Few women know that men also have discharge. As with women, they also occur normally in men and are odorless. Only in women is it called "leucorrhoea" and they emerge from the vagina while men flow from the urethra. Of course, any pathological discharge indicates poor health and requires a visit to a doctor.
Physiological discharge
A man's health is indicated by physiological discharge from the urethral outlet, which is observed in the following cases:
Libidous or physiological urethrorrhea
This condition is observed when transparent discharge is seen during sexual arousal or in the morning, immediately after sleep. Their number in different men is different and is directly related to the severity of sexual arousal. But in any case, it is important to remember that such discharge, when aroused, contains a small amount of sperm, so if they get on the partner's genitals, she is at risk of becoming pregnant. The function of the secretions described is to ensure the passage of spermatozoa through a woman's urethra and vagina, where there is an acidic environment that is destructive to the "chewing gum", and gets them in a viable form into the uterine cavity and the tubes for fertilization of the egg.
Defective prostatorrhea
During an increase in intra-abdominal pressure (under load), a transparent odorless discharge with possible grayish-white streaks on the head of the penis may occur. Such a discharge is viscous and consists of a mixture of prostate secretions and seminal vesicles. Such discharge may occur at the end of urination, in which case they speak of a vocal prostatorrhea. In exceptional cases, such discharge occurs with a strong cough. They are not considered as an organic pathology, but only indicate a violation of the autonomous regulation of the function of the genitals.
Smegma
Smegma (preutial lubrication) is a secretion consisting of secretions from the sebaceous glands in the head of the penis and foreskin. Usually, if a man adheres to the rules of personal hygiene, such discharge does not create nuisance as it is mechanically washed off with water. However, if hygiene is neglected, smegma accumulates and microorganisms multiply in it, which serves as a source of an unpleasant odor.
Sperm isolation
Sperm cells that contain a large number of sperm cells are usually secreted during ejaculation (ejaculation) at the end of intercourse or spontaneously during sleep (wet dreams). Contamination occurs in young boys and occurs either several times a month or 1 to 3 times a week (hormonal changes).
In some cases, spermatrhea, that is, the ejaculation of semen from the urethra without intercourse and orgasm, indicates a pathology when the tone of the muscle layer in the vas deferens is disturbed in the presence of chronic inflammation or diseases of the brain.
Pathological discharge
All other secretions that go beyond physiological are pathology and primarily indicate inflammation of the urethra or urethritis. The causes of urethritis in men are different, they can be both infectious and non-infectious.
Infectious causes are divided into specific and nonspecific.
- Specific etiological factors include sexually transmitted diseases, such as trichomoniasis.
- Non-specific infectious urethritis is caused by opportunistic bacteria, viruses and fungi:
- chlamydial urethritis;
- ureaplasma and mycoplasma urethritis;
- candidal urethritis or urogenital candidiasis in men;
- herpetic urethritis and others (Escherichia coli, streptococci, staphylococci).
Non-infectious inflammatory factors include:
- allergic reactions
- mechanical damage to the urethral mucosa
- irritation of the urethra with chemicals
- trauma, narrowing of the urethra.
Male emissions can vary in transparency and color. These parameters are affected by the intensity of the inflammatory process, its phase and etiological factor. The secretions are formed from fluid, mucus and various cells.
- Cloudy - if there are a large number of cells, the discharge has a cloudy color.
- Gray or thick - with a predominance of epithelial cells in the secretions, they become gray and thick.
- Yellow, green or yellow-green - when a large number of leukocytes are contained in the secretions, they turn yellow and even green in color, they are also called purulent secretions.
It should be noted that with the same pathology, the nature of the discharge changes over time.
White discharge
White discharge in men is due to several causes. First of all, candidiasis should be ruled out. With this disease the following symptoms are observed:
- the head of the penis smells unpleasantly of sour bread or yeast;
- penis head is covered with a whitish coating;
- itching, burning and even pain in the penis and in the perineal region are noted;
- discharge is shown by urination;
- there are reddish spots (irritation, inflammation) on the head and inside of the foreskin;
- pain occurs during coitus, feeling discomfort in the head and foreskin;
- white discharge is noted, not only during urination;
- the partner complains of itching and burning, pain during intercourse, has a cheesy discharge.
In addition to urogenital candidiasis, white discharge may be due to chlamydia and / or ureaplasmosis and mycoplasmosis and also to prostatitis, which is characterized by:
- Difficulty and periodic urination
- a burning sensation in the perineum and urethra;
- discomfort during bowel movements;
- frequent urge to urinate
- sexual disorders (decreased libido and erection, rapid ejaculation, blurred orgasm).
It is important for men to remember that neglected prostatitis can not only lead to persistent erectile dysfunction but also to infertility.
