While rare, there are men who apparently are allergic to their own semen.
According to a new line of research, some men are allergic to sex. Specifically, they develop flu-like symptoms after releasing in what health professionals are calling “Post-Orgasmic Illness Syndrome” (POIS).
This condition is believed to be caused by men having an allergy to their own semen; be it through self-contact or a release of hormones into the body during climax.
More: What to do after getting semen in the eyes
The onset of symptoms can happen in seconds, minutes, or hours. These include extreme fatigue, runny nose, muscle weakness, fever and sweating.
While researchers are not sure of the exact cause, some speculate that it could be affecting far more men who don't report their symptoms.
The condition first popped up in 2002. Since that time, about 50 cases have been examined where guys experience a range of flu-like and allergy symptoms after ejaculating.
“They didn't feel ill when they masturbated without ejaculating, but as soon as the semen came from the testes…after that they became ill, sometimes within just a few minutes,” Marcel Waldinger, study author and professor of sexual psychopharmacology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, told Reuters.
A study from Tulane University states: “POIS negatively affects the life of patients by limiting sexual encounters, dampening romantic prospects, creating internal struggles to avoid eroticism, and affecting patients' schedules.”
Other symptoms, which can last up to two weeks, include:
- Mood disturbances
- Irritability
- Memory difficulties
- Concentration problems
- Incoherent speech
The research published in Sexual Medicine Reviews points out two suspected causes for the post-sex illness:
- A reaction to their own semen
- A chemical reaction that occurs after discharge
As a pathway to treatment, some men have been given “antihistamines, selective serotonin inhibitors and psychoactive drugs including benzodiazepines,” per a report in the Daily Mail.
And if these remedies don’t work, it is reported that abstinence may be the only way to avoid getting sick.
h/t: Daily Mail
