Although it is not a common condition, hypersensitivity and allergic reactions to specific protein substances in your boyfriend's secretions, also known as human seminal plasma protein hypersensitivity (SPH), have gained increasingly more recognition in the medical community. The condition is not caused by sensitivity to his Sperm; rather, it is caused by your body's built in mechanism to produce antibodies to protect you against foreign organisms, in this case being the proteins found in his seminal fluids.
A person's response to contact with semen can vary. A mild reaction can present as redness, itching, swelling and localized pain; more acute reactions may include hives, difficulty breathing, faintness, chest tightness, or light-headedness. If any tissue irritation occurs near the vagina, it is highly recommended that you seek the advice of a health professional, as some of these symptoms may be a sign of a Sexually Transmitted Disease/Infection (STD/STI) like Chlamydia, or a vaginal condition such as Bacterial Vaginosis (BV), or a yeast infection.
It sounds like your symptoms are quite moderate - but if it is, or becomes, of concern there are a couple of ways to prevent this from reoccurring. An effective treatment that you and your partner can implement yourselves involves using a barrier method. When practicing Vaginal Intercourse, Oral Sex, or manual stimulation, the use of Condoms will prevent ejaculate from coming into contact with your skin. Alternatively, when your partner is about to ejaculate, you can also have him cum somewhere other than on your skin, say on a hand towel.
Researchers have also been developing ways of preventing such reactions, which is of particular importance to those who have more severe manifestations of this allergy - and to couples who are trying to conceive children. This treatment option involves desensitizing a person to their sexual partners' semen. The procedure is similar to the method used to treat patient with allergies to (say) wasp venom, and essentially involves a series of injections with proteins isolated from their partner's ejaculate. This method will enable an individual to build a tolerance towards their partner's seminal fluids, limit adverse allergic reactions in the future, and allow for barrier free intercourse.
Posted: 17 Aug 19:19