Yes, you can actually be “sensitive” to someone. Here’s how.

Imagine meeting the love of your life, getting into a relationship with them, and then belatedly realizing who you really are body The Federation rejects It sounds like some kind of sick cosmic joke, but anecdotal evidence suggests it may be true for some. In recent months, a number of personal stories have emerged about women who believe they are fundamentally “allergic” to their boyfriends or husbands — their words, not ours. cropped On social media, it’s both fascinating and terrifying in equal measure.

Classically, this type of interpersonal “sensitivity” comes to light Recurrent urinary tract infections after sex. But this is not always the case: in one of the most High-level examplesFigure skater Alex Murphy-Klein discovered she was “immunologically incompatible” with her husband Paul’s DNA after the couple had difficulty conceiving. Result title the people Magazine article: “A woman learns she is allergic to her husband after years of trying to get pregnant.”

Hence the basic question posed in the title this Story: Could you be allergic to someone else’s? If so, does this sensitivity work in the same way as allergies? food or Pollen allergyOr does it represent a completely different biological pathway? And finally, is it something you can treat, just like you do? Pop Zyrtec If you have hay fever? Read on to get all the answers, and to find out what to do if you encounter this problem firsthand. (Spoiler alert: Don’t worry, it’s not exactly common.)

Could you be allergic to someone else’s?

When we did a little digging to investigate the extent of this phenomenon, we discovered a trove of Reddit posts from desperate people who suspect their romantic partner is the root cause of their problems. Puffy eyes or skin full of hives. “My boyfriend is away from the UK. Whenever he visits me (or I visit him) I get upset Really dry And I Get acne“, one user books In the subreddit r/DermatologyQuestions. “The first time she stayed, she woke up having an allergic reaction. Puffy/swollen, irritated eyes and Hives on her neck and chest“, another user narrated In the subreddit r/allergy. “I (21f) used to do that Eczema “As a kid until I was about 11. I didn’t have any crazy episodes until 5 weeks ago, when my symptoms started showing up about a week after I started seeing someone new,” another user He said r/eczema. In case you’re wondering, the alleged motive doesn’t always have to be a romantic partner either: teachers, friends, and strangers have all been implicated as well. But since a collection of social media posts doesn’t exactly constitute rigorous scientific evidence, we also reached out to some doctors for their thoughts on the phenomenon.

“Yes, it is possible that you are allergic to someone else’s.” Nana Meriko, MDa board-certified allergist based in Texas and a fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (FAAAAI) and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (FACAAI), tells SELF. To be clear, true interpersonal allergies are rare — many alleged cases probably involve some type of environmental allergy (such as an allergy to a particular personal hygiene product a person uses) rather than an allergy to the person themselves — but they can and do happen.

What does sensitivity to another person look like?

There can be several different mechanisms and conditions behind allergies among people. Among these conditions, one of the most interesting is the syndrome known as “Persons Allergic to Me” (PATM), which refers to individuals whose skin gases are supposed to trigger “Allergy-like reactions” (He thinks Sneezing, coughing, eye redness, runny nose) in others. So far, at least one Published study Lending some credence to this idea: Japanese researchers who analyzed skin gas profiles found that self-identified PATM patients showed a “significant difference” from non-PATM patients. Specifically, the study found that PATM patients released more petrochemicals, organosulfur compounds, and some aldehydes (including 39 times the normal amount of toluene, a chemical found in crude oil), among other differences — findings published in the scientific journal Scientific reports in 2023. Although there is not a lot of research on PATM yet, cases have been reported in a number of countries, and the condition is slowly but surely gaining recognition within the medical community.