Sperm Allergy – Can any woman or man be allergic to semen?

Did you know that some men and women are allergic to semen/sperm? Makes you wonder, right? It’s true. This is very uncommon but some people are allergic to semen, even if it is their own.  Semen allergy, in medical terms is called – Human Seminal Plasma Hypersensitivity, a condition that indicates allergic reaction to the proteins found in a man’s semen. If a man is allergic to his own semen (of course, after ejaculating), the condition is called ‘Post-orgasmic illness syndrome’. Symptoms show up on hands, shaft of penis, thighs or on any other part of the body where semen gets into contact.

What are the symptoms of semen allergy?

In simpler terms, semen allergy will show symptoms just like any other allergy including:

1. Rash or redness in the area of contact
2. It can be painful, itchy or the person may feel a burning sensation
3. Hives at the area of contact
4. Some people may experience little pain.

Women (who are allergic to semen), when have sex with her male partner, they can see these symptoms around the vulva or inside the vaginal canal or mouth (in case of oral sex). In homosexual men, symptoms may occur around the mouth (oral sex) or around anus or chest etc. Most often symptoms are localized to the area of contact but very rarely, full body reaction may be experienced in few minutes after the time of contact.

In usually rare circumstances, severe allergic symptoms may show up and the condition is called ‘anaphylaxis’. Symptoms of anaphylaxis include:

1. Fainting or feeling light headed
2. Problem breathing – you may breath faster or have shallow breathing
3. Faster heartbeat
4. Anxiety
5. Dizziness or fainting
6. Low blood pressure

Why are some people allergic to semen?

That’s an interesting question considering the fact that semen is produced by the human body and the person himself is allergic to it. Semen allergy is caused due to the presence of proteins that the semen is made up of. If the man is under medication, the presence of medicine (chemical) may also cause the allergic reaction. This is usually easy to find because, he wouldn’t have seen such a thing happening before. Even more interesting thing, the same woman may be allergic to one man’s semen but not to other’s.

Diagnosing semen allergy

The first thing to do if you realize that you are allergic to semen (home remedy for semen allergy) is to wash the area properly with soap and clean water. Wait it out or take an antihistamine if you can get it over the counter (at any local drug store / medical store). Then, book an appointment with a good sexologist so that he/she can diagnose the problem. You need to be open about your recent and previous sexual encounters with your doctor so that the problem can be diagnosed better.

Semen allergy symptoms may resemble those of STDs like Chlamydia or Herpes or other medical conditions such as chronic Vaginitis, yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis. So, you need to be clear with the information that you give to your doctor.

In order to diagnose semen allergy, your doctor will need a sample of your partner’s semen and that will be used in very small quantity to inject under your skin to check if symptoms show up. If no symptoms show up, blood tests may be required to check the parameters of blood which might be responding to a different medical condition.

Preventing semen allergy

1. Always wear a condom and don’t let semen get in contact with your body. (In case of women and men who are having penetrative sex)
2. If you are a man and masturbating, take care that you don’t get in contact with semen during ejaculation. But if you are having sex with condom on, chances are you will see symptoms on the shaft or foreskin of the penis.
3. Desensitization of vagina. In this process, your sexologist will inject highly semen into the vagina every 20 minutes and observe how your body is responding. Continuous such injections can make the body tolerant to semen and can finally get rid of the allergy. Regular unprotected sex with your partner may be advised so that your body can withstand the allergic reaction to semen.
4. Antihistamines are the most often prescribed medicines for allergy. If you are going to have sex during the day, it is better you ask your doctor for those medicines that don’t make you feel sleepy. You can also take an antihistamine half hour before having sex so that even if the symptoms show up, they would be very minor and tolerable.

I am allergic to semen. Can I conceive?

Yes and No. One thing to note is, being allergic to semen doesn’t make you infertile. Because of the allergy symptoms, whether you are able to let the semen go inside your vagina is the question. If you can let it go inside your vagina (and to the uterus), sure, you can get pregnant if you don’t have any other fertility issues.

If you are having unprotected sex and don’t want to get pregnant, copper T (copper based IUD) is the preferred choice.  If you are having any other fertility issues and are trying to get pregnant, get an appointment with your sexologist and gynecologist. He/she can guide and treat you through happy pregnancy and parenting.