Discharge from the genitals can bother not only girls, but also men. Men have normal odorless discharge. Their source is the urethra. In women, discharge is called leucorrhoea. If you have noticed an unhealthy discharge, make an urgent 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. A transparent shadow discharge is seen from the urethral outlet. This happens in the morning, right after waking up, or when a man has sex.
Urethrorrhea may be more pronounced or weaker. Lubricant released during arousal contains spermatozoa. Therefore, if you do not want to have children yet, it is worth protecting yourself even with the initial caresses of the genitals. Secretions in men help sperm pass through the urethra and into and out of the partner's vagina. After all, the environment there is acidic, and this is harmful to the life of sperm.
The second cause of ejaculation in boys and men can be defecation and prostatorrhea. When a man pushes, there is an odorless and colorless discharge at the head of the genital organ. Sometimes there may be white-gray inclusions. Their consistency is viscous. These are the secretions of the prostate gland and seminal vesicles. The appearance is possible at the end of emptying the bladder. Then it is called a mixing room. Very rarely, a man sees such discharge after coughing. It is not a disease but a treatable disease.
It is the next type of discharge from the male genital organs. This includes the secretion of the sebaceous glands of the head of the penis and the foreskin. If a man washes, changes his underwear and does not wear someone else's underwear, then these secretions are washed away. And they won't be the center of attention. If the hygiene is not so good, quite a large amount of smegma can accumulate. Pathological flora will multiply and develop there, because the genitals and underwear will smell unpleasant.
Sperm
Semen - discharge with a large number of sperm (spermatozoa). Sperm is released during ejaculation, that is, at the peak of pleasure during sexual intercourse of a different nature. Also, in sleep, men and boys sometimes have wet dreams, and then sperm is released from the penis.
Wet dreams mostly occur during puberty. This is 2-5 cases per month. But with changes in the balance of hormones, there may be wet dreams even several times a week. If sperm does not come out of the penis during orgasm, it is called "". This is a disease caused by a violation of muscle tone in the vas deferens. Basically, this happens with brain diseases or chronic inflammation in the channels.
Pathological discharge
Physiological secretions normally found in boys and men are described above. Here we will look at discharges that are associated with health problems. Mainly, 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.
Infection can be specific or non-specific. In particular, it is mainly trichomoniasis or gonorrhea. And non-specific urethritis can be triggered by such pathogens:
- mycoplasma
- ureaplasma
- chlamydia
- herpes
- staphylococcus aureus
- streptococcus
Non-infectious causes of urethritis and discharge from the genital tract:
- injury, narrowing of the urethra
- irritation with chemicals
- mechanical damage to the mucous membrane
- allergenic effect
In men, secretions from the genital tract can be transparent as well as different in color. It depends on how active the inflammation is, at what stage it is, and what kind of flora is formed. Penile secretions include:
- slime
- fluid
- cells of different origin
If there is a lot of the last-named component, the discharge becomes cloudy, which can be visually observed by the person himself. If there are many epithelial cells in the secretions, then the secretions become thick and take on a gray color.
Symptoms of candidiasis:
- white spots on the head of the penis
- the head of the penis has an unpleasant smell reminiscent of yeast or sourdough bread
- there are unpleasant sensations in the penis and perineum: burning, itching, sometimes pain
- urinate more when emptying the bladder
- red spots on the tip of the penis and inside the foreskin
- white discharge at times other than urine
- pain during intercourse (in scalp and foreskin)
- the sexual partner (wife, daughter) complains of discomfort up to pain during sexual intercourse
- the partner has a white discharge of a curdled consistency
The second possible cause of white discharge in men is ureaplasmosis, chlamydia, mycoplasmosis. It can also be inflammation of the prostate gland, the symptoms of which are:
- frequent urge to urinate
- discomfort during bowel movements
- burning in the perineum and urethra
- intermittent and difficult emptying of the bladder
- sexual disorders
If prostatitis is not treated, then the erection will disappear and it will not be possible to give birth to a child in the future. Therefore, if one or more of the above symptoms appear, immediately contact a doctor for a face-to-face consultation.
Trichomoniasis can cause yellow discharge in men. But in most cases, the disease has a hidden course, that is, there will be no symptoms. If you still have symptoms, then there will be, among other things:
- discomfort in the perineum
- a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen
- frequent and excessive urge to urinate
- burning and stinging when urinating
Discharge with smell
The first possible reason (and the most harmless) is a violation of hygiene. As mentioned above, smegma is a normal (non-disease) male secretion. If you do not wash regularly at least once a day, smegma accumulates, bacteria multiply and create unpleasant odors. These smells can vary from person to person.
If you follow the rules of hygiene and the unpleasant smell 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 fairly large amount, because the laundry will be wet.
In men, infections also cause foul-smelling discharge. Basically, the pathological process occurs in the urethra. A doctor may suspect urethritis caused by a gonorrhea infection. The nature of discharge is described above. If the discharge from the penis in men smells sour, it is likely that candidiasis of the genitourinary organs is developing.
