Allergic to Semen

There are a wide variety of things that people can be allergic to. Some common things that people are allergic to are certain types of foods, grass, pet hair and beauty products. One type of allergy that you rarely hear about is semen. There are actually some women who are allergic to semen. Most women don't even know about semen allergy and commonly mistake it for something else such as a yeast infection. Dr. Jonathan Bernstein, an associate professor of clinical medicine of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine has researched and worked extensively with couples to help treat semen allergy. Through my readings about Dr. Jonathan Bernstein I have learned from him the reactions women have to semen, what it is about semen that makes a woman allergic, how the allergy is diagnosed and treated.

Women can have various reactions to a man's semen. Some reactions are burning, swelling, pain and difficulty breathing. The reaction occurs more on the outside of the vagina however there have been cases where the inside of the vagina also had a reaction. The allergic reaction makes a difficult for the couple to be sexually intimate. According to Dr. Jonathan Bernstein, "Symptoms can last from hours to days, and they typically start within 20 to 30 minutes after contact."

What is interesting is that the proteins in the semen are what women are allergic too. Dr. Jonathan Bernstein doesn't know which proteins specifically but in most cases it is a protein that most men carry. The proteins that cause the allergic reaction are not very easy for many doctors to diagnose right away. Dr. Jonathan Bernstein states, "Sometimes women have actually been told that they just have dryness and need to lubricate. Many times patients get frustrated because they've been through the gamut, or it hasn't been acknowledged in a serious manner by their physicians."