Discharge from the genitals can bother not only girls, but also men. Males have a normal secretion that is odorless. Its origin is the urethra. In women, the discharge is called leucorrhoea. If you have noticed an unhealthy discharge, urgently go to a face-to-face appointment with a urologist.
Norm or pathology?
The urethra is the male urethra. From there, they appear from time to time. There is such a thing as urethrorrhea. It can be physiological or libidinal. From the exit of the urethra, a discharge of a transparent shade appears. It occurs in the morning, just after waking up or when a man is sexually aroused.
Urethrorrhea may be more pronounced or weaker. The lubricant that is released during arousal contains sperm. Therefore, if you do not want children yet, it is worth protecting yourself even with preliminary caresses on the genitals. The secretions in men help sperm pass through the urethra and in and out of the partner's vagina. After all, the environment there is acidic and this is detrimental to the life of the sperm.
Defecatory prostorrhea may be the second leading cause of discharge in boys and men. When a man thrusts, he has a discharge on the head of the penis that is odorless and colorless. Sometimes they may have grayish-white inclusions. Its consistency is viscous. These are secretions from the prostate and seminal vesicles. The appearance is possible at the end of the emptying of the bladder. So it is called voiding prostorrhea. In extremely rare cases, a man notices such a discharge after coughing. It is not a disease, but a disorder that can be cured.
The next type of discharge from a man's genitals is. It includes the secret of the sebaceous glands of the head of the penis and the foreskin. If a man washes himself, changes his underwear and does not wear someone else's underwear, these secretions will be removed. And they won't be the center of attention. If hygiene is not so good, there may be a buildup of quite a large amount of smegma. The pathological flora will multiply and develop there, because the genitals and underwear will have an unpleasant odor.
Sperm
Sperm - discharge, in which there is a lot of smermia (spermatozoa). Sperm is released during ejaculation, that is, at the moment of greatest pleasure during sexual intercourse of a different nature. Also, in a dream, men and boys sometimes have wet dreams, then sperm is also released from the penis.
Wet dreams mainly occur during puberty. This is 2-5 cases per month. But with changes in the balance of hormones, there can be wet dreams even several times a week. If the sperm does not leave the penis at the time of orgasm, this is called "". This is a disease caused by a violation of muscle tone in the vas deferens. Basically, this happens with diseases of the brain or chronic inflammation in the ducts.
pathological secretion
Physiological secretions normally found in men and women are described above. Here we will look at the discharges that are associated with health problems. Basically, pathological discharge from the urethra bothers men with urethritis. This is an inflammatory process that develops in the urethra. An infection or non-infectious factors can cause urethritis.
The infection may be specific or nonspecific. Specific is mainly trichomoniasis or gonorrhea. And nonspecific urethritis can be provoked by such pathogens:
- mycoplasma
- ureaplasma
- chlamydia
- herpes
- staphylococcus aureus
- streptococcus
Non-infectious causes of urethritis and associated discharge from the genital tract:
- injury, narrowing of the urethra
- chemical irritation
- mechanical damage to the mucous membrane
- allergen influence
Discharge from the genital tract in men can be different in color, as well as in transparency. It depends on how active the inflammation is, at what stage it is, what kind of flora is produced. The composition of the secretions of the penis includes:
- silt
- liquid
- cells of different origin
If there is a lot of the last mentioned component, the discharge becomes cloudy, which can be visually observed by the man himself. If epithelial cells appear in the secretions in large numbers, the secretions thicken and take on a gray tint.
Symptoms of candidiasis:
- white spots on the head of the penis
- the head of the penis has an unpleasant odor, reminiscent of yeast or sourdough
- there are unpleasant sensations in the penis and in the perineal region: burning, itching, sometimes pain
- more secretions when emptying the bladder
- reddish spots on the tip of the penis and inside the foreskin
- white discharge on occasions other than urination
- pain during sexual intercourse (in the head and in the foreskin)
- sexual partner (wife, girl) complains of discomfort up to pain during intercourse
- the partner has a white curdled discharge
The second possible cause of white discharge in men is ureaplasmosis, chlamydia, and mycoplasmosis. It can also be an inflammation of the prostate, whose symptoms are:
- frequent need to urinate
- discomfort during bowel movements
- burning in the perineum and urethra
- intermittent and difficult bladder emptying
- sexual disorders
If prostatitis is not treated, the erection will disappear, and it will also be impossible to conceive a child in the future. Therefore, if one or more of the above symptoms appear, immediately consult a doctor for a face-to-face consultation.
