Doctors recommend more sex.
by J. RESTITUTO 

MORE SEX may cure vaginal itching and burning after intercourse.

Women are often allergic to their partners’ semen, and, for some, having more frequent sex can be part of the treatment, according to a  medical authority on allergy.

Symptoms include itching, burning and swelling in the genital area. In the most severe cases, hives or swelling may appear elsewhere on the body and the woman may experience difficulty in breathing.

Most women affected are between age 20 and 30, and almost half (41%) experience the allergy during their first sexual intercourse.

Although it is not known how many women may be allergic to their partners’ semen, treatments may overcome the problem provided the couple continues to have sex regularly, said Dr. David J. Resnick who heads the New York Presbyterian Hospital’s division of allergy.

Allergy to semen is suspected if the symptoms disappear during abstinence or when condom is used. Resnick told a recent meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

And there may be women with semen allergy who go undiagnosed because their symptoms are mild or they routinely use condoms, he added.

Substances transmitted through the seminal fluid - such as medications lilke vinblastine, penicillin and thioridazine and some food and beverages, including walnuts and colamay also trigger the allergy.

It is not known how many women are allergic to semen, but the condition should be considered as a possible diagnosis for women who report symptoms that occur shortly after intercourse, Resnick said.

Even just 30 minutes of intercourse may trigger the allergy, he said, adding that in rare cases it may be hours or even days later.

One treatment involves semen samples placed in the vagina every 20 minutes. The concentration of smeen is gradually increased over a few hours.

Then it must be followed by frequent sexual contact two or t hree times a week to desensitize the woman to semen.

“Treatment failure is associated with couples who do not engage in frequent intercourse that exposes the patient to the allergen,” Resnick said. “Patients not living near their partners can refrigerate or freeze specimens so they can continue frequent exposure.”

Another treatment is to inject a small amount of semen under the skin at regular intervals over the course of several weeks. Again, patients must continue unprotected intercourse two to three times a week to maintain immunity.

Semen allergy will not cause infetility, Resnick said, and women may conceive after successfully undergoing treatment.

In some women, the reaction occurs with one partner while others are allergic to all partners, he said.  There are also reported cases where women have “outgrown” the allergy without treatment. (InterNews&Features)