Semen allergy

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The very rare semen allergy is a form of allergy that is still relatively unknown even among doctors and affects women in their twenties to thirty in particular. Men can also have an allergic reaction to their own sperm , which is known as Postorgasmic Illness Syndrome (POIS). An allergic reaction of men to foreign human sperm has not yet been observed, but it can occur to sperm of other species.

Women

By the year 2000, only around 60 cases were diagnosed as such worldwide that could become life-threatening if left untreated. Affected women are allergic to a protein found in the ejaculate , the semen (transport) fluid of men. With this form of allergy, it doesn't help to change partners. Because the allergenic potential comes from a protein contained in the liquid and is the same for every man. The sperm themselves are not allergenic. The reactions are analogous to the symptoms of a pollen allergy (" hay fever "). Certain antibodies respond to the proteins in the seminal fluid within ten to thirty minutes: burning and itching, swelling and rashes in the genital area, and in extreme cases diarrhea, vomiting or even anaphylactic shock can occur.

Men

The Post Orgasmic Illness Syndrome (POIS) was first described in 2002 by Marcel D. Waldinger and Dave H. Schweitzer. A few men are allergic to their own sperm and also react after ejaculation with flu-like or hay fever- like symptoms, which start within a few minutes and can last up to a week.

Prevention, treatment

Those affected quickly notice that they have symptoms every time after sperm contact: Affected partners are therefore advised to always use a condom during sexual intercourse , they are then practically symptom-free.

If the allergic reaction is milder, women may not use condoms during their fertile days in order to conceive. In the case of strong anaphylactic reactions, either a desensitization (e.g. "rush therapy", see above) can be carried out in order to become pregnant naturally, or the seminal fluid and sperm are separated in the laboratory and the children are assisted by artificial insemination conceived.

In addition, antihistamines , cortisone , injections or adrenaline sprays are used to treat semen allergy . A desensitization is also possible, in which the allergen contained in the seminal fluid is administered gradually in increasing doses so that the body slowly gets used to it. 11 cases are described in which the desensitization via a so-called "rush therapy" was successful and the symptoms permanently eliminated. Other forms of therapy have also been described, but show less success or only achieve a temporary desensitization.

For two studies published in 2010, 45 men with this syndrome were examined in the Netherlands. Of these, 33 underwent a skin allergy test, in which 29 (88 percent) showed a positive reaction. Two volunteers underwent desensitization. After three years of treatment, their symptoms decreased.

further reading

  • I. Pevny et al: Sperm allergy of the anaphylactic type. In: dermatologist 29, 1978, pp. 525-530. PMID 81816
  • BG Ludman: Human seminal plasma protein allergy: a diagnosis rarely considered. In: J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs 1999, 28 pp. 359-63. PMID 10438079
  • S. Weidinger et al: IgE-mediated allergy against human seminal plasma. In: Chem Immunol Allergy. 2005, 88 pp. 128-38. PMID 16129942

swell

  1. ↑ A. Krakowiak, M. Kowalczyk, C. Palczyñski: Occupational contact urticaria and rhinoconjunctivitis in a veterinarian from bull terrier's seminal fluid. In: Contact Dermatitis . Volume 50, Number 6, June 2004, p. 385, ISSN  0105-1873 . doi : 10.1111 / j.0105-1873.2004.0350l.x . PMID 15274741 .
  2. ^ A b Medical Association of German Allergologists / German Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology, July 2000
  3. ↑ Marcel D. Waldinger, Dave H. Schweitzer: Postorgasmic Illness Syndrome: Two Cases , Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, Volume 28, Issue May 3, 2002, pp. 251-255 ( Abstact )
  4. ↑ a b J. Taubert: POIS - allergy to one's own sperm ( memento from January 22, 2011 in the Internet Archive ), January 20, 2011, D-News
  5. ^ A. Shah, C. Panjabi: Human seminal plasma allergy: a review of a rare phenomenon. In: Clinical and Experimental Allergy. Volume 34, Number 6, June 2004, pp. 827-838, doi : 10.1111 / j.1365-2222.2004.01962.x , PMID 15196267 (review).