Can you be allergic to semen? Any experienced this?

[Gulpy]

The only man I've ever slept with is my husband, been together years. I suffer badly with thrush. It's always been this way but it subsides and gets worse intermittently.

Every time I get itchy and get a swab done it comes back negative for thrush but applying canesten does help.

When I was younger and we had alot more sex it was worse, looking back.

We had sex last night and today I'm itchy again.

He never gets itchy or shows any signs of thrush.

Both been tested for STDs several times, negative for everything.

If I get semen on my face and don't wash immediately I get a rash where it was.

If I swallow I feel physically sick a few mins later because it feels bubbly... Like I've taken a bite of a bar of soap.

So if it doesn't agree with my skin and stomach maybe it doenst agree with my vagina either?

I never really put it together but just thought today it could be the cause?

I don’t think you can be allergic but I think his PH could interfere with yours. My ex partner didn’t agree with me. I’d get BV quite regularly even after we both had lots of tests. I left him and it all stopped. I’m in a relationship now and no issues at all

According to an episode of ER on telly - yes you can be allergic.

Do you still get a reaction if you use condoms?

Was just thinking of that episode!

Yes, it's uncommon but it's a thing

Try an OTC antihistamine for starters

I've never used condoms so I don't know!

I think it’s possible to be allergic to pretty much anything! Definitely worth trialling condoms I think.

It certainly sounds like you are.

Condoms

Yup, there's quite a bit of popular heath advice directed at women about semen allergy. Seeing as we're quite a heddukatid bunch on here, there's a couple of more academic pieces if anyone's interested:
journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Abstract/2008/02001/Diagnosis_and_Treatment_of_Human_Seminal_Plasma.23.aspx
and
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15798560/

Try washing in bicarb (diluted in Bath water) before sex. It can make a difference due to acid/alkaline levels

Have you been checked for BV? When DH and I got together I had what I thought was continual thrush but it turned out to be BV. Was treated 4 times for it and in the end they had to treat my husband too which, along with the removal of my coil fixed it.

OP, I feel for you. I must stress I am no medic, so this is from personal experience only. Other suggestions about being checked for BV sound positive too.

It might be one thing that he is eating that is causing this.

I can't imagine just being with one person (I didn't achieve that in my first week of getting started) but nevertheless, all men taste different and I think this is pretty much diet related. It seems unlikely that you are at a stage in life when you are going to see if someone different causes the same problem, so, moving on.

I would tell him to avoid your face, there is little if anything in that for you anyway. In addition when swallowing you may wish to follow ups with a large drink of water and natural yoghurt to settle your stomach. This may help. I would also suggest that he drinks plenty of water (this will dilute the flavour and possibly the acidity), cranberry juice, pineapple juice and lots of strawberries. If nothing else it makes someone taste nicer.

About the condom idea suggested, I can't remember when I last had sex without a condom and you might find some reluctance from him there, but remind him that your own health is important.

Yes, I think I have this issue too.

I get very itchy if I don’t wash right after sex. Any semen on my face, chest, etc leaves a nasty red rash.

To add to my earlier comments up thread, mum always told sister and I in our latter years, always wee after sex. Whether this helps the oP or not, I don't know.

I don't think it's BV as there's never been any smell and my sister had it and said the smell was horrendous.

I've slept with other people but he's the only man, I don't particularly like men apart from him, he's the exception to the rule 😂

You don't always get a smell with BV...only when it gets really bad!

Bacterial vaginosis?

I was with a previous partner for 5 years and I had constant thrush, it was literally every month. I gave up going to the doctors for treatment and just bought my own tablets over the internet as I just couldn't wait days to get an appointment.

We eventually split up and a year later I met my current partner.We've been together for 8 years and I think I've had thrush 3 times since being with him.

It's so weird. I definitely think there was something between us that just didn't work intimacy wise.

Being allergic can definitely be a thing but it takes ages to properly diagnose. It can also start if you have an iud or have your tubes removed.

I also have food allergies and if he has eaten a lot of those foods it gets worse. I'm also allergic to creams and certain chemicals and if he has unknowingly come in contact it makes it worse.

Antihistamines help, as does showering when he is back from the office. I find it's worse when I'm run down so I work on that too. Condoms can help.

Yes you can be allergic to semen. I used to work with a Consultant Dermatologist who specialised in allergy. I remember one case particularly whereby the lady became allergic to her husband's semen several years into their relationship, they had been trying to conceive and she was experiencing terrible reactions.

I was going to say this. Worth getting some of the little applicators, I got some from Amazon the other week and used them for around 3/4 nights. It didn’t help so don’t think I had BV but I did a lot of research into it.

I went 12yrs with no sex (well apart from a blip when my ex and I briefly started having sex about 5yrs into our split but wasn’t for long) and recently started seeing someone and I’ve had some issues nearly every time. I think maybe as we have a lot of sex when I stay over as we can’t see each other much, so don’t think my vagina likes it after years of being retired! Lately I’ve had every cream / applicator going. Think I’ll have to give him a time limit as last time I stayed over we had sex for over 2hrs which is ridiculous and no wonder my vagina is kicking off! Thankfully I usually have a couple of weeks break between seeing him and I need it. By then I’ve usually recovered!!

Hi OP, I am the same. Itchiness, rash wherever it’s been in contact with my skin, soreness down there, tingling lips/swollen throat and I’m constantly clearing up mucus for ages after if I’ve swallowed. Always been the same no matter who the partner, noticed can get worse when they have had a drink. On the rare occasion I might just get away with it.

I went to the GP About ten years ago who confirmed this can happen and that sometimes our bodies just reject other fluids that aren’t our own!

A couple of years ago too I also developed similar with tomatoes, turmeric and various other produce on the odd occasion where my mouth lips would tingle and swell, throat swell and clearing up of the mucus again. I made me wonder whether it was just dietary and it was all linked. I feel for you it’s very frustrating!