What are the symptoms of sperm allergy?

Many people have never heard of sperm allergy in our daily lives. In fact, both men and women may have an immune response to sperm. This immunity is sperm allergy, so such patients will have great trouble in fertility, especially women. Various inflammations caused by contact with sperm may be a precursor to sperm allergy.

Definition

Both women and men may have an immune response to sperm, which is called sperm allergy. Sperm allergy can cause antibodies to be produced in the body of women and men, thereby affecting the activity of sperm and inhibiting fertilization.

Less than 2% of fertile couples are allergic to sperm, compared with 5% to 25% of couples with fertility problems. About 20% to 40% of couples with sperm allergy are able to conceive with the help of artificial insemination or another fertility treatment.

Although it is not known why women develop sperm antibodies, men often develop antibodies to their own sperm when their sperm comes into contact with blood after a vasectomy, testicular torsion (one testicle twisted in the scrotum), an infection, or an accident. Men who have undergone a vasectomy to have children may also develop an allergic reaction to their own sperm. Blood can react to sperm, but the two fluids do not normally mix.

Aside from causing fertility problems for some couples, sperm allergy usually has no symptoms. The itching sensation after sex is not a sperm allergy, but is often caused by a fungal infection. If you think you may have this, be sure to see a doctor.

Causes

Semen is a special substance with complex ingredients, which contains more than ten different antigenic substances, but for most people, it is not fatal. This is because semen contains an immunosuppressive substance called MIM, which can reduce the "sensitivity" of the immune system and protect sperm from rejection. When the activity of female MIM decreases, the antigenicity of semen increases, and the woman happens to have an allergic constitution, when semen enters the female body, it will cause an allergic reaction, causing the microvessels of the local or systemic skin and mucous membranes to dilate, increase permeability, and swell up the eyelids, lips, etc.

The culprit for female semen allergy is the antigenic substances in semen. The sperm and seminal plasma in male semen contain dozens of antigenic substances. Under normal circumstances, a certain amount of antigenic substances will not cause allergies in women. If the content of antigenic substances in the husband's semen is too strong, or the wife has a serious allergic constitution, it will cause allergies.

Some women's sexual allergies are caused by the sexual environment. A woman had asthma after having sex with her husband in the bedroom, but not in the living room. It turned out that the allergens that caused her asthma were in the mattress and bedding, such as house dust and dust mites. The activities during sex caused the allergens to fly in the air, and the patient inhaled them and caused asthma. The prevention and control measures are to clean the bedroom frequently and change the clean sheets.

Some women may have an allergic reaction to their husband's sweat. Men often sweat during sex, and some even sweat profusely. Due to the close physical contact between the husband and wife, the husband's sweat often contaminates the wife's body. Some women may have an allergic reaction to their husband's semen as well as their husband's sweat, and thus cannot have a normal sex life.

harm

Female allergy symptoms often occur within 30 minutes after sexual intercourse. At this time, women will feel itching or tingling in the vulva, the vagina will turn red due to congestion, the vaginal secretions will increase, and sometimes urticaria will occur during sexual intercourse. These conditions usually disappear after a few hours.

If a woman's allergic reaction is more severe, she may also experience systemic reactions, such as urticaria all over her body. In severe cases, she may also experience difficulty breathing, frequent and severe coughing, chest tightness, palpitations, hoarseness, and other symptoms. After an allergic reaction occurs, first of all, don't be nervous or panic. If the reaction is mild, you can wash the vulva with clean water, and at the same time, use an appropriate position to let the semen flow out, and then wash the vulva again. After urticaria occurs, you can also take anti-allergic drugs such as diphenhydramine and chlorpheniramine orally to relieve symptoms. If it is a more serious allergic reaction, you should see a doctor in time.