Am I Allergic to Sex? The Taboo Health Topic

People with severe allergies have a difficult time having safe sex with their partners. Often times, hormonal contraceptives cannot be taken due to some kind of complication.

Safe sex is defined as using contraceptive methods made for the outcome you are trying to avoid. Male and female condoms prevent both STIs and unwanted pregnancy where as spermicides, diaphragms, sponges, IUDs, and hormonal contraceptives only protect against unwanted pregnancy to varying degrees.

Please note, any reaction resulting in abrasions, swelling, rash, sores, etc can increase your chances of passing or receiving STIs. If you are not fluid bound with your SO and both of you are not tested, practice safe sex for STIs until you are healed up.

Talk to your SO regarding allergies regardless, it’s for your safety. They aren’t contagious so this topic should NOT be embarrassing to talk about. If it makes you feel better, I have multiple things listed on this list.

Common Allergies

Latex “Natural Rubber”

Latex is the most common allergy in sexual health. Latex is most commonly thought of as condoms, but diaphragms and sponges may also contain latex. Ladies, please tell your doctor if you are having issues with your current contraceptive.

Lesser thought of, many sex toys are made of latex or latex foam. Latex allergies can be severe where people will have an anaphylaxis reaction just being near, others only have issues when coming into direct contact with latex.

Please note, being allergic to latex doesn’t mean you have to rely on horrible methods like pulling out or the calendar method. There are condoms made with rubber, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer, or sheepskin. Note, sheepskin is the least effective of the alternatives as it is porous and STIs can still pass through. It is only suggested for fluid bound couples.

Rubber

Natural rubber is found in some condoms, but most commonly used in cervical caps. The treated rubber is made elastic using a series of strong chemicals which can cause contact dermatitis.

Casein or Milk Allergy

Casein is the protein in milk most people with milk allergies are allergic to. This is not to be confused with lactose and lactose intolerance. Casein is often used as a binding agent. In this case, cow’s milk casein is used in some brands of condoms to strengthen them. Obviously, this could cause issues in individuals with milk allergies ranging from localized reactions to anaphylactic shock.

Additives

Colored condoms and lube are fun! But just like food, red dye is often a problem. Flavors and perfumes can trigger allergies and asthma. Less obvious additives are those added for someone’s pleasure: tingling, warming, enhancing sensations. These are achieved using natural oils, desensitizers to delay ejaculation (lidocaine or benzocaine), or stimulants (often papaverine to enhance erections). Some condoms or lubes have a combo of the above. Often reactions vary including discomfort, rash, sores, swelling and can lead to UTIs and yeast infections.

Spermicide

It comes in many forms: foams, gels, and creams work immediately; suppositories, films, and tablets need 10-30 minutes prior to sex to dissolve. They lose effectiveness after an hour and more has to be applied. Poor effectiveness when used alone (28 in 100 women get pregnant with use alone), they’re often used in combination with condoms, diaphragms, caps, and sponges.

Spermicides commonly have side effects besides allergic reactions. Because of having to reapply it over and over, it can strip the vaginal and rectal lining. The most common side effect is vaginal irritation - burning, itching, and rash. It is suspected to increase your chance of UTIs. Do not use spermicides if you are already susceptible to UTIs.

Kissing

I’m sure this is catching you off guard. This one is simple. Food allergies are most common. Think severe food allergies; most commonly, we’re talking peanut allergies. If you know your SO/date has a food allergy, be courteous and avoid that food as well. If you are the person with the food allergy, have the discussion with your SO regarding how bad your allergy is and if it’s ok for the other person to eat it.

Breast Milk Allergy/Milk Transmission

I think the being allergic to milk itself is an obvious one here. Let’s go for something less obvious. Women can pass on allergies to their babies by eating certain foods. The same can be said if their SO’s ingest the breast milk. Also, medications can be passed through breast milk. Some of these can cause serious side effects, besides allergic reactions.

If you are thinking of entering an Adult Breast Feeding or Adult Nursing Relationship, please verify her medications. If you are a breastfeeding woman, please see which of your medications are not safe for breastfeeding.

Uncommon/Rare Allergies

Hormones

Usually not a true allergy, but an adverse reaction. It ranges from uncontrollable moods to complications with preexisting medical conditions. There are some women who can not tolerate hormonal contraceptives even at the lowest doses.

Silicone

Condoms, caps, shields, and diaphragms can be made from silicone. Note many long lasting or anal lubes are silicone based. Also, many “non-latex” sex toys are made from silicone. Please understand this is rare and symptoms may include a localized rash, swelling, and discomfort.

Corn Startch

Before anyone makes a joke about having sex with produce, this is a valid issue. Remember the white powder coming off the latex gloves at the doctors offices? It’s also used primarily on latex condoms to prevent it from sticking to itself when it’s rolled up in the package. This is an issue for people with corn allergies, which is uncommon.

Talc used to to be the go to powder, but it is linked to ovarian cancer and adhesions in the gut.

Intrauterine Device (IUD)

Reactions to IUDs made of copper are rare, and it is the result of a copper allergy or sensitivity. Complications include a variety of systemic allergic reactions.

For those with copper sensitivities, there’s Mirena, a hormone IUD. It kills sperm and alters the cervical mucus to be inhabitable.

Human Seminal Plasma Allergy (HSPA)/Seminal Fluid Hypersensitivity

Let me assure you, this is extremely rare. Usually it’s a case where an individual is only allergic to one person. There are very few cases world wide where an individual had been allergic to all partners.

Treatments include condoms and allergy shots. They will inject the SO’s ejaculate subcutaneously over time to have the body lessen the immune response. This is more sought out if the couple is wanting to conceive by natural means.

Exercise Induced Anaphylaxis

Not to be confused with exercise induced asthma. This is very rare and most individuals know they have this issue prior to sex thanks to PE. But in the event it does happen for the first time, it presents as a good reaction anaphylaxis and include intestinal and/or vascular issues.

If if you do suffer from this, please carry an epi pen with you regardless on what you plan during your date, and discuss this with your SO. You should also have a medical alert something.

Cervical Mucus

This is more of a sensitivity than a true allergy. This often changes through the woman’s phase. As the woman’s body changes throughout her menstrual cycle, so does her Ph. If her Ph becomes too acidic or too basic, it can cause skin irritation on the penis (that’s sensitive skin, you know). If this happens, she needs to drink lots of water. Use lube in the mean time. If lube doesn’t help, use condoms. Should this persist, speak with your health care provider to rule out STIs or vaginal infections.

Sexually Transmitted Food Allergies

This is a newer study being researched in the last 10 years. Although there are cases dating back to the 1970’s, there wasn’t enough scientific data to prove it was specifically a food allergy. It is known that foods and medications can pass through breast milk, but was not thought to pass through seminal fluid. Thus far, they have evidence supporting nuts and grains pass through seminal fluids and can cause allergic reactions in their SO’s. How is this proven? They do an allergy test. They inject the semen prior to ingesting the allergies and the semen after and watch for a reaction. They also inject the allergen itself. Pretty simple. So far treatment includes having the SO abstain from said allergen, wear a condom after ingestion, or abstain from oral/vaginal/anal sex. It’s unknown if semen will pass medications.

I hope you have read this informative piece. Please feel free to ask any questions. Should you have any stories to share, I’d love to hear them as well!