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Suffer Post Orgasmic Illness Syndrome. Due To Semen Allergy? Guide?

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Posted on Wed, 23 Oct 2013
Question: I suffer from most of the symptoms that define Post Orgasmic Illness Syndrome (POIS). The symptoms persist for days and my social life comes to a grinding halt. I am in desperate need of help. I read that it could be because of semen allergy and that treatments have been proposed. Please guide me on finding the cause and eventual treatment.
doctor
Answered by Dr. V. Sasanka (10 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Can try Testosterone gel

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
What you have described is a rather curious condition, and if you indeed are severely troubled, you can try some medications. I have personally never encountered anyone with this disorder, but my XXXXXXX colleague with whom I trained in male infertility was recommending Testosterone gel to be applied on the shoulders of the affected person at around 8 a.m. every morning. He believed it produced results.
Apparently hormones are to blame for this problem, and Progesterone is also believed to work, but I am afraid I will not suggest the same to you at present in view of potential side-effects.
I also feel that you might improve with administration of what we call anti-histaminics and a drug called cabergoline (these are prescription drugs and therefore cannot be obtained from a medical store without the recommendation of a Urologist)
Hope I have been able to help you.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. V. Sasanka (8 hours later)
Thank you for the answer. To my knowledge, Dr Waldinger defined POIS only a decade ago and he has been suggesting treatment, which include hyposensitisation with patients own semen. The reason, he suggested is that the body goes through an autoimmune response, hence indicating that this could potentially be a kind of semen allergy. He did demonstrate some results and is summarized in this paper.
WWW.WWWW.WW
My symptoms include significantly compromised immune system, causing fever and throat infection for weeks following ejaculation. Other symptoms include tiredness for upto 3 days, significantly reduced cognitive skills for upto 3 days, anxiety, excessive sweating. This wreaks havoc and makes me very cautious as the social cost involved is very high. Since this is a serious problem I am dealing with, I am willing to take that extra effort to see if I can reduce its impact on my life. Is there any domain expert in India who may have encountered patients with such symptoms.
doctor
Answered by Dr. V. Sasanka (10 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
You can try contacting Dr Rupin Shah in Mumbai

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
A good option for you to try would be Dr Rupin Shah in Mumbai. He is usually available for consultation and surgery at Lilavathi Hospitals in Mumbai and might have more to contribute in this matter, though I cannot guarantee this.
Another person I can suggest is Dr XXXXXXX Lim, one of the most renowned andrologists in the world but he is available in Gleneagles hospitals in Singapore mostly, though he does travel to India often.
I sincerely hope you get better. You are welcome to revert back with any comments and doubts, and if I do get some new insight into what looks like a very distressing problem, I shall indeed be very happy to help you.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. V. Sasanka (12 minutes later)
Thank you for your comments. I will try to get in touch with Dr Rupin Shah. In case you get new insights into the issue, kindly pass on the comments. However I am not sure how that may happen once we close the discussion. I would like to test if I am positive for semen allergy. What are your thoughts on that. If you think it is a good idea, then where can I test it?
doctor
Answered by Dr. V. Sasanka (10 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
You can get in touch on this forum

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
I am usually available at this forum, so even if this discussion is closed, you can always re-open it or get in touch with the site admins, who can let you know how to reach me. In fact, I am proposing to do so from my end as and when i have something to share in this matter.
There are labs all over the world which routinely test for auto-antibodies for sperm, but in your case it looks as if this will not suffice, as you might be allergic to some components of semen apart from sperm.
Have you tried approaching Dr Waldinger himself? That might be the best solution at present, considering that you cannot go on like this for ever, especially as your age is only 24. Also logistically, you might have to look for someone closer home so you can periodically review with the same specialist.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. V. Sasanka (34 minutes later)
Dr Waldinger is the most sought after person for treating POIS. I am not sure if he would reply to my queries, but I will give it a try.
I got to know about this condition from a forum. In fact, that is when I came to know that a lot of people are suffering from the same condition. I am sharing the link here

WWW.WWWW.WW
The thread is 782 pages long and has been visited 2.5 million times. That is a lot of information to process. But I plan to read them up in order to plan my next steps. What interests me is the fact that some of the users from the forum have commented on the treatment they received from Dr Waldinger. That will give me some insights.

One more area of concern is the availability of a specialist nearby given that Dr Waldinger is in Netherlands. I may be able to XXXXXXX Dr Waldinger to find the cause. But that may not be sustainable during treatment. Hopefully I will find someone nearby who can do the same.

Thank you for your time and interest. This has been very productive for me. In fact, this is the first time I am presenting this case to a doctor. Now I am in a better position to make my next move. Kindly pass on any information that may be valuable to me. Thanks again.
doctor
Answered by Dr. V. Sasanka (11 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Try non-ejaculatory orgasms?

