allergic to condoms? :\

[I-Love-him]

how can i tell if i'm allergic to condoms?

this never used to happen, but lately after sex i'll be really sore and it will be slightly swollen down below and will itch like crazy! it even stings to go to the toilet. now admittidley i've had sex un-protected (i am on the pill) but i didn't get itchy, sore or anything afterwards,it was all fine. could it be possible i'm allergic to condoms? we've tried so many different brands and types and some don't have as much of a bad reaction to me but most condoms do. is this something i should speak to my doctor about?

[TheNumber42]

You can definitely ask your doctor about this. That'd be the best thing to do because s/he could have a much better idea of what's going on than we could.

You may try using non-latex polyurethane condoms to see if that helps though. They are specifically made for people allergic to latex. See if those feel better and if they do, maybe all if was is that you are allergic to latex.

Good luck figuring it out. PM me anytime.

[I-Love-him]

Originally Posted by TheNumber42

You can definitely ask your doctor about this. That'd be the best thing to do because s/he could have a much better idea of what's going on than we could.

You may try using non-latex polyurethane condoms to see if that helps though. They are specifically made for people allergic to latex. See if those feel better and if they do, maybe all if was is that you are allergic to latex.

Good luck figuring it out. PM me anytime.

cheers for the advice.
it's quite annoying,even the one's i get from the doctors are horrible lol.
hmm will have to look for those here in the uk. does anyone know where i can get them from??

[Nicolette]

Being allergic to latex isn't all that uncommon, as far as I know you should be able to get "latex free" condoms in the usual aisle where you'd buy your regular condoms. See if that changes anything, there might also be a possibility that if the condoms you were using were lubricated that you could have had a reaction to whatever was in the lube.

[iDream]

If it's never happened before, then it's unlikely you're allergic to latex, unless you were using a different type of condom before. I'd suggest going to the doctors or a free clinic and getting tested for possible STIs, since you said you've had unprotected sex and this discomfort is fairly recent. Good luck overall!

[OwlsInTheSky]

Try latex free. Also try using a small amount of lube. I recommend Avanti Bare. They are latex free and work really well. My girlfriend is allergic to latex and after switching to these we had no problems.

[Justin Bieber]

Usually if you are allergic to latex, you'd know very early on. Lot's of gloves, paints, and other products contain latex and you'd be diagnosed before. You might have a very mild allergy to latex, so it's worth trying a latex free condom (or just other brands) to see if they will irritate your vagina less.
I definitely think you should go to your doctor and get an STI/STD check, just to be safe. It sounds like this could have happened, especially with unprotected sex. The pill is only to prevent pregnancy.

Hope this helps!

[bhredsox11]

Generally, allergies change over time. Latex allergies especially can be caused by over exposure to latex. Talk to your doctor about getting tested for a latex allergy and if he says its not that, have him check for STD's. The pill can only protect against pregnancy, condoms can protect against STD's as well. I hope this helps.

[I-Love-him]

Thanks for all the advice everyone.I doubt i have a STI. i got tested last year and i was clear. I have only slep with my boyfriend since that test and i'm his first, so he doesn't have a STD. it could be thrush i guess,i do suffer with that bad. i'm going to try some latex free condoms and see how it goes, i did actualy change brands recently so it may be that.

[Anonymity]

It could be a yeast infection, rather than an STI or STD.

Everyone has already mentioned that you may be allergic to latex, which is a possibility. I thought I was allergic to latex for a long time, which made no sense since my walls have latex paint and I can use latex gloves with no problem. Then I saw a box of non-lubricated condoms. Ta-da, problem solved. I had all the symptoms you did, and with no lubrication all of them disappeared.