Crazy But True: Doctors Estimate That Many Women May Be Allergic to Sperm
You've heard about the so-called "sperm allergy," right? It sounds like one of those really rare things, but health experts say that it actually might be more common than you think...
According to a report by The New York Daily News, between 20,000 and 40,000 women in the United States suffer allergic reactions to their spouse's seminal fluid.
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Dr. Andrew Goldstein of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center says that women with a sperm allergy may develop hives, swollen eyes, diarrhea and even breathing problems. The condition is called seminal plasma hypersensitivity.
"The body recognizes semen as a foreign protein just as it would recognize a peanut allergy or pollen," said Goldstein. "So you have swelling, you have itching, you have inflammation of the nerve endings."
There is hope, though. Of course, condoms make sex possible for women with such sensitivities to sperm, but there is also a preliminary treatment that takes a desensitization approach, giving the woman a "vaccine" to help her body tolerate her guy's sperm.
In the past, say experts, most sperm allergies were misdiagnosed as STDs and other vaginal conditions. Lesson learned: If you react with any of the above symptoms after having sex (symptoms usually set in by 30 minutes post sex, say experts), talk to your doctor about this condition.
Surprising that this is more "common" than we thought, huh? Dare I ask ... do you suffer from this? Know someone who does?
P.S. The surprising reason why you're not having sex!
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