Malformation or injury that presents semen to immune system?

[Willem]

Hope you guys don't mind a new random topic.  I have a pretty significant allergic type I response (I think), and muscle soreness that is almost immediate after O.  Has anyone had any type of medical imaging done (CT or MRI) to determine if there is any damage to the plumbing that presents the seminal fluid or sperm to the immune system, especially to the blood stream?

http://www.vasectomyreversal.net/sperm-antibodies.htm

[Daveman]

Yes, so then antibodies can be present in the blood, and can even combine with sperm (outside the bloodstream) without stimulating a system-wide anti-immune response.

For this reason, vasectomies and reversals normally don't have adverse effects over their paients.

And also for this reason, most doctors can't accept the fact that someone could have an "allergy" to his sperm. It is just very rare (they think impossible).

So as you imply with your question, there must be a "gap" or point through which the semen passes to come into direct contact with the blood.

It's been mentioned a few times that some sort of imaging would be "interesting" to try to find this "gap". And in some cases I think it could probably be feasible.

However, the gap may not necesarily be so visible. In the journey from it's origin in the testicle to the tip of the penis, the sperm travels a very long distance. Much of which is through very delicate and potentially "permiable" tissue.

If at some point a type I reaction can be initiated, which is virtually superficial (internally), tissue permeability can be reduced even more by inflamation caused y IgE activity.

Perhaps where there is inflamation, there must be a method of "seeing it". But can that assure us that there is actual "transgression" through a "gap".

I'm a prime candidate for auto-immune cause. have had a vasectomy AND a reversal some 20 yrs. later. Such a long time after, in a auto-immune damaged system, a potential gap is much more likely. My POIS stared about 10 yrs after the reversal. In retrospect, I would have been surprised not to have ended up with POIS.....

I'm probably goin gto have to have work done down in that area soon, so maybe I'll see if I can take advantage of the situation to do some cool scans.

But, awaiting  budget!!

[Willem]

That's a good point.  Probably to get it right you'd have to do some type of "tagging" (radioactive or magnetic) of the sperm in order to image its flow.  Tool kit is already there for doing glucose (positron emission tomograph), it's too bad POIS is so far off the beaten path. 

I wonder if a more routine test on the blood like "is the sperm antibody present" would yield the same answer indirectly.

[Daveman]

I understand that a high percentage of vasectomy cases have sperm anti-bodies in the blood. The war doesn't start until the two come in contact within the bloodstream.

Some vasectomy cases even have anti-bodies bound to the sperm, but again, outside of the bloodstream, so no problem.

However, as you say, there's gotta be something that could be measured; the presence of anti-body bound sperm in the blood. Also Dr. Waldinger mentions certains spikes that can be looked for as proof. Saw it posted just the other day, but don't remember where.

I have the feeling that even if you could find "the gap" physically, it would be difficult, if not impossible to repair it, other than perhaps remove the failed equipment.....
like a bicycle inner tube with a 1000 holes over a length of 1 ft.