Then they can come up with the best course of treatment to get you back on track again. All you need to do is book an appointment online or call us on 0203 143 3449.

3 strange but very real allergies and sensitivities

14th June 2018

3 strange but very real allergies and sensitivities

The release of the film Midnight Sun this year, had a lot of people questioning “are sun allergies real?” It’s about a girl who has a life-threatening sensitivity to sunlight. We should point out that allergies and sensitivities are not the same things, although both can produce very similar symptoms. In the case of Midnight Sun, the character has neither. Rather her condition is based on xeroderma pigmentosum. It’s a rare genetic disorder where the skin cannot heal itself after damaging exposure to UV light. Any exposure to the sun is forbidden.

Despite this, allergic reactions and sensitivities to sunlight do exist. It’s strange that something so natural and fundamental to life can cause such nasty reactions in people. But, this is the case with a lot of common allergies. For example, food, pollen, and medicine are all vital to our lives, but for many people, they can be fatal. Interestingly, there are some allergies and sensitivities to things most of us would never suspect, but they are real nevertheless. These are a few of them.

Water

That’s right. Even though water makes up 60% of our bodies, for some, contact with water means a painful skin rash, known as aquagenic urticaria. The understanding of why this happens is patchy at best. Most scientists don’t believe it to be a true allergy to water, but rather speculate it as a reaction to unknown, dissolved substances in the water. Or, they say it could be a reaction between these dissolved substances with some in the skin which creates a new allergen. This sensitivity, although rare, is more common in women and symptoms often start around the onset of puberty.

Semen

Again, something that is so vital to life can cause itching, redness, burning, and swelling. It is thought to be a type-1 allergic reaction, the same as hay fever or cat dander, and is believed to be a result of allergenic proteins produced by a man’s prostate gland. Like most allergies, this issue can appear at any time in your life, and it can be mild or severe. Severe enough to cause anaphylaxis in an unlucky few. Luckily, skin prick tests and blood antibody profiles can determine a semen allergy as doctors sometimes mistake it for a case of chronic vaginitis in women.

Allergy medicine

In what seems to be a cruel twist of fate, some people with allergies can be allergic to the allergy medicine. People can be allergic to any medication, but this one is particularly rare as it causes the problem it is meant to prevent. Usually, dyes and other chemicals in the medicine are responsible for the reaction. If this is the case, a person with this allergy will need to visit an allergy centre to explore other treatments, for example, immunotherapy.

At London Allergy and Immunology Centre, we’ve seen it all. No case is too strange for us to tackle. If you are experiencing symptoms that you think may be the result of an allergy or sensitivity, book an appointment with one of our specialist consultants today online or by calling 02031 433 449. We can do all the tests you need to determine the cause of what you’re experiencing to ensure you can live your best life.