If the discharge from the genitals smells fishy, it is likely that the man has gardnerellosis. In women, it causes a disease called the same pathogen. But these are very rare, the disease is more common in women. Gardnerella is conditionally pathogenic flora. It multiplies when exposed to certain factors. Factors leading to the development of gardnerellosis:
- promiscuous sex life
- tight synthetic underwear (made from unnatural materials)
- long courses of antibiotics or immunosuppressants
- spermicidal condoms
- inflammation of the urinary tract
- decreased immunity
Bleeding in men
The main cause is infection. The discharge may be completely bloody or contain streaks of blood. If the infection multiplies in the urethra, then you will feel such a symptom, but not necessarily. Urethritis is mainly caused by Candida, Trichomonas or gonorrhea infection in such cases. The stronger the inflammation, the more blood is released.
Probable reason number 2 medical manipulations are careless. The urethra is damaged and therefore blood is released. Procedures that can damage the urethra:
- catheter placement
- catheter removal
- bougienage
- pick up a stick
- cystoscopy
Connections with blood occur at the same time. It should be noted that in this case red blood stops clotting quickly.
Passage of stones and sand is another cause of bloody discharge from the penis. They are excreted from the kidneys or bladder and pass through the urethra. Microliths are hard, they damage the mucous membrane and walls of blood vessels, which is the direct cause of bleeding. There are also feelings of pain.
It also causes discharge with blood clots in some cases. Blood in the urine when a man goes to the toilet is called gross hematuria. Then symptoms such as increased blood pressure and swelling develop in parallel.
In boys and men, bloody discharge can have a more serious cause - cancer. Malignant tumors can be from such organs:
- testicles
- penis
- prostate etc.
Later, the blood will be brown or dark in color and the discharge will contain blood clots.
Isolation of blood with sperm
Such discharge is called "hematospermia". It can be true or false. If hematospermia is false, blood mixes with sperm as it passes through the urethra. If this pathology is true, then blood is mixed with sperm before passing through the urethra.
Hematospermia is manifested by such signs (clinical picture):
- urinary disorders
- pain during ejaculation
- anxiety and back pain
- pain and/or swelling in the genitals
- high body temperature
Causes of bleeding with semen:
- abstinence from sexual intercourse for a long time
- excessively active sexual life (blood vessel walls are torn during coitus)
- varicose veins of the pelvic organs
- stones in 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 urethral outlet observed in the following cases:
Libidinosis or physiological urethral
This condition occurs during sexual awakening or when a clear discharge appears at the head of the penis in the morning immediately after sleep. Their number varies in different men and directly depends on the intensity of sexual arousal. But in any case, it should be remembered that such discharges contain a small amount of spermatozoa when excited, so there is a risk of pregnancy if it enters the partner's genitals. The function of the described secretions is to ensure that the spermatozoa pass through the urethra and vagina of the woman, where the acidic environment is harmful to the "gum", and enter them in a live form into the uterine cavity and tubes. to fertilize the egg.
Defecation prostrorrhea
During increased intra-abdominal pressure (stretching), clear, odorless discharge with possible gray-white streaks may be seen at the head of the penis. Such secretions are viscous and consist of a mixture of prostatic secretions and seminal vesicles. A similar discharge can be seen at the end of urination, in which case they speak of micturatory prostorrhoea. In exceptional cases, such discharge also appears with a strong cough. They are not considered an organic pathology, but indicate a violation of the autonomous regulation of the work of the genitals.
Smegma
Smegma (preputial lubrication) is a secretion of the sebaceous glands of the glans penis and foreskin. Normally, if a man follows the rules of personal hygiene, such discharges do not cause concern, because they are mechanically washed away with water. However, if hygiene is neglected, smegma accumulates and microorganisms multiply, which serves as a source of unpleasant odor.
sperm secretion
Semen, containing large numbers of spermatozoa, are normally released during ejaculation (ejaculate) at the end of sexual intercourse or spontaneously during sleep (pollution). Wet dreams are observed 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 intercourse and orgasm, indicates pathology when the tone of the vas deferens muscle layer is disturbed during chronic inflammation or brain diseases.
Pathological discharge
All other secretions that go beyond the physiological are pathologies and primarily indicate inflammation of the urethra or urethritis. different, they can be both infectious and non-infectious.
Infectious causes are divided into specific and non-specific.
- Specific etiological factors include sexually transmitted diseases, this and.
- Non-specific infectious urethritis is caused by opportunistic bacteria, viruses and fungi:
- chlamydial urethritis;
- ureaplasma and mycoplasmal urethritis;
- candidal urethritis or urogenital candidiasis in men;
- herpetic urethritis and others (E. coli, streptococci, staphylococci).
Non-infectious factors of inflammation include:
- allergic reactions
- mechanical damage to the urethral mucosa
- irritation of the urethra with chemicals
- injury, narrowing of the urethra.
Male ejaculation 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 lot of cells, the discharge has a cloudy color.
- Gray or thick - due to the predominance of epithelial cells in secretions, they become gray and thick.
- Yellow, green or yellow-green - when there are a large number of leukocytes in the secretions, they turn yellow or even green, they are also called purulent secretions.
