The state of discharge from the male penis is an important indicator of the health of his genitourinary system. Such secretions consist of the contents of the urethra, secretions of the sebaceous glands, located at the top of the penis, and pathological discharge.
To determine the nature and cause of the discharge, it is important for a man to know which manifestations are normal and which mark the onset of the disease.
Variety of secretions
The fluid in the head of the penis begins to appear during adolescence and is a sign that the body is maturing and ready for reproduction.
physiology
Even under absolute health conditions in men, droplets of fluid emerging from the urethra can be observed periodically on the penis. The quantity and volume vary individually, but only slightly. This odorless liquid is most often present in the morning after waking up before going to the toilet. Changes in volume are due to hormonal fluctuations, past health conditions and illnesses, use of certain medications and other causes.
The complete absence of glandular secretions may be a deviation from the norm and does not affect men’s sexual health in any way. In rare cases, excessive dryness causes discomfort during intercourse, but this problem is easily solved by using special products and lubricants.
There are four types of physiological discharge from the urethra.
Libidinous uretrorrhea
It is a colorless secretion that appears at the head of the penis from the urethral gland ducts. There are two of these glands on the penis, they are located at the base of the cavernous body and are called the bulbourethral or cooper glands.
The appearance of clear fluid occurs against the background of pleasure or erection, which periodically occurs in the morning, when testosterone in the blood reaches its maximum value. The abundance of such secretions during stimulation in men varies, usually depending on the period of sexual abstinence, on the level of stimulation and individual physiological characteristics.
During an erection, the mucus acts as a lubricant for the urogenital tract, so that spermatozoa pass through it easily and at the required speed. Since this secretion contains a single spermatozoa, its contact with the female genitalia can lead to pregnancy.
Prostorrhea defecates
During defecation, tension of the abdominal muscles and abdominal cavity occurs, which gives rise to the appearance of mucus on the head, which sometimes contains white-gray stripes. Such viscous mucus is odorless, it contains both prostate secretions and seminal vesicles.
The same fluid may be excreted after urination, called micturatory prostorrhea, and after a severe cough attack, accompanied by a sharp tension in the muscles of the press.
Experts do not consider defecation prostatorrhea as a disease, but they distinguish it as a possible sign of the latent phase of prostatitis.
Smegma
The secretion of the preputial gland is called smegma. Immediately after isolation, it resembles white grease with a thick consistency. After the formation of smegma is placed under the foreskin. Preputial lubrication contains fats and bacterial elements. Its function is to reduce the friction of the penis against the foreskin. The maximum number is present in adolescence.
If the smegma is not washed thoroughly periodically, then it begins to decompose, acquires a pungent odor and becomes greener. All this leads to the beginning of pathological processes due to the multiplication of microbes, which will lead to inflammation.
Sperm
Ejaculation contains large amounts of semen and spermatozoa. During adolescence, spermatorrhea is possible without sexual intercourse, sometimes during sleep. If the same picture persists after puberty, this may be a sign of vas deferens tone dysregulation due to inflammation or a brain tumor.
Pathology
Discharge from the urethra also occurs due to various dysfunctions of the organs of the reproductive or urinary system.
It can be caused by factors such as:
- mechanical. It occurs after damage to the urethra during sampling using special instruments inserted into the lumen of the urethra (ureteroscopy, cystoscopy, etc. ).
- contagious. Is the result of the presence and progression of a number of microbial pathogens. These microbes can be bacteria, fungi or viruses.
- chemical substance. They appear as a result of the use of certain drugs and medications that can be used during the treatment of the genitourinary system or other systems. Often occurs as a result of treatment of the urethra with a drug solution.
Sometimes the reason lies in the body’s allergic reaction to environmental factors or the detergents and personal care products used.
Prominent material from the urethra can be mucus, fluid, bacteria or fungi, and pus. Color, transparency, consistency, odor and volume indicate the intensity and stage of the process. At different stages of the same disease, all these parameters can change.
It is classified as follows:
- Hematorrhea. Characterized by blood influx. It can occur both due to injury, and with arterial hypertension, the presence of a tumor in the penis or in the prostate gland.
- urethrorrhea leukocytes. Occurs when accumulated contents are released during inflammation. The color, odor and duration of exudate excretion indicate the degree of damage to the urinary tract epithelium.
- The body is mucous. Maintains leukocyte cells, urethral mucus and serous fluid. Externally, it looks like a transparent slime with a white color. It is a possible sign of urethritis in chlamydia, ureaplasmosis, etc.
- pus. Contains many leukocytes and pieces of epithelium. By consistency, it is the thickest, having a yellow or greenish color. It is often accompanied by burning during the outflow of urine. This occurs with gonorrhea, gonococcal urethritis or chlamydia.
Whiteness
If a white, flaky or cheesy discharge with a sour odor appears on the head of the penis, this indicates candidiasis. In men, it is less common than in women, and its appearance means the immune system is in a depressed state. This occurs after a vigorous course of antibiotics or chemotherapy.
