Intimate behaviors may indicate an uncommon manner of being exposed to a culprit allergen, or they may serve as the framework for sex-related allergies due to triggers commonly associated with that circumstance. The purpose of this study is to summarize the state of the art on the subject in order to raise awareness and fundamental knowledge in the field of sexual-related allergies. Kiss-related IgE-mediated responses are mostly induced by the passive transfer of allergenic chemicals through saliva, skin, or oral mucosa in sensitized partners. Kissing has also lately been proposed as an epicutaneous method of inducing allergy sensitization. Peanuts and beta-lactams are the most common triggers in food and medicines, respectively. Although contentious, a one-hour delay before kissing and appropriate mouth washing have been proposed as preventative measures. Seminal plasma hypersensitivity, an IgE-mediated/type IV response produced by prostate-specific antigen, which has significant similarity to canine prostatic kallikrein, can elicit sexual intercourse-related local or systemic symptoms (Can f 5). Despite being used on a small number of patients, effective desensitization and immunotherapy procedures have been presented.

Intimate behaviors may be a mode of contact with the allergen. The exact prevalence of such hypersensitivity reactions is unknown, but given the implications for Quality of Life and reproductive desires, the possible link between sex and allergy should become part of clinical allergists’ and every clinician’s personal culture in order to extend and improve the diagnosis of unusual or unexplained conditions.

Reference: https://journals.lww.com/co-allergy/Abstract/2017/10000/Anaphylaxis_and_intimate_behaviour.7.aspx

Author