Hi, Quantum.
Just a question, does injecting ones semen under the skin cause allergy ?
Hi Nas,
Yes, it can, but there are conflicting reports about the value and meaning of these tests, because it seems there is no direct link between having a skin reaction to own semen and having POIS.
See that interesting excerpt from a Chinese study on POIS at
http://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=426.msg15859#msg15859 . At the end of this post by Colm, you find this excerpt of the study:
"One interesting finding of the current (Chinese) study was that three healthy control individuals had positive skin reactions to autologous seminal fluid. Their responses were more pronounced than that of the affected patient. The IC (titer 1:10 and 1:100) was grade 2+ positive, while the SPT was negative in three healthy control individuals.'
So, as to now, skin reaction to own semen do not seem to be a reliable test for POIS, because healthy subjects with no POIS can have this reaction too. I think the only thing that it shows is that it is not natural to have semen injected under the skin and that it can lead to some local irritation, even with those with no POIS
( of course, some POIS subjects have experimented POIS symptoms too after such intradermal injections, not only local redness and iching)
Prick tests and contact test - like just spreading your semen on an area of your skin, has been negative even in some POIS subjects (meaning, no reaction), so they are not conclusive neither. I, myself, have absolutely no redness and no itching if I let my semen in contact with my skin for a prolonged period of time.
I wouldn't be surprised to see a case of a POIS sufferer that have no reaction with skin injection, it does not seem to be a specific and reliable test.
Like I said after commenting a recent review article dy Dr Waldinger, I think the days of intradermal autologous semen testing and desensitization by autologous semen are now over, and that Dr Waldinger is heading his work on POIS in another direction, that is, finding the antigen in semen/prostatic fluid that may initiate the hypersensitivity reaction he suspects is at the base of POIS. He have clearly mentioned that desens is a very time consuming and expensive method, and that insurance companies do not accept to pay for it ( which was a way to say, I guess, that he will no longer doing any of this). In addition, he seems to be evolving his conception of POIS more to an auto-immune disease ( type IV hypersensitivity reaction) than just purely a type I , allergy, hypersensitivity reaction, and auto-immune diseases are not diagnosed with skin testing and not treated with desens.
I'm starting to think that we might be having a leak in our urethra that cause the blood to be in contact with the sperm.
Yes, having a defect in the inner "coating" of the urethra might be part of the problem. This has already been discussed, and is part of the possible factors leading to POIS.
But it seems to be some other component of the semen than sperm, because vasectomy do not cure POIS. It proves that if there is an antigen, it may come from prostatic fluid, Cowper's gland, seminal glands, but not from the testis.