If the fluid at the same time contains foamy inclusions, then we can conclude that trichomoniasis, ureaplasmosis or mycoplasmosis, which are quite frequently transmitted during unprotected intercourse, can be inferred.
Another disease that can cause the appearance of white mucus is chronic prostatitis. These symptoms are usually accompanied by decreased potency and difficulty urinating.
Transparent spotlight
The main cause of such excretion: chlamydia or chronic ureaplasmosis. With this disease, this may be the only symptom that indicates the presence of a pathological process. The appearance of transparent mucus does not always occur, but only if the man does not go to the toilet for a long time. After the process increases, the color changes from transparent to greenish, as the content of dead leukocytes increases in the fluid.
Clear mucus is characteristic of the early stages of gonorrhea. With this disease, the mucus is quite viscous, it is released all the time in large amounts.
Yellow or green discharge
Yellow or greenish color - a clear sign of the presence of pus, which consists of lymphocyte cells, mucus from the urethra and fragments of the urethral epithelium. This picture is characteristic of many venereal diseases.
With gonorrhea, the consistency of the mucus is very thick, there is a pungent foul odor, and the process of urination becomes painful. Another disease in which the discharge turns yellow is trichomoniasis. Often there are no more symptoms. Very rarely, this infection is accompanied by a frequent urge to urinate and itching in the perineum.
Discharge with a strong odor
Often such symptoms occur against the background of neglect of hygiene rules. Since a warm and humid environment is always present in the male genital area, microbes multiply rapidly there. Their waste causes a very unpleasant odor. To avoid such a phenomenon, it is necessary to wash the penis thoroughly every day, setting aside the foreskin.
Unpleasant odors can also arise in the event of metabolic disorders, diabetes mellitus or infectious diseases. With thrush, a sour smell occurs, and with gardnerellosis, a noticeable fishy smell. Inflammation of the head of the penis and the inside of the folds of the foreskin also causes a certain pungent odor.
Bloody issues
Often, blood comes out along with the contents of the urethra due to infectious inflammation. The appearance of such symptoms is possible with candidiasis, gonorrhea, trichomonas urethritis. The greater the amount of mucus and the more blood contained in it, the more intense the process.
The small lines of blood mean the process has managed to become chronic with significant loosening of the mucous epithelium, which causes irritation every time urine flows out of the urethra.
Also, blood may come out after traumatic insertion or removal of a catheter from the urethra, during cystoscopy or taking material for bacteriological analysis.
Due to damage to the walls of blood vessels during the passage of sand and stones from the kidneys, the discharge may acquire a pink, red or brown color. In such cases, with the outflow of urine, severe pain appears with localization in the lower part of the small pelvis or the posterior lumbar region.
Blood in the discharge is also present in the late stages of urinary tract oncological tumors, with ovarian cancer tumors, penile, with adenomas and testicular tumors. In this case, the bleeding is characterized by a brown or brown color, with blood clots.
Although patients appear to have accurately identified the disease, independent treatment options are strictly prohibited. Many diseases of the reproductive and urinary systems have similar symptoms, and complications that can lead to infertility, loss of potency and other serious consequences for men’s health.
Where to go for diagnostics
Diseases characterized by pathological discharge from the urethra are diagnosed and treated by specialists such as:
- dermatovenereologist;
- urologist;
- venereologist;
- nephrologist.
Going to an initial consultation with a specialist, the patient should be prepared to answer the following questions:
- total allocation;
- shade and turbidity;
- impurities (blood, flakes, pus and clots);
- consistency (liquid, sticky);
- odor (fishy, sour, absent);
- dependence of symptom manifestations on the time of day;
- whether it is related to urination, spicy foods, alcohol intake and erections).
After the doctor hears the complaint, he or she will examine the urethra, genitals, perineum and groin to detect external inflammation, rashes and signs of injury.
By palpation of the lymph nodes in the groin, the doctor will assess the skin temperature. Fever is a clear sign of inflammation. In addition, he paid attention to the painful sensation when palpated, the density of the tissue and the presence of ulcers.
The specialist will perform a digital examination of the prostate. It consists of examination through the rectal cavity. If at the same time fluid is removed from the urethra, it is sent for examination under a microscope. Palpation of the prostate can reveal internal tumor neoplasms and adenomas.
Further diagnostics in most cases run according to the following algorithm:
- general clinical examination of urine and blood;
- smears for urethral contents;
- blood sugar tests;
- Ultrasound of the genital organs and internal urination;
- urography.
With very severe genital inflammation, doctors immediately prescribe antibiotic therapy using broad -spectrum agents, without waiting for test results.
If the spots are noticeable in volume, the patient will be advised to go to the hospital. If there is a suspicion of cancer, a diagnosis is made based on histology based on biopsy results.
Getting timely medical help should be a prerequisite for all men who want to maintain sexual health and youth for many years, because early diagnosis guarