There are few women who know that men have losses too. As in women, in men they also occur normally and are odorless. Only in women it is called "leucorrhea" and they appear 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
The health of a man is evidenced by physiological discharge from the outlet of the urethra, which is observed in the following cases:
Libid or physiological urethrorrhea
This condition is observed when a transparent discharge appears during sexual arousal or in the morning, immediately after sleep. Their number differs between men and is directly related to the severity of sexual arousal. But in any case, it is important to remember that such a discharge, when aroused, contains a small amount of semen, so if they enter the genitals of the partner, there is a risk of becoming pregnant. The function of the secretions described is to ensure the passage of sperm through a woman's urethra and vagina, where there is an acidic environment destructive to the "gum", and to make them enter in a viable form into the. uterine cavity and tubes for fertilization of the egg.
Defective prostatorrhea
During increased intra-abdominal pressure (during exertion), 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 prostatic secretions and seminal vesicles. Such discharge may appear at the end of urination, in which case they speak of vocal prostatorrhea. In exceptional cases, such a discharge 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 genitals.
Smegma
Smegma (preputial lubrication) is a secret made up 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, then such a discharge does not cause inconvenience, because it is mechanically washed with water. But if hygiene is neglected, smegma accumulates and microorganisms multiply there, causing an unpleasant odor.
Semen 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 semen 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 inflammationor brain diseases.
Pathological discharge
All other secretions that go beyond physiological are pathological and mainly indicate inflammation of the urethra or urethritis. The causes of urethritis in humans 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.
- Nonspecific infectious urethritis is caused by bacteria, viruses and opportunistic 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 losses can vary in transparency and coloring. These parameters are influenced by the intensity of the inflammatory process, its stage and its etiological factor. Secretions are made up of fluid, mucus and various cells.
- Cloudy - if there is 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, 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 ruled out. With this disease, the following symptoms are observed:
- the head of the penis unpleasantly smells 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 the inner surface of the foreskin;
- pain occurs 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 speak of inflammation of the prostate, 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, fuzzy 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 and abundant discharge with a lot of mucus, observed during the day, is 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 a transparent discharge appears after prolonged abstinence from urinating.
Yellow discharge
Purulent discharge, which includes the peeling epithelium of the urethra, a large number of leukocytes and urethral mucus, is yellowish or greenish. Yellow discharge or discharge mixed with greenery is a characteristic sign of sexually transmitted diseases.
- Gonorrhea - the discharge is thick and has an unpleasant putrid smell, is observed during the day and is accompanied by pain when urinating. A man should first think about gonococcal infection if there is a pair 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 a pus-like discharge, a man worries about burning and tingling during urination, frequent and irresistible urges to urinate, a feeling of heaviness in thelower abdomen and discomfort in the perineum.
Discharge with an odor
Hygiene violation
An unpleasant odor of the perineum and the penis, in particular, can be observed if the conditions of intimate hygiene are not respected:
- Smegma is an excellent breeding ground for microorganisms which, as they multiply and die, create an unpleasant odor if you do not wash the external genitals regularly and thoroughly.
- In addition, smegma itself can have an unpleasant odor in metabolic disorders (for example, diabetes mellitus in humans). At the same time, the release of smegma is so intense that it penetrates through the underwear.
Infections
Discharge with an odor is most often observed with an infectious lesion of the urethra. First of all, gonococcal urethritis should be excluded - thick, yellow or green discharge observed throughout the day.
The sour smell of the discharge is a pathognomonic symptom of urogenital candidiasis. Infection with fungi of the genus Candida causes a milky white or milky discharge to appear.
A 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 absurd. Gardnerella belongs to conditionally pathogenic microorganisms and begins to actively multiply only under certain conditions:
- weakened 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 of synthetic fabrics;
- promiscuous sex life.
In addition, landfills with an unpleasant smell can be associated with such diseases as:
- balanitis (inflammation of the head of the penis)
- balanoposthitis (inflammation of the inner surface of the foreskin).
But in addition to the discharge (not from the urethra, but smegma), these diseases are accompanied by hyperemia and itching, pain in the penis, ulcers and wrinkles on the head.
Discharge with blood
Infections
Bloody discharge or a discharge with streaks of blood is often seen with an infectious lesion of the urethra. An admixture of blood is characteristic of gonorrhea, Trichomonas, or candidal urethritis. In addition, the amount of blood is directly related to the intensity of the inflammation.
Often blood is observed in chronic urethritis (the mucous membrane of the urethra is relaxed and responds with contact bleeding to the slightest irritation, including passing urine through the duct).
Medical manipulations
Another reason is trauma to the urethra during medical procedures. In case of rough movement, insertion and removal of a catheter, a cystoscopy or a smear, spotting can occur immediately. They differ in that the blood is scarlet, does not have clots, and the bleeding itself stops very quickly.
Stone passage, sand
Among other things, a bloody discharge can be observed when small stones or sand (from the kidneys or bladder) pass through the urethra. The hard surface of the microliths damages the mucous membrane and vascular walls, causing bleeding. In this case, the blood is more visible during urination, which is accompanied by pain.
Glomerulonephritis
Macroscopic 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: macroscopic hematuria, edema, increased blood pressure.
Malignant tumors
One of the signs of malignant tumors of the genitourinary system (cancer of the prostate, 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
One should not forget about such a symptom as the release of blood with semen (hematospermia). Distinguish between false and true hematospermia. When it is false, blood is mixed with semen as it passes through the urethra. And with real blood 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 (testes 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 genitals
- a previous surgery or biopsy can also cause blood to appear in the 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.