Few women know that men also have separation. In both women and men, they occur normally and are odorless. Only in women is it called "leukorrhea" and they appear from the vagina while men leak from the urethra. Of course, any pathological discharge indicates poor health and requires a visit to the doctor.
Physiological discharge
Men's health is evidenced by physiological discharge from the urethral outlet, which is observed in the following cases:
Libidal or physiological urethrosis
This condition occurs when clear secretions appear during sexual arousal or in the morning, immediately after sleep. Their number varies from man to man 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 sperm, so if they get on the partner's genitals, she is at risk of becoming pregnant. The function of the described secretions is to ensure the passage of sperm through the urethra and vagina of a woman, where there is an acidic environment that is destructive to the "gums", and to put them in a viable form in the uterine cavity and fallopian tubes.
Defective prostatitis
During an increase in intra-abdominal pressure (with tension), a clear, odorless secretion with possible grayish-white streaks may appear on the head of the penis. Such secretion 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 vocal prostatitis. In exceptional cases, such discharge occurs with a strong cough. They are not considered organic pathology, but only show a violation of the autonomic regulation of the functioning of the genitals.
Smegma
Smegma (preputial lubrication) is a secretion that consists of secretions from the sebaceous glands of the head of the penis and foreskin. Usually, if a man follows the rules of personal hygiene, such disposal does not create inconvenience, as it is washed mechanically with water. But if hygiene is neglected, smegma accumulates and microorganisms multiply in it, which serves as a source of unpleasant odor.
Isolation of sperm
Sperm, which contain a large number of sperm, are usually released during ejaculation (ejaculation) at the end of intercourse or spontaneously, during sleep (wet dreams). Contamination occurs in adolescent boys and occurs either several times a month or 1 to 3 weeks (hormonal changes).
In some cases, spermatorrhea, that is, the leakage of sperm from the urethra without intercourse and orgasm, shows pathology when the tone of the muscular layer of the vas deferens is disturbed in the presence of chronic inflammation or diseases of the brain.
Pathological discharge
All other secretions that exceed the physiological ones are pathology and show mainly 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 mycoplasmal urethritis;
- candidal urethritis or urogenital candidiasis in men;
- herpes urethritis and others (Escherichia coli, streptococci, staphylococci).
Non-infectious inflammatory factors include:
- allergic reactions
- mechanical damage to the lining of the urethra
- irritation of the urethra with chemicals
- trauma, narrowing of the urethra.
Disposal in men can vary in transparency and color. These parameters are influenced by the intensity of the inflammatory process, its stage and etiological factor. 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 the predominance of epithelial cells in the secretions, they become gray and dense.
- Yellow, green or yellow-green - when the secretions contain a large number of leukocytes, they become yellow and even green in color, they are also called purulent secretions.
It should be noted that in the same pathology, the nature of the discharge changes over time.
White secret
White secretions in men are due to several reasons. First of all, candidiasis should be ruled out. The following symptoms are observed in this disease:
- the head of the penis smells unpleasantly of sourdough bread or yeast;
- the head of the penis is covered with a whitish coating;
- itching, burning and even pain in the penis and perineal area are noted;
- discharge occurs 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, there is cheese.
In addition to urogenital candidiasis, white discharge can be caused by chlamydia and / or ureaplasmosis and mycoplasmosis, and also speaks of inflammation of the prostate gland, which is characterized by:
- Difficult and intermittent urination
- burning sensation in the perineum and urethra;
- discomfort during bowel movements;
- frequent urge to urinate;
- sexual disorders (decreased libido and erection, rapid ejaculation, blurred orgasms).
It is important for men to remember that neglected prostatitis can lead not only to permanent erectile dysfunction, but also to infertility.
Transparent selections
- Chlamydia, ureaplasmosis - clear mucous secretion is possible in chlamydial or ureaplasma urethritis in the chronic stage of the disease. As the process worsens, the number of leukocytes in the secretions increases and they acquire a greenish or yellowish color.
- Trichomoniasis, gonorrhea - also transparent, abundant secretions with a lot of mucus, which are observed during the day, are possible in the initial stage of infection with Trichomonas or gonococci. In the case of chlamydia (ureaplasmosis), subjective sensations (pain, itching, burning) are often absent, and clear discharge occurs after prolonged abstinence from urination.
Yellow secretion
The purulent discharge, which includes the desquamated epithelium of the urethra, a significant number of leukocytes, and urethral mucus, is yellowish or greenish. Yellow secretion or mixed with greens 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 consider a gonorrhea infection if there is a classic pair of symptoms: discharge and itching.
- Trichomoniasis - also with yellow secretion, trichomoniasis is not excluded, although it is often asymptomatic. With severe symptoms of Trichomonas infection, in addition to purulent discharge, the man worries about burning and burning during urination, frequent and irresistible urge to urinate, a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen and discomfort in the perineum.
Disposal by smell
Violation of hygiene
Unpleasant odor of 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, when multiplying and dying, create an unpleasant odor if you do not regularly wash the external genitalia well.
- In addition, smegma itself may have an unpleasant odor in the case of metabolic disorders (eg diabetes mellitus in men). At the same time, the release of smegma is so intense that it absorbs through the underwear.
Infections
Odorless discharge is most commonly seen in an infectious lesion of the urethra. First of all, gonorrheal urethritis should be ruled out - a thick, yellow or green secretion that is observed throughout the day.
The sour smell of discharge is a pathogenetic symptom of urogenital candidiasis. Infection with a fungus of the genus Candida provokes the appearance of cheese or milky white secretions.
A fishy odor 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 of synthetic fabrics;
- indiscriminate sex life.
Also, the 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 in the penis, and ulcers and wrinkles are found on the head.
Disposal with blood
Infections
Bloody discharge or discharge with streaks of blood is often seen in an infectious lesion of the urethra. A mixture of blood is characteristic of gonorrhea, Trichomonas or candidal urethritis. In addition, the amount of blood is directly related to the intensity of inflammation.
In chronic urethritis, blood is often seen (the lining of the urethra loosens and reacts with contact bleeding at 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 case of rough bugging, catheter insertion and removal, cystoscopy or smear collection, spotting may occur at once. They differ in that the blood is scarlet, there are no clots, and the bleeding itself stops very quickly.
Passing 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 the microliths damages the mucosa and vessel walls, causing bleeding. In this case, the blood is most noticeable when urinating, which is accompanied by pain.
Glomerulonephritis
Rough haematuria (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 of the genitourinary system (cancer of the prostate, penis, testicles, etc. ) is the appearance of blood in men. 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 it is incorrect, the blood mixes with the semen as it passes through the urethra. And with real blood it enters the ejaculate before it passes 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);
- discomfort and pain in the lower back;
- fever.
One of the causes of hematospermia is:
- excessively active sex life or vice versa,
- prolonged sexual abstinence, while during sexual 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 the semen
- hematospermia occurs in benign and malignant neoplasms of the genitourinary system
- in the presence of stones in the testicles and vas deferens
- with varicose veins of the pelvic organs.