Woman develops allergy to husband’s semen in Hyderabad

It may sound weird but there is a medical condition where women often become allergic to semen, leading to the couple struggling to conceive a child.

Hyderabad: Ever heard of women developing an allergy to semen? It may sound weird but there is a medical condition where women often become allergic to semen, leading to the couple struggling to conceive a child.

A similar case, perhaps, for the first time in Hyderabad, was detected when a woman started experiencing high allergic reactions after 30 minutes to 6 hours of having intercourse. The woman developed rashes and itching wherever she came in contact with the semen.

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Some of the typical symptoms of the allergy included rashes and itching on private parts, increased acne on the face, body heat, cold and sneezes. “I consider this case as a breakthrough in the diagnosis of allergic disorders related to immunology because such ailments always go undiagnosed,” noted allergy specialist from Hyderabad, Dr Vyakaranam Nageshwar, who diagnosed the case, said.

The Hyderabad-based couple were trying to have children for the past six years after marriage. In the process, they tried all natural methods for conception but were not finding relief. “During tests, the woman tested positive for Semen Hypersensitivity Reaction and after clinical evaluation and personal disease history, it was suspected that the semen of the male partner was the trigger for allergies,” he said.

As part of the diagnosis, the hand of the woman was sterilised and taken for painless modified allergen skin testing. A small prick was made at the site where 0.5 ml of semen collected from her husband, was dropped. “The allergy tests revealed absolute values for confirmation of semen allergy or hypersensitivity,” he said.

Also, the immunological evaluation showed the husband faced allergies from childhood including allergic asthma, rashes and itching and allergic rhinitis i.e. cold and sneezes very often, doctors said. The couple was counselled about possible risks of aggravating allergies to the woman’s partner in the future, which could lead her into Allergic Angioedema or at times life-threatening Allergic Anaphylactic shock.

Dr Nageshwar said the couple has the option of intercourse with a condom and take the help of infertility specialists for exploring the possibility of simple assisted methods of conception. They were also advised to keep Epipen injection handy at home to prevent any escalation of allergic reactions that could lead to a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction.