Allergic to Your Husband? Blame Biology

Nov. 14, 2006 —It's official: Women can actually become allergic to their husbands or other men, according to new research presented at this week's annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in Philadelphia.

The culprit is semen, reports David Resnick, acting director of the Division of Allergy at The New York Presbyterian Hospital. It isn't sperm but accompanying proteins that can cause an allergic response, a phenomenon that is becoming more recognized among allergists, he said.

While there have been no reported deaths from an allergic response to semen, some women may require hospitalization after experiencing difficulty breathing, hives and swelling. Less severe cases may result in itching, burning and swelling after intercourse.

More women may have the reaction than are aware of it, said Resnick.

"Some women think there's another problem (such as an infection or condom allergy)," Resnick told Discovery News. But "in one survey, out of 1,073 women who sought related information from a researcher, approximately 13 percent were determined to have a semen allergy."

Sufferers, Resnick explained, produce an antibody that recognizes the proteins in a partner's semen. The antibody triggers a powerful immune response, similar in mild cases to hay fever. Some women are only allergic to the semen of a certain partner, but others react to multiple men.

Beyond the proteins unique to a given man, other allergens too can also be transmitted through the seminal fluid. These can include medications such as penicillin, and even some foods and beverages, such as walnuts and soft drinks. Women with other allergies tend to be more prone to semen allergies.

Two basic types of treatment are currently available. The first is similar to standard allergy treatments that expose a sufferer to the allergen in diluted doses.

The second involves removing other proteins known to sometimes interfere with the desensitization process from the semen plasma, and then injecting a small amount of the processed semen at regular intervals.

In both cases, frequent sexual contact is needed after the treatment.

"We actually had one case where the male spouse was unable to engage in such frequent intercourse, so his wife developed the allergy again," said Resnick.

Jonathan Bernstein, a professor of medicine at the University of Cincinnati, and one of the world's leading experts on semen allergies, told Discovery News that he agrees with Resnick, but that he believes that the processed semen — though a more expensive treatment — would be more effective.

Bernstein also believes the allergy is probably underreported.

"It may not be as rare as people think," he said. "The allergy may go unrecognized, yet it can have a significant effect on relationships."