Postorgasmic Illness Syndrome
For years, many doctors attributed such symptoms to a purely psychological nature. In 2002, however, Dutch researchers discovered that such complaints immediately after sex definitely have no psychological causes. Instead, it was an allergy - to the patient's own sperm. This condition was given the name Postorgasmic Illness Syndrome (POIS for short). The disease only occurs very rarely and has therefore only rarely been studied to date.
Masturbation allowed, semen not
To further strengthen this thesis, the researchers examined a total of 45 patients suffering from POIS. They were asked to masturbate without ejaculating. These people felt continuously fit and did not show any symptoms. However, if ejaculation occurred, the symptoms appeared within a few minutes. 33 other patients were subjected to the so-called prick test, a common type of allergy test. In this test, a small amount of the patient's own seminal fluid was injected under the skin. A typical allergic reaction occurred in 29 of the 33 patients.
Sperm allergy: treatment is possible
Allergy therapies were generally successful in patients diagnosed with POIS. For example, the test subjects were injected with their own sperm over a longer period of time through hyposensitization, which resulted in success for some after a year and for others only after several years. The possibility of receiving the patient's own sperm in tablet form or as a solution dripped under the tongue (sublingual immunotherapy) also promises good chances of success.
Researchers assume that around 0.25 - 1% of the total population suffer from POIS. However, as many men's stomachs turn at the treatment methods or their faces turn red with embarrassment, researchers suspect that the number of unreported cases is significantly higher.
Sperm allergy: not only men suffer
Of course, women can also be affected by such an allergy. Women also suffer from irritation of the skin, sometimes even vomiting or diarrhea. After oral sex, pustules can appear on the tongue or the oral mucosa can become irritated.