Some men take your breath away, literally.Seminal plasma hypersensitivity is a condition where “The body recognizes the sperm as a foreign protein, like it would recognize a peanut allergen or a pollen so you have swelling, you have itching, you have inflammation of the nerve endings,” explains Dr. Andrew Goldstein, director of the Centers for Vulvovaginal Disorders in Annapolis, Maryland. Dr. Goldstein believes as many as 40,000 women in the United States could be afflicted with the condition.
Unfortunately, Julie Boyde didn’t learn that she was one of those women until her wedding night. “Pretty much right after, I knew something was not right because I was in a lot of pain,” recalls Julie. “The pain that I was feeling was inside, kind of like, somebody was sticking needles up inside of me and like a burning, like really painful burning.” It was the first time and last time the couple had unprotected sex.