Trichomoniasis can cause yellow discharge in men. But in most cases, the disease has a latent course, that is, there will be no symptoms. If there are still symptoms, there will be, among other things, such as:
- discomfort in the perineum
- feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen
- frequent and overwhelming urge to urinate
- burning and stinging when urinating
discharge with odor
The first possible reason (and the most harmless) is a violation of hygiene. As mentioned above, smegma is a normal male discharge (it is not a disease). If you don't wash regularly, at least once a day, smegma accumulates, bacteria multiply and cause unpleasant odours. These odors can vary from person to person.
If you follow the rules of hygiene, and the unpleasant odor is still present, the doctor may suspect a metabolic disorder. In such cases, the most common cause is diabetes mellitus. Smegma will stand out in a sufficiently large amount, because the clothes will be wet.
Infections also cause smelly discharge in men. Basically, a pathological process occurs in the urethra. A doctor may suspect urethritis caused by a gonorrheal infection. The nature of the discharge is described above. If the discharge from the penis smells sour in men, then most likely, urogenital candidiasis will develop.
If the discharge from the genitals smells fishy, the man most likely has gardnerellosis. The same pathogen in women causes a disease called. But these are very rare cases, in women the disease is much more common. Gardnerella is a conditionally pathogenic flora. It multiplies when exposed to certain factors. Factors for the development of gardnerellosis:
- promiscuous sex life
- tight-fitting synthetic underwear (made from non-natural materials)
- long courses of antibiotics or immunosuppressants
- spermicidal condoms
- inflammation of the urinary tract
- decreased immunity
Discharge with blood in men.
The main reason is infection. The discharge may be completely bloody or include streaks of blood. If the infection multiplies in the urethra, you will notice that symptom yourself, but not necessarily. Urethritis is mainly caused in such cases by Candida, Trichomonas or gonorrhea infection. The stronger the inflammation, the more blood is released.
Probable reason number two is careless medical manipulations. The urethra is injured and thus blood is released. Procedures that can damage the urethra:
- catheter placement
- catheter removal
- bougienage
- taking a swab
- cystoscopy
Assignments with blood are simultaneous. It should be noted that in this case, the scarlet blood, without clots, quickly stops.
The passage of stones, sand is the next cause of bloody discharge from the penis. They are secreted by the kidneys or the bladder and pass through the urethra. Microliths are hard, they damage the mucous membrane and the walls of blood vessels, which becomes the direct cause of bleeding. There are also sensations of pain.
It also causes, in some cases, discharge with inclusions of blood. The blood in the urine that a man sees when he goes to the bathroom is called gross hematuria. Then, in parallel, symptoms such as increased blood pressure, swelling develop.
There may also be an even more serious cause of bloody discharge in men and women: cancer. Malignant tumors can be of such organs:
- testicles
- penis
- prostate, etc.
The blood will then be brown or dark, and there will be blood clots in the secretions.
Isolation of blood with semen.
Such a discharge is called "hematospermia. "It can be true and false. If the hematospermia is false, then the blood mixes with the semen during its passage through the urethra. If this pathology is true, then the blood mixes with the sperm even before passing through the urethra.
Hematospermia is manifested by such signs (clinical picture):
- urination disorders
- pain during ejaculation
- discomfort and back pain
- pain and/or swelling in the genitals
- high body temperature
Causes of bleeding with semen:
- prolonged sexual abstinence
- excessively active sexual life (during intercourse, the walls of the blood vessels break)
- varicose veins of the pelvic organs
- stones in the testicles and vas deferens
- malignant and benign formations in the genitourinary organs
- biopsy
- genital surgery
physiological secretions
The health of a man is evidenced by the physiological discharge from the outlet of the urethra, which is observed in the following cases:
Libidinous or physiological urethrorrhea
This condition occurs when a clear discharge appears on the head of the penis during sexual arousal or in the morning, immediately after sleeping. Their number in different men varies and is directly related to the severity of sexual arousal. But in any case, it is important to remember that such discharges, when excited, contain a small number of sperm, therefore, if they enter the partner's genitals, you risk becoming pregnant. The function of the described secretions is to ensure the passage of spermatozoa through the urethra and vagina of a woman, where there is an acidic environment that is harmful to the "gum", and enter them in a viable way into the uterine cavity and tubes. . for fertilization of the ovum.