Transparent choices
- Chlamydia, ureaplasmosis - transparent mucus discharge is possible with chlamydial or ureaplasmic urethritis in the chronic stage of the disease. With a worsening of the process, the number of leukocytes in the secretions increases and they get a greenish or yellowish color.
- Trichomoniasis, gonorrhea - also transparent, abundant discharge with a lot of mucus, which is observed during the day, 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 transparent discharge appears after prolonged abstinence from urination.
Yellow discharge
Purulent discharge, which includes the desquamated epithelium of the urethra, a significant number of leukocytes, and urethral mucus, is yellowish or greenish. Yellow discharge or mixed with green is a characteristic sign of sexually transmitted diseases.
- Gonorrhea - the discharge is thick and has an unpleasant smelly odor, is observed during the day and is accompanied by pain when urinating. A man should first think of a gonorrheal infection if there is a classic couple of symptoms: discharge and itching.
- Trichomoniasis - even with yellow discharge, trichomoniasis is not excluded, although it is often asymptomatic. With severe symptoms of Trichomonas infection, a man in addition to pus-like discharge is concerned about burning and stinging during urination, frequent and irresistible urge to urinate, a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen and discomfort in the perineum.
Discharge with an odor
Violation of hygiene
An unpleasant odor of the perineum and penis can be observed especially if the conditions of intimate hygiene are not followed:
- Smegma is an excellent breeding ground for microorganisms that, by multiplying and dying, create an unpleasant odor if you do not regularly wash the external genitalia thoroughly.
- In addition, smegma itself may have an unpleasant odor in case of metabolic disorders (for example, diabetes mellitus in men). At the same time, the release of smegma is so intense that it penetrates the underwear.
Infections
Discharge with odor is most often observed in an infectious lesion in the urethra. First of all, gonorrheal urethritis should be ruled out - thick, yellow or green discharge that is observed during the day.
The sour smell of discharge is a pathognomic symptom of urogenital candidiasis. Infection with fungi of the genus Candida causes the appearance of a cheesy or milky white discharge.
A fishy odor of secretion is also possible, which is associated with gardnerellosis, which is more characteristic of women (called bacterial vaginosis), and in men, the development of this disease is rather nonsense. Gardnerella belongs to conditionally pathogenic microorganisms and only begins to multiply actively under certain conditions:
- weakening of immunity;
- concomitant inflammatory processes in genitourinary organs;
- intestinal dysbiosis;
- use of condoms with spermicides;
- long-term treatment with antibiotics or immunosuppressants (chemotherapy drugs, corticosteroids)
- tight underwear made of synthetic fabrics;
- promiscuous sex life.
Discharge with an unpleasant odor can also be with diseases such as:
- balanitis (inflammation of the head of the penis)
- balanoposthitis (inflammation of the inner surface of the foreskin).
But in addition to discharge (not from the urethra, but smegma) these diseases are accompanied by hyperemia and itching, pain in the penis and sores and wrinkles are found on the head.
Discharge with blood
Infections
Bloody discharge or discharge with streaks of blood is often observed with an infectious lesion in the urethra. A mixture of blood is characteristic of gonorrheal, Trichomonas or candidal urethritis. In addition, the amount of blood is directly related to the intensity of inflammation.
Blood is often observed in chronic urethritis (the lining of the urethra loosens and responds with contact bleeding to the slightest irritation, including passage of urine through the duct).
Medical manipulations
Another reason for this is trauma to the urethra during medical procedures. In case of coarse bougienage, insertion and removal of a catheter, cystoscopy or smearing, spotting may occur immediately. They differ in that the blood is scarlet, has no blood clots, and the bleeding itself stops very quickly.
Passage of stone, 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 microliters damages the mucous membrane and vessel walls and causes bleeding. In this case, blood is most visible during urination, which is accompanied by pain.
Glomerulonephritis
Gross hematuria (blood in the urine, visible during urination) is also possible in the presence of glomerulonephritis. In this case, there is a triad of symptoms: severe hematuria, edema, high blood pressure.
Malignant tumors
One of the signs of malignant tumors in the genitourinary system (cancer of the prostate, penis, testicles and others) is the appearance of blood in a man. In this case, the blood will be brown or dark, and blood clots may occur.
Isolation of blood with semen
We must not forget such a symptom as the release of blood with semen (hematospermia). Distinction between false and true hematospermia. When false, blood mixes with the 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 of the genitals (testicles and scrotum);
- discomfort and pain in the lower back;
- increased body temperature.
One of the causes of hematospermia is:
- excessively active sex life or vice versa,
- prolonged sexual abstinence, while during intercourse there is a rupture of the vascular walls of tissues of the genitals
- previous surgery or biopsy can also cause blood to appear in semen
- Hematospermia occurs in benign and malignant neoplasms of genitourinary organs
- in the presence of stones in the testicles and vas deferens
- with varicose veins in the pelvic organs.