Semen allergy getting new attention after Good Morning America episode
A recent episode of Good Morning America has brought to light the problem of women’s allergies to sperm.
First there were peanut-free sections in airplanes with a spike in deadly nut allergies and now there's this: an allergy to semen that can cause extreme discomfort in females.
Though the allergy has likely been around for a long while, it is getting new attention after a recent episode of Good Morning America that featured a couple whose female partner was allergic to sperm.
The allergy is more common than you'd think.
Seminal plasma hypersensitivity apparently affects 20,000 to 40,000 women in the United States and symptoms can include hives, soft tissue swelling, chest tightness, shortness of breath, wheezing, diarrhea, dizziness or loss of consciousness.
Good Morning America, on ABC, featured a couple who was suffering from the allergy.
Clara said that the first time she and Jeff had sex, she suffered from serious allergy symptoms.
"I had this bizarre reaction," said Clara, on the television program.
"I had burning and swelling and redness, which was very unusual. I thought I had contracted an STD [sexually transmitted disease]."
The symptoms occurred even with the use of a condom.
Luckily treatment is relatively painless and easy using a method that injects small amounts of semen every few minutes via a syringe.
Sex-free zones, like peanut-free zones, are not yet in the cards.
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