defecation prostorrhea
During increased intra-abdominal pressure (with straining), a clear, odorless discharge with possible grayish-white streaks may appear on the head of the penis. Such secretions are viscous and consist of a mixture of prostatic secretion and seminal vesicles. A similar secretion can also appear at the end of urination, in which case it is called voiding prostorrhea. In rare cases, such a discharge also appears with a strong cough. They are not considered an organic pathology, but only indicate a violation of the autonomous regulation of the functioning of the genital organs.
smegma
Smegma (preputial lubrication) is a secret consisting of secretions from the sebaceous glands of the head of the penis and the foreskin. Normally, if a man observes the rules of personal hygiene, such discharges do not create inconvenience, since they are mechanically washed with water. But if hygiene is neglected, smegma accumulates and microorganisms multiply, which serves as a source of an unpleasant odor.
sperm excretion
Sperm, which contains a large number of sperm, is normally released during ejaculation (ejaculate) at the end of sexual intercourse or spontaneously, in a dream (pollution). Wet dreams are seen in adolescent boys and occur several times a month or 1-3 times a week (hormonal changes).
In some cases, spermatorrhea, that is, the flow of sperm from the urethra without sexual intercourse and orgasm, indicates a pathology when the tone of the muscle layer of the vas deferens is disturbed in the presence of chronic inflammation or brain diseases.
pathological secretion
All other secretions that go beyond the physiological are pathologies and mainly indicate inflammation of the urethra or urethritis. different, they can be both infectious and non-infectious.
Infectious causes are divided into specific and nonspecific.
- Specific etiological factors include diseases that are sexually transmitted, this and.
- Nonspecific infectious urethritis is caused by opportunistic bacteria, viruses, and fungi:
- chlamydial urethritis;
- ureaplasma and mycoplasma urethritis;
- Candida urethritis or urogenital candidiasis in men;
- herpetic urethritis and others (E. coli, streptococci, staphylococci).
Noninfectious factors of inflammation include:
- allergic reactions
- mechanical damage to the urethral mucosa
- chemical irritation of the urethra
- injury, narrowing of the urethra.
Male discharge can vary in transparency and color. These parameters are affected by the intensity of the inflammatory process, its stage and etiological factor. Secretions are formed from fluid, mucus, and various cells.
- Muddy: If there are a large number of cells, the discharge is cloudy in color.
- Gray or thick - with a predominance of epithelial cells in the secretions, they become gray in color and thicken.
- Yellow, green or greenish-yellow - when the secretions contain a large number of leukocytes, they turn yellow and even green, they are also called purulent secretions.
It should be noted that with the same pathology, the nature of the discharge changes over time.
white flow
White discharge in men is due to various reasons. First of all, candidiasis should be excluded (see). With this disease, the following symptoms are observed:
- the head of the penis has an unpleasant smell of sour bread or yeast;
- the head of the penis is covered with a whitish coating;
- there is itching, burning and even pain in the penis and perineum;
- discharge appears during urination;
- reddish spots (irritation, inflammation) are noted on the head and inner surface of the foreskin;
- there is pain during intercourse, discomfort is felt in the area of the head and foreskin;
- white discharge is noticeable not only during urination;
- the partner complains of itching and burning, pain during intercourse, has curdled discharge.
transparent highlights
- Chlamydia, ureaplasmosis - transparent mucous discharge is possible with chlamydial or ureaplasmic urethritis in the chronic stage of the disease. With an exacerbation of the process in the secretions, the number of leukocytes increases, and they acquire a greenish or yellowish color.
- Trichomoniasis, gonorrhea - also abundant transparent secretions with a large amount of mucus, observed during the day, are possible at the initial stage of infection with Trichomonas or gonococcus. In the case of chlamydia (ureaplasmosis), subjective sensations are often absent (pain, itching, burning), and a clear discharge appears after prolonged urination.
yellow discharge
Purulent secretions, which include desquamated epithelium of the urethra, a significant number of leukocytes, and urethral mucus, are yellowish or greenish in color. Yellow discharge or with an admixture of vegetation is a characteristic sign of sexually transmitted diseases.
