There are few women who know that men also have discharge. As in women, in men they also occur normally and are odorless. Only in women it is called "leucorrhoea" and they appear from the vagina, while the men flow from the urethra. Of course, any pathological discharge indicates ill health and requires a visit to a doctor.
Physiological discharge
The health of a man is evidenced by physiological discharge from the outlet of the urethra, which is observed in the following cases:
Libidous or physiological urethrorrhea
This condition is observed when transparent discharge appears during sexual arousal or in the morning, immediately after sleep. Their number in different men differs and is directly related to the severity of sexual arousal. But in any case, it is important to remember that such discharge, when excited, contains a small amount of sperm, so if they get on the partner's genitals, she has a risk of 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 destructive for the "gum", and getting them in a viable form into the uterine cavity and tubes for fertilization of the egg.
Defective prostatorrhea
During an increase in intra-abdominal pressure (when straining), a transparent odorless discharge with possible gray-white streaks may appear on the head of the penis. Such a discharge is viscous and consists of a mixture of prostate secretions and seminal vesicles. Similar discharge can appear at the end of urination, in which case they speak of a vocal prostatorrhea. In exceptional cases, such discharge appears with a strong cough. They are not considered an organic pathology, but only indicate a violation of the autonomic regulation of the functioning of the genital organs.
Smegma
Smegma (preputial lubrication) is a secret that consists 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 discharge does not create inconvenience, since it is mechanically washed off with water. But if hygiene is neglected, smegma accumulates, and microorganisms multiply in it, which serves as a source of an unpleasant odor.
Sperm isolation
Sperm, which contains a large number of sperm, are normally secreted during ejaculation (ejaculation) at the end of intercourse or spontaneously, during sleep (wet dreams). Pollution occurs in adolescent boys and occurs either several times a month, or 1 to 3 times a week (hormonal changes).
In some cases, spermatorrhea, that is, the outflow of sperm from the urethra without 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 diseases of the brain.
Pathological discharge
All other secretions that go beyond the physiological are pathology and indicate primarily 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 non-specific.
- Specific etiological factors include sexually transmitted diseases such as trichomoniasis.
- Nonspecific 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 factors of inflammation include:
- allergic reactions
- mechanical damage to the urethral mucosa
- irritation of the urethra with chemicals
- trauma, narrowing of the urethra.
Male discharge can vary in transparency and coloration. These parameters are influenced by the intensity of the inflammatory process, its stage and etiological factor. The secretions are formed from fluid, mucus, and various cells.
- Cloudy - if there are a large number of cells, then 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 become 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 reasons. First of all, candidiasis should be excluded. With this disease, the following symptoms are observed:
- the head of the penis smells unpleasantly 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 in the perineal region;
- discharge appears when urinating;
- there are reddish spots (irritation, inflammation) on the head and inner surface of the foreskin;
- there is pain during coitus, discomfort is felt 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 can be caused by chlamydia and / or ureaplasmosis and mycoplasmosis, and also talk about inflammation of the prostate gland, which is characterized by:
- Difficulty and intermittent 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 lead not only to persistent erectile dysfunction, but also to infertility.
Transparent selections
- 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, the number of leukocytes in the secretions increases, and they acquire a greenish or yellowish color.
- Trichomoniasis, gonorrhea - also transparent, abundant discharge with a lot of mucus, which are observed during the day, are possible at 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, are yellowish or greenish. Yellow discharge or mixed with greenery 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 about a gonorrheal infection if there is a classic pair of symptoms: discharge and itching.
- Trichomoniasis - also with yellow discharge, trichomoniasis is not excluded, although it is often asymptomatic. With pronounced symptoms of Trichomonas infection, in addition to pus-like discharge, a man is worried about burning and stinging during urination, frequent and irresistible urges to urinate, a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen and discomfort in the perineum.
Discharge with a smell
Violation of hygiene
An unpleasant odor of the perineum and penis in particular can be observed if the conditions of intimate hygiene are not followed:
- Smegma is an excellent breeding ground for microorganisms, which, multiplying and dying, create an unpleasant odor if you do not regularly thoroughly wash the external genital organs.
- 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 soaks through the underwear.
Infections
Discharge with a smell is most often observed with an infectious lesion of the urethra. First of all, gonorrheal urethritis should be excluded - thick, yellow or green discharge that is observed throughout the day.
The sour smell of discharge is a pathognomical symptom of urogenital candidiasis. Infection with fungi of the genus Candida provokes the appearance of a cheesy or milky-white discharge.
The fishy smell of secretions is also possible, which is inherent in 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 begins to multiply actively only under certain conditions:
- weakening of immunity;
- concomitant inflammatory processes of the genitourinary organs;
- intestinal dysbiosis;
- the use of condoms with spermicides;
- long-term treatment with antibiotics or immunosuppressants (cytostatics, corticosteroids);
- tight underwear made of synthetic fabrics;
- promiscuous sex life.
Also, discharge with an unpleasant odor can 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 of the penis, and ulcers and wrinkling are found on the head.
Discharge with blood
Infections
Bloody discharge or discharge with streaks of blood is often observed with an infectious lesion of the urethra. An admixture of blood is characteristic of gonorrheal, Trichomonas or candidal urethritis. Moreover, the amount of blood is directly related to the intensity of inflammation.
Often, blood is observed in chronic urethritis (the mucous membrane of the urethra is loosened and responds with contact bleeding to the slightest irritation, including the passage of urine through the canal).
Medical manipulations
Another reason for this is trauma to the urethra during medical procedures. In the case of rough bougienage, insertion and removal of a catheter, cystoscopy, or taking a smear, spotting may occur at once. They differ in that the blood is scarlet, does not have clots, and the bleeding itself stops very quickly.
Passage 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 mucous membrane and vascular walls, causing bleeding. In this case, blood is most noticeable when urinating, 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: gross hematuria, edema, increased blood pressure.
Malignant tumors
One of the signs of malignant tumors of the genitourinary system (cancer of the prostate gland, penis, testes and others) is the appearance of blood in a man. In this case, the blood will be brown or dark, and clots may appear.
Isolation of blood with semen
We must not forget about such a symptom as the release of blood with sperm (hematospermia). Distinguish between false and true hematospermia. When false, blood is mixed with the semen during its passage through the urethra. And with true blood enters the ejaculate even before it passes through the urethra. Hematospermia is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- pain during ejaculation;
- disorders of urination;
- pain and / or swelling in 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 in the tissues of the genital organs
- previous surgery or biopsy can also cause blood to appear in semen
- hematospermia appears in benign and malignant neoplasms of the genitourinary organs
- in the presence of stones in the testes and vas deferens
- with varicose veins of the pelvic organs.