What is in the air in May? Grasses and the peak of the allergy season in Szczecin

May is the hardest moment of spring for allergy sufferers. The tree pollen season is ending and grass pollination begins — the most common cause of hay fever in Poland. If your symptoms get worse precisely in May and June, grasses are most likely the cause.

In brief

• Main allergen of May: grasses — they start pollinating at the end of April and reach full swing in May.
• In addition: oak (peak), beech, pine (a lot of pollen, but a weak allergen), plantain, sorrel; birch pollen is fading.
• Mould fungi: Alternaria and Cladosporium rise with the warmth.
• Typical symptoms: hay fever, sneezing, itchy eyes and palate, cough, and pollen-related asthma in some people.
• How to cope: limit contact with grass pollen (mowing, meadows), air your home after rain, and if symptoms are strong, get tested and consider desensitisation.

What is pollinating in May — the main allergens

Grasses — the most common allergen of the season

Grasses (including timothy, cocksfoot, ryegrass, meadow grass) are the most important allergen of spring and summer. They start pollinating at the end of April, become intense in May, and the peak lasts until July. There is an enormous amount of grass pollen, and it floats wherever there are lawns, meadows and unmown roadsides.

Symptoms of grass allergy are classic hay fever: runny nose with watery discharge, bouts of sneezing, blocked nose, itchy and watery eyes, often an itchy palate and throat. In people with asthma, grass pollen can cause shortness of breath and cough. Symptoms get worse after mowing a lawn and on dry, windy days.

Oak

Oak reaches its pollination peak in May. Its pollen cross-reacts with other trees of the beech family (birch, alder, hazel), so people allergic to birch often react to oak too.

Pine

In May pine produces huge amounts of yellow pollen that settles on cars and windowsills. It looks threatening, but it is a weak allergen — it rarely causes symptoms, although it is often blamed because it is so visible.

Beech, plantain and sorrel

In May beech also pollinates (rather in wooded areas, e.g. beech forests in Pomerania), and towards the end of the month the pollen of herbaceous plants — plantain and sorrel — starts to appear, accompanying the grasses throughout the summer.

Not only pollen — mould fungi

With the warmth, the concentration of Alternaria and Cladosporium spores rises. They cause allergy especially after warm, humid days and may give symptoms similar to pollen allergy, but more persistent — with weakness, headaches and poorer concentration.

How to ease allergy symptoms in May

• Avoid freshly mown lawns and spending a long time in meadows at the peak of pollination.
• Air your home after rain, when there is less pollen in the air; on dry, windy days, limit airing.
• Shower and change clothes when you get home.
• Do not dry laundry outdoors at the peak of the season.
• Consider a pollen filter in the car and an air purifier with a HEPA filter in the bedroom.

If hay fever returns every year and makes life difficult, it is worth establishing exactly which grasses and allergens you are allergic to. At the AGAMED clinic in Szczecin we perform allergy tests for a wide panel of allergens — painlessly, with the result right away — and then we offer bioresonance desensitisation. Every body reacts differently, so if symptoms are strong, it is also good to consult an allergist.

Frequently asked questions

What pollinates the most in May?

Definitely grasses — the most common cause of hay fever. They are accompanied by oak (peak pollination), beech, pine and the first herbaceous plants: plantain and sorrel. Birch pollen, on the other hand, is fading.

Is the yellow pine pollen a strong allergen?

No. Pine pollen is very visible (it settles on cars and windowsills), but rarely causes allergy. May symptoms are most often caused by grasses, not pine.

How long does the grass pollen season last?

Grasses pollinate from the end of April, through all of May and June, until July, and some species still in August. It is the longest and most troublesome season for allergy sufferers.

When should I get allergy tests for grasses?

Preferably outside the peak of symptoms, e.g. in autumn or winter — the result is then the most reliable, and you have time to prepare for the next season. We carry out tests at AGAMED all year round. Book a visit: 519 055 858.