- Gonorrhea - the discharge is thick and has an unpleasant putrid odor, is observed during the day and is accompanied by pain when urinating. A man should first think of a gonorrhea infection if there are a couple of classic symptoms: discharge and itching.
- Trichomoniasis: Also with yellow discharge, trichomoniasis is not excluded, although it is often asymptomatic. With severe symptoms of trichomonas infection, in addition to purulent discharge, a man is disturbed by a frequent and irresistible urge to urinate, a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen, and discomfort in the perineum.
discharge with odor
violation of hygiene
An unpleasant odor from the perineum and penis in particular can be observed if the conditions of intimate hygiene are not observed:
- Smegma is an excellent breeding ground for microorganisms, which, multiplying and dying, create an unpleasant odor if you do not thoroughly wash your external genitalia regularly.
- Also, smegma itself can have an unpleasant odor in case of metabolic disorders. At the same time, the release of smegma is so intense that it soaks through underwear.
infections
Odorous discharge is most often seen with an infectious lesion of the urethra. First of all, gonorrheal urethritis should be excluded: thick, yellow or green discharge that occurs throughout the day.
The sour smell of secretions is a pathognomonic symptom of urogenital candidiasis. Infection with fungi of the genus Candida causes the appearance of milky white or cheesy discharge (see).
A fishy smell of discharge is also possible, which is inherent in gardnerellosis, which is quite characteristic of women (called bacterial vaginosis), and in men the development of this disease is quite absurd. Gardnerella belongs to conditionally pathogenic microorganisms and begins to multiply actively only under certain conditions:
- weakening of the immune system;
- concomitant inflammatory processes of the genitourinary organs;
- intestinal dysbacteriosis;
- use of condoms with spermicides;
- long-term treatment with antibiotics or immunosuppressants (cytostatics, corticosteroids);
- tight-fitting underwear made of synthetic fabrics;
- promiscuous sex life.
discharge with blood
infections
Bloody discharge or blood-streaked discharge is often seen with an infectious lesion of the urethra. An admixture of blood is characteristic of gonorrhea, trichomonas, or candidal urethritis. Furthermore, the amount of blood is directly related to the intensity of the inflammation.
Blood is often observed in chronic urethritis (the mucous membrane of the urethra loosens and responds with contact bleeding to the slightest irritation, including the passage of urine through the channel).
medical manipulations
Another reason for this is trauma to the urethra during medical procedures. In the case of rough bougienage, catheter insertion and removal, cystoscopy or smear taking, one-stage bleeding may be observed. They differ in that scarlet blood does not have clots, and the bleeding stops very quickly.
Step of stones, sand
Among other things, bloody discharge can be observed when small stones or sand (from the kidneys or bladder) pass through the urethra. The hard surface of microliths damages the mucosa and vessel walls, causing bleeding. In this case, the blood is more noticeable during urination, which is accompanied by pain.
Glomerulonephritis
Gross hematuria is also possible in the presence of glomerulonephritis. In this case, there is a triad of symptoms: macroscopic hematuria, edema, increased blood pressure.
Isolation of blood with semen.
We must not forget about such a symptom as discharge (hematospermia). There are false and true hematospermia. With fake blood, it mixes with semen during its passage through the urethra. And with real blood it enters the ejaculate even before it passes through the urethra. Hematospermia is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- pain during ejaculation;
- urination disorders;
- pain and/or swelling in the genitals (testicles and scrotum);
- discomfort and back pain;
- increased body temperature.
One of the causes of hematospermia is:
- excessively active sexual life or vice versa,
- prolonged sexual abstinence, while during intercourse there is a rupture of the vascular walls in the tissues of the genital organs
- previous surgery or a biopsy can also cause blood in semen
- hematospermia appears with benign and malignant neoplasms of the genitourinary organs
- in the presence of stones in the testicles and vas deferens
- with varicose veins of the pelvic organs.
As you know, discharge from a man's penis can be both physiological and pathological. The physiological include secretions that are the result of the activity of the gonads, including the result of sexual arousal.
Such discharges from the penis are a clear viscous liquid and do not cause any discomfort in a man by their presence. Physiological discharge from the head of the penis in a healthy man is normal and quite common. The rest of the discharge on the head in men is pathological in nature and, as a rule, is accompanied by a particular infection.