Dylan Bettencourt
Men can suffer from post-orgasm allergies with flu-like symptoms happening almost immediately, a recent study has found.
The symptoms include fever, a cough, sneezing, muscle weakness, speech issues, concentration and even memory loss.
The symptoms could last as long as a few days and sometimes even a week.
Scientists revealed that post-orgasmic illness syndrome could be from an allergic response to the man’s own sperm.
Around 60 cases have been reported while many men are said to be living with the condition without knowing about it, said Andrew Shanholtzer, a co-author of the study who is from Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine.
“Many health providers do not know about it, let alone the public. It is more than likely that it is underdiagnosed with many sufferers out there,” Shanholtzer told The Times.
The fourth-year medical student added that the problem may arise when an infection or injury to the testicles leads to small amounts of sperm going into the bloodstream.
“The immune cells in the body are trained to attack any foreign substances found,” Shanholtzer said.
“There are special cells called Sertoli cells that nurture and surround sperm and keep it isolated from immune cells. When the Sertoli cells are damaged, the sperm is exposed to the immune system which attacks the sperm like it is a virus or foreign bacterium.”
The bad news does come with some good news, however, as the research team may have found a cure after treating a 27-year-old patient.
The man began suffering with the allergic symptoms from the age of 18 until it reached the point of avoiding all sexual interactions.
“Because of the distressing nature of his symptoms, he actively avoided any sexual activity or romantic relationships,” the team said.
The research team have found a long-acting treatment called fexofenadine which reduced the symptoms severity by 90%. Image source: @DailyMail
