Allergies experienced during intimacy are sometimes caused by factors not exclusively related to intimacy. For example, colognes and perfumes can trigger allergies in some people with fragrance sensitivities. However, there are two primary types of allergies related to intimacy:

• Semen allergies. Officially known as human seminal plasma hypersensitivity, this is a reaction to male ejaculate. Both women and men can suffer from this allergy. The exact cause in women is unknown, but men sometimes develop an allergy to their own sperm when it mixes with blood. This abnormal interaction causes blood to develop antibodies to the “invading” sperm. Vasectomy and reverse vasectomy, infection and trauma are the most likely origin of blood and semen mixing.
  
  
• Condom allergies. These are reactions to the latex in a condom (or to the latex in a diaphragm or cervical cap), or to the added spermicide or lubricant. There are alternatives to latex condoms that can be safely used. These include condoms without spermicide, and polyurethane or lambskin condoms. However, these may present other issues. For example, lambskin condoms do not provide adequate protection against sexually transmitted diseases such as the HIV/AIDS virus. Polyurethane condoms have a higher rate of breakage than latex and may require a more extensive use of lubricant.