Why does semen sting?

August 9, 2005 12:06 PM

Why does semen sting?

I've been with someone for over a year, and we recently switched from condoms to another method of birth control. Now that we are having sex without condoms, I sometimes feel a burning sensation after he ejaculates.

I do not have any UTI symptoms (last week I checked out bacteria free because I was at the doctor for one earlier)--just the burning from the ejaculate. I asked, and he said he is not feeling any burning during sex or at other times.

It seems that a very tiny percent of women are allergic to semen, but I've had sex with other people and did not have the same discomfort. It doesn't seem plausible that I have human seminal plasma hypersensitivity. Time to go back to the doctor, I suppose.

During my search for information I followed an interesting sideline and found out that some Gulf War vets suffer from 'Burning Semen' Syndrome.

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (8 comments total)

The ph of semen is basic. The ph of a vagina is acidic.

I would imagine that the skin of your vagina is designed to withstand an acidic environment and now suddenly you've thrown off the ph.
posted by Pollomacho at 12:25 PM on August 9, 2005

Does the male's diet consist of a lot of citrus?

I had a friend who found out that eating oranges = semen tasting like oranges, unfortunately he went a little waaay overboard and his happy ending from felatio was definitely not one for his partner.
posted by PurplePorpoise at 12:30 PM on August 9, 2005

From someone who suffers from Vulvar Vestibulitis, let me just say that no part of sex should EVER hurt, including the semen. I suggest you go back to the doctor and possibly send him to a urologist. There may be something in his semen to cause this that wasn't present in other semen you have... experienced.
posted by rhapsodie at 12:32 PM on August 9, 2005

Or it could be that the sex for some reason (dryness maybe) is causing more irritation that with previous partners and then suddenly onto your rubbed, sensitive skin you throw a alkali solution.

It's literally rubbing salts in a wound.
posted by Pollomacho at 12:48 PM on August 9, 2005

Yes, echoing the 'both of you see your doctor pronto' routine. You could be dealing with a bacterial/yeast infection (especially now that condoms aren't involved) or a urinary tract infection. The same goes for your partner- he may have a long running infection that just wasn't noticeable until the jimmy hat came off. Get to the doc and this will get fixed pronto.

Just as an aside, these infections can go completely under the radar. I had a partner that when I went down on her, it wasn't the most pleasant of scents and flavors, but I worked around it. After she saw a doc, it turned out she had a bacterial infection (yikes!)- and after it was taken care of, it was *QUITE* a bit more pleasurable and enjoyable, for both of us.

Gotta love the TMI you get out of these sexual AskMefi's!!
posted by id at 1:54 PM on August 9, 2005

it shouldn't sting..go to a doctor like others said. diet does affect it but it's unlikely that it's the case here.
posted by amberglow at 4:31 PM on August 9, 2005

My, ah, emissions (defending against google there, sorry) have stung every person it's ever come into contact with. My sweat also stings others' skin. It has never occured to me to ask a medical person about this. I am not a Gulf War vet, but did grow up in a town noted for PCBs. Still, it seems unlikely that this is a factor. I have always assumed that I have a more-than-average acidity to my biochemistry.
posted by mwhybark at 5:33 PM on August 9, 2005

you can be allergic to specific men's semen, as i recall from reading the v book by elizabeth stewart. it has something to do with the pathogens in different people's semen. i agree about the doctor thing.
posted by ifjuly at 3:26 PM on August 11, 2005