Semen allergy? Just when we were doing well, too!

I've been with my new boyfriend for just under four months, and having PIV sex for about two months. The vulvodynia, to my delight, has pretty much stopped. It used to be fairly general, worse when provoked by sex, and worse before and during my period. My gynae was thrilled to hear that I was in a relationship with a lovely, loving, talented, generous man, and said that in her experience, the best cure for vulvodynia was a hot new man. She wasn't joking, it turns out! We have been having lots of fantasic sex, and I'm enjoying PIV sex for the first time in my life! I'm even back to using a menstrual cup, having ordered the softest, smallest one I could find (Meluna small soft).

My period finished a couple of days ago, so yesterday we tried PIV sex. I was a smidgen on the tender side, nothing I couldn't handle with some nice lube (Pink silicone lube, our usual). However, once he came in me it started to burn/sting. There have been two instances where I think this may have occurred before with him, although I wasn't quite sure, and on the previous times it didn't hurt as much. He doesn't ejaculate often, he seems to have some sort of orgasm-separate-from-ejaculation thing going which I've only heard of in relation to tantric sex before (no, he's never looked into tantric sex, it's just the way he's wired). I splashed some water about to try to wash a bit, and then he went down on me, but it continued to burn/sting for pretty much the entire evening, though it improved just enough for me to come from the oral sex. This is lousy. If need be, he'll just refrain from ejaculating in me, but it'd be really nice if he could.

I've heard that women can be allergic/sensitive to semen, and I'm guessing that's what's happening here. Does anyone know more about it? Is it something to do with pH? Does it make a difference where I am in my menstrual cycle? Is there anything we can do to prevent it, apart from not having him ejaculate in me?

No it means your allergic to it put it on another.part of your body and see if you react. Some women are just allergic...

I'm not getting allergy-type symptoms, so it seems like more of a sensitivity. Due to his weird accidentally-tantric ways, I've not really been coming into contact with his semen elsewhere, but I was fine with it on my skin and in my mouth with my ex-partner. Anyway, whatever it's called, I don't want it to keep happening.

Yeah but thats your ex everyones sperm is different have him go somewhere else on you. Or maybe the friction is bugging you?

No, because we've been fine all the times we've had PIV sex without ejaculation, and we're using plenty of silicone lube. I've had sex which is painful due to insufficient lubrication, and this isn't it.

Apparently semen allergies don't necessarily show up if it gets on another part of the body, so that's not particularly helpful. They generally advise testing to see whether this is the problem by trying PIV sex with and without condoms, although of course that can be tricky if the condoms are causing problems. Since he rarely ejaculates, and does know when he's done so, it's pretty easy for us to know that it's the semen that's causing the problem.

Than what's your question if yoh already know the answer...?

It seems to be something else. I'm still horribly sore and itchy, in fact it's a lot worse, and it's several days later. Someone helpful on another forum suggested that it might be BV, and I've had that before, so it's a possibility. The gynae gave me a spare set of Relactagel (7 day course, meant to stabilise your pH, worked last time) to use if the BV recurred, so I'm using that, and having just spoken to a GP today, I've been told to use plain emulsifying ointment throughout the day, since I need something to help with the soreness and they don't want me on another topical medication just yet. If the Relactagel doesn't work, they'll come and have a look at me, and hopefully do a swab this time. Probably antibiotics, if it's BV or a YI. I really hope they bother to do a swab - in my experience, they just peer at you briefly and then come up with a diagnosis without doing proper testing, and then you spend months or years trying to find out what it actually is.

And incidentally, Alana, it is not normal to experience burning pain for hours after sex, and you seem to think that I should just refrain from having sex and be lucky that it's not worse. No. None of this pain is something we should just smile and put up with. The fact that someone else has worse pain does not invalidate the pain I experience, nor does it make it any better that I've had worse pain in the past.

What are you talking about? You asked about an allergy I was telling you what I knew. When have I ever told someone to just deal with it? Oh wait I haven't. I never not one time told you to refrain from sex that is not something I would say considering I have sex and went thru surgery to fix myself so I'm not sure where you get that information from. I said if youre allergic you should probably find out and told you what I Knew but never once did I tell you refrain. Saying the friction is bugging you.is legit certain positions hurt me... I don't really understand but ok.

But Maybe you should go to a doctor... if its yeast or bv you'll probably need something to help having just had a yeast infection I can tell you sex hurt like hell so hopefully its an easy fix for you. Also if it is they have azo that can alleviate the pain and prevent future infections (supposedly). I just found it last night I'm gonna give it a go cant hurt right?