Can Sex Make You Sick?

Men Allergic To Their Own Sperm

New research suggests that some men may experience flu-like systems due to an allergic reaction to their own semen. And we're talking more than just the exhaustion and body aches caused by hanging from the chandelier. The condition, Post Orgasmic Illness Syndrome (POIS), involves an allergic reaction after ejaculation with symptoms lasting up to a week. One week! That may sound like a long refractory period and a heavy price to pay for two or three minutes of fun, but researchers promise a silver lining.

Professor Marcel Waldinger from Utrecht University studied a group of 33 Dutch men who underwent a skin-prick test using their diluted semen. The vast majority of participants (88 percent) had a positive reaction indicating an auto-immune response as opposed to the previously presumed psychological cause.

These findings help to clarify earlier documented and unexplained reports of this type of allergic reaction that left men feeling confused and embarrassed. Waldinger believes that this research and further studies into treatment can address this confusion and shame.

And the silver lining for allergy sufferers who love sex, but aren't sure if trading an orgasm for fever, fatigue and runny nose is worth it? Waldinger found that the symptoms of POIS could be significantly reduced by gradually exposing the men to their own semen over a period of several years. Hmmm. This treatment doesn't sound half-bad. Semen facial anyone?

At a minimum, men who suffer from POIS would presumably be asked to masturbate as part of the therapy process, which in conjunction with reduced symptoms sounds like a win-win situation.