Shortly after having sex with my husband, I always get a painful itching and burning feeling in my vagina. It doesn't start right away; instead, it comes on about 24 hours after intercourse. It feels like a yeast infection, and yet I've used a number of over-the-counter yeast infection treatments with no success. There's no discharge, just discomfort. The good news, I guess, is that it always seems to go away on its own after about a week. Any ideas what my problem is? One friend suggests I'm allergic to my husband's sperm -- is that possible?

Your friend could be right -- a small percentage of women develop an allergic reaction to their husband's sperm. About 5-10 percent of women with infertility are found to be allergic to their partner's sperm, and in the general population, the numbers are probably right around that 5 percent range. An easy way to tell if it is a sperm allergy is to use a condom -- if you do not have irritation when using the condom, but you do when you don't use one, then you have your answer.

Sometimes the problem is not the sperm, but rather lubricants, contraceptive jellies or even condoms. Try eliminating these to see if there is a difference (if a condom is your only means of contraception and you do not want to risk pregnancy, don't eliminate the condom -- try a different brand, maybe a "natural" rather than latex condom, or use one without spermicide). Bacterial or viral infections are other possibilities. You should follow up with your gynecologist to rule out possible bacterial or viral infections.