It should be noted that with the same pathology, the nature of discharge changes over time.
White discharge
White discharge in men is caused by several reasons. First of all, candidiasis should be excluded (see). The following symptoms are observed with this disease:
- 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;
- red spots (irritation, inflammation) are noted on the head and inner surface of the foreskin;
- there is pain during sexual intercourse, discomfort is felt in the area of the scalp and foreskin;
- white discharge is not noted only during urination;
- the partner complains of itching and burning, pain during intercourse, there is curdled discharge.
Transparent highlights
- Chlamydia, ureaplasmosis - in the chronic stage of the disease, clear mucous discharge is possible with chlamydia or ureaplasmic urethritis. With the exacerbation of the process in the secretions, the number of leukocytes increases and they acquire a greenish or yellowish color.
- Trichomoniasis, gonorrhea - a large amount of transparent mucus observed during the day, abundant discharge is possible in the initial stage of infection with Trichomonas or gonococci. In the case of chlamydia (ureaplasmosis), subjective sensations are often absent (pain, itching, burning), and clear discharge appears after urinating for a long time.
yellow discharge
Purulent discharge containing the desquamated epithelium of the urethra, a significant number of leukocytes and the mucous membrane of the urethra is yellowish or greenish in color. Yellow discharge or greenish mixture is a characteristic sign of sexually transmitted diseases.
- Gonorrhea - the discharge is thick and has an unpleasant rotten smell, it is observed during the day and is accompanied by pain during urination. A man should first think about a gonorrhea infection if there is a classic pair of symptoms: discharge and itching.
- Trichomoniasis - even with yellow discharge, although it is often asymptomatic, trichomoniasis is not excluded. 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 smell
Violation of hygiene rules
If the conditions of intimate hygiene are not observed, especially the unpleasant smell of the perineum and penis can be observed:
- Smegma is an excellent breeding ground for unpleasant odor-producing microorganisms that multiply and die if you do not wash the external genitalia thoroughly regularly.
- In addition, 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 the underwear.
infections
Discharge with a smell is most often observed with an infectious lesion of the urethra. First of all, gonorrhoeal urethritis should be excluded - thick, yellow or green discharge that occurs during the day.
The sour smell of secretions is a pathognomonic sign of urogenital candidiasis. Infection with fungi of the genus Candida provokes the appearance of a cheesy or milky white discharge (see).
For women (called bacterial vaginosis), a fishy smell characteristic of gardnerellosis, which is quite characteristic, is also possible, and the development of this disease in men is quite nonsense. Gardnerella refers to conditionally pathogenic microorganisms and begins to multiply actively only under certain conditions:
- weakening of the immune system;
- accompanying inflammatory processes of genitourinary organs;
- intestinal dysbiosis;
- use of condoms with spermicides;
- long-term treatment with antibiotics or immunosuppressants (cytostatics, corticosteroids);
- tight underwear made of synthetic fabrics;
- promiscuous sex life.
Discharge with blood
infections
Bloody discharge or discharge with streaks of blood is often observed with an infectious lesion of the urethra. Blood mixture is characteristic of gonorrhea, trichomonas or candidal urethritis. Moreover, the amount of blood directly depends on the intensity of inflammation.
Blood is often observed in chronic urethritis (the mucous membrane of the urethra is relaxed and responds with contact bleeding to the slightest irritation, including passage through the urethra).
Medical manipulations
Another cause of these is injury to the urethra during medical procedures. One-stage bleeding may be observed during gross bougienage, catheter insertion and removal, cystoscopy, or smear removal. They are distinguished by the absence of clots in red blood, and the bleeding itself stops very quickly.
The passage of stones, sand
Among other things, small stones or sand (from the kidneys or bladder) may pass through the urethra with blood. The hard surface of microliths damages the mucous membrane and vessel walls, causing bleeding. In this case, blood is most noticeable during urination, which is accompanied by pain.
Glomerulonephritis
In the presence of glomerulonephritis, general hematuria is also possible. In this case, there is a trinity of symptoms: general hematuria, edema, arterial pressure.
Isolation of blood with sperm
We must not forget such a symptom as discharge (hematospermia). There is false and true hematospermia. It is mixed with false blood and sperm as it passes through the urethra. And the actual blood enters the ejaculation before passing through the urethra. Hematospermia is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- pain during ejaculation;
- urinary disorders;
- pain and / or swelling in the genitals (testicles and scrotum);
- anxiety and back pain;
- increase in body temperature.
One of the causes of hematospermia:
- excessively active sex life or vice versa,
- long-term abstinence from sexual intercourse with rupture of the vascular walls in the tissues of the genital organs during sexual intercourse
- previous surgery or biopsy can also cause blood in the 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 the male genital organ can be both physiological and pathological. Physiological includes secretions resulting from the activity of the gonads, including the result of sexual arousal.
Such secretions from the penis are a clear viscous liquid, and their presence does not cause any discomfort in a man. Physiological discharge at the head of the penis is normal and quite common in a healthy man. The rest of the discharge on the head in men is pathological in nature and, as a rule, is accompanied by a certain infection.