After looking forward all week to a date with a special person, what could be worse than...
- Starting to hug your date and suddenly pulling back in horror because you can't breathe around the smell of cologne
- Having to leave the restaurant abruptly because something made you nauseous
- Becoming totally uncoordinated and stumbling because there was formaldehyde in the air
- Getting sick at a concert because someone was smoking, asking them to stop, getting angry and making a scene
How about snuggling up to your significant other, expecting magic to happen, but finding that your body just does not respond? Or even more traumatic, responding to a certain point and then, just as the excitement reaches its peak, suffering an allergy attack?
These are common scenarios for people who are "allergic" or highly sensitive to chemicals. The condition is often termed MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity), or EI (Environmental Illness). If the condition is severe, an individual may have given up on romance altogether, or at least on going out to public places. He or she may have to wear a mask to go outside the home.)
I do not react to ALL chemicals, but enough of them cause me symptoms to make my social life difficult. And from what I have read, many people have worse symptoms. Many physicians do not know how to treat chemical sensitivity, so this page is a modest attempt to share information.Too Sensitive for Intimacy?
Can you be allergic to sex? You can be allergic to something about your partner: cologne, tobacco residue, clothing, etc. You may also be sensitive to bodily fluids, which can contain toxins. There have been reports of allergy to semen (or rather, to something in it). And to make things worse, allergy to birth control products is not unusual. One man reported a painful reaction to his partner's feminine hygiene product (FDS).
Ways to ruin your love life:
- Use a spermicide to which you are allergic. This can cause such burning of sensitive areas that you run screaming from the bed and into the bathroom, where you have to soak in the bathtub for a half hour just to ease the pain! This experience leaves you sore for days.
- Get into bed with a partner who wears cologne even though you are allergic to perfumes. You begin sneezing or you feel a migraine coming on, so you order your partner to GO AWAY!
- Use a latex condom even though you are allergic to latex. This causes you so much irritation and and swelling that you cry out, "Don't touch me! Leave me alone!"
Well, it may sound a little humorous, but believe me, it's not funny when it happens.
Another intimacy nightmare is a reaction to seminal fluid. In 1992, columnist Cecil Adams reported the case of a woman who had an allergy to semen that got worse over the years to the point where "one night after intercourse, she got hives, felt faint, had difficulty breathing, and found her eyelids swollen." She had to be taken to the hospital.
Toxins in Semen?
United Press International reported in 1991 that "Study suggests sperm can hold cocaine,lead to defects". The accompanying article was based on findings by Dr. Ricardo Yazigi of Temple University in Philadelphia, as published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In addition to cocaine, the article stated that "Other toxins, such as lead and mercury, also could hitchhike on sperm and affect the fetus." Dr.Yazigi also said it would mean men and women must stay away from potential toxins before conception.
The moderator of the MCS Immune Neuro mailing list stated in May 1997 that "Many people with MCS react to their partner's body fluids." Following her statement, various list members wrote in to say that they have that problem. One writer stated that "a lot has been discussed on these subject for years now regarding GWS. Anyone interested can search the archives of the Gulf War Veteran Resource Page at http://www.gulfweb.org/."
Following is part of a press release from April 1997:
Cincinnati (Reuter) A University of Cincinnati professor said 12 April he would launch a three-year study of whether U.S. Gulf War veterans may have transmitted sex allergies to female partners.Dr. Jonathan Bernstein, an assistant professor of immunology at the University of Cincinnati, said in an interview that the study of "Gulf War vaginal burning syndrome" would be financed by a $680,000 grant from the Defense Department. Bernstein said the new study would expand his own preliminary study of 11 Gulf War veterans and their partners who reported a range of possible seminal fluid allergies.
"They've had problems since 1991 that fit our criteria, but they didn't have those problems before they went to the Gulf War," he said.
Physical reactions that are possibly linked to allergies include unconsciousness and near-fatal circulatory collapse, hives and wheezing, Bernstein said. The symptoms can appear almost immediately after sexual intercourse, he said.
The study would seek to find a possible link between the reactions and exposure to chemical weapons or hazardous materials or Middle East bacteria or a virus, he said.
Is there a Cure?
In a web page that discusses allergy to seminal fluid called Could you be allergic to sex?, Charles Downey reported that two doctors have developed a treatment for sperm allergy. They are Dr. Bernstein and his brother, allergists and assistant professors at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Whether this treatment works for the Gulf War veterans mentioned in Dr. Bernstein's study (above) is not spelled out in the article.
Are Condoms a Solution?
Unfortunately, many sensitive people have experienced allergic reactions to condoms, ranging from mild itching to life-threatening breathing problems. Although reactions can be due to the chemical spermicide added to many brands, the serious reactions are often due to latex allergy. Fortunately, there are alternative materials available."MCS could stand for Mostly Crummy Sex" Some of the above is based on letters shared by members of the MCS Immune-Neuro list. I think it is wonderful that people can bravely share their personal concerns and hints for coping.
One sensitive matter that came up on the list was incontinence as a symptom of MCS. Apparently chemicals can affect the sphincter muscles. This can cause leakage of urine during sex for some women - and a reason to avoid intercourse.
Are we doomed to loneliness?
No, of course not. We are probably limited to relationships with understanding persons, and that's the best kind of relationship anyway. The mate of a chemically sensitive person will need to avoid scented products and other toxins.
If you have a mate, you may need to educate him or her. If you are single (like me!), meeting people is not easy when you are allergic to the air in many public places. Bars and shopping malls are probably off-limits for you, and even church may be a toxic environment. Best bets: environmental groups, support groups, internet personals. (Suggestions are welcome! Anyone want to start MCS Singles?)
Note: chronic vulvar pain suggests a condition called vulvodynia. See nva.org for helpful information. Also, The Vulvodynia Guideline from jlgtd.com.
Additions? Comments?MCS Linja's Health Personal Page
Disclaimer:
None of the above is intended as medical advice. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, please consult your doctor.
Modified May 2005