Detailed Answer:
Hi again,
Glad to have been of help.
After your question, I was looking up several sources myself, and an interesting thought was by someone who posted what he termed non-ejaculatory orgasm in men.
I am afraid It might sound as if I am trying to lead you away from the field of academic medicine into the realms of Taoism / XXXXXXX mumbo-jumbo, but if as in present scenario, there is not much of a solution, then these options are worth a try.
This could work if the condition POIS is caused due to an allergic reaction to a constituent of semen (The idea is No semen, no allergy, only orgasm - sounds good).
On the other hand, if the condition is due to hormones released at the time of orgasm, I guess you will continue to have the spells of severe myalgia and cognitive problems irrespective of whether you ejaculate or not at the time of orgasm.
Hope I have been able to help you again.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. V. Sasanka (1 hour later)
This is going in an interesting direction. My analysis of the symptoms did show that I neither need to ejaculate, nor need a non ejaculatory orgasm to get to the point of distress. If there is sexual activity involved, I am guaranteed to have issues for the next 3 days. The more the activity, the more the severity of the condition. This may not really be a perfect fit to the definition of POIS. There are 2 ways we can look at this. One is that condition could be caused by orgasm (even without ejaculation). Second is that the condition may be due to sexual activity rather than orgasm and ejaculation. I need to verify on the 2nd case. If indeed one of this is true, should I be looking at hormone allergy. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks!
doctor
Answered by Dr. V. Sasanka (3 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Hormone allergy sounds unlikely, not impossible

Detailed Answer:
Hi again,
It looks like I need to do a lot of homework on this. I went to the website for which you have provided a link, and I was astonished to see so many people with such similarity in complaints. And I must admit that I had probably not being paying enough attention to many young men who come to me saying they feel weak after masturbation. I was of the opinion that it is due to feeling of guilt and superstition in many young Indians for whom masturbation is taboo, and sex education was practically non-existent (who would think their power and libido was in the semen and weakness was due to the semen going out of the body), but it looks like I need to examine the whole thing from a fresh viewpoint. Mind you, I am not saying that everyone will have POIS, but at least I can individualize patients who need the extra attention. I should really thank you for bringing this to my notice.
Hormone allergy sounds so hard to fathom, but obviously the coming months will probably tell us in which direction the research is headed. I personally feel it could be due to a problem with endorphins which generally dictate pleasure and pain.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. V. Sasanka (6 hours later)
I am glad that I could bring this to your attention and hopefully a lot of people will benefit from the same. Please get in touch with me if you need to know more about the symptoms, but most of it should be available in the link I shared. To get a sense of how my body is reacting to hormones, what would be the best way forward? More specifically, what would be the best thing that I can do to get a sense of what might be going wrong. Can we pinpoint a cause through pruning away possible causes?
doctor
Answered by Dr. V. Sasanka (2 days later)
Brief Answer:
Dopamine might be the key

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
The question that you posed can be answered by yourself once you are placed on medications. For example, if you are placed on Cabergoline, which is a medication which I mentioned in my first post, then it is likely that Dopamine is the key to your problem and depleted Dopamine levels might be the cause of all the symptoms. On the other hand, if this medicine does not help you, but an anti-allergic drug like Fexofenadone makes a difference, then we probably should think that the allergic component is the cause.
There is an XXXXXXX by name Dr. XXXXXXX Goldstein in New York who has done excellent work in the field of male infertility. I have no clue if he has any experience in this novel syndrome, but again, logistically he might be better suited to help you.
Let me know your progress.
Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. V. Sasanka (33 hours later)
Thank you for the answer. I was reading about dopamine. There is a thread that deals with POIS and its possible relation to dopamine. I would like to get my dopamine levels lab tested and would be glad to receive your advice on the same. Does it make sense to get it tested before and after the onset of the symptoms? One more thing I would like to add - when I suffer from the symptoms, my gastro intestinal system goes for a toss. Does it all add up?
doctor
Answered by Dr. V. Sasanka (2 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Difficult to measure Dopamine

Detailed Answer:
Hi again,
I doubt if dopamine levels can be measured (as in your case) from a blood sample. More likely, tissue levels will be required and I think this could be quite a difficult test to perform in a routine lab. I guess a University lab specializing in this kind of work will be better suited. Also, other neurotransmitters like Serotonin are also probably involved which might explain why GIT also gets into trouble.
I have also been looking up online, and apparently there are ways you can contact Dr XXXXXXX Waldinger directly without referral from a general physician or internist. Contact through e-mail is encouraged, and please do see if you get response from YYYY@YYYY . If not, let me know, and I will see if I can route you through Dr Rupin Shah from Mumbai with whom I am in sporadic touch.
Wishing you all the very best for an early release from this condition,
Dr. V. Sasanka.


Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. V. Sasanka (2 days later)
I will try contacting Dr XXXXXXX Waldinger through email. In case if that fails, I will get in touch with you. Thanks again for your insights. I am optimistic about resolving this issue :)
doctor
Answered by Dr. V. Sasanka (18 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Niacin may work

Detailed Answer:
All the best. Keep a positive outlook.
Recently someone wrote saying they benefited from a drug called Niacin. This appeared interesting, as this is a reasonably safe medication when taken in moderation, though it can cause flushing of face when taken in higher doses to reduce blood cholesterol levels.
I will be quite curious to know if Dr. Waldinger responds to your emails. Please let me know if there is anyway I can help.
Bye,
Sasanka.
Note: Consult a Urologist online for consultation about prostate and bladder problems, sexual dysfunction, kidney stones, prostate enlargement, urinary incontinence, impotence and erectile dysfunction - Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Dr. V. Sasanka

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Suffer Post Orgasmic Illness Syndrome. Due To Semen Allergy? Guide?

Brief Answer:
Can try Testosterone gel

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
What you have described is a rather curious condition, and if you indeed are severely troubled, you can try some medications. I have personally never encountered anyone with this disorder, but my XXXXXXX colleague with whom I trained in male infertility was recommending Testosterone gel to be applied on the shoulders of the affected person at around 8 a.m. every morning. He believed it produced results.
Apparently hormones are to blame for this problem, and Progesterone is also believed to work, but I am afraid I will not suggest the same to you at present in view of potential side-effects.
I also feel that you might improve with administration of what we call anti-histaminics and a drug called cabergoline (these are prescription drugs and therefore cannot be obtained from a medical store without the recommendation of a Urologist)
Hope I have been able to help you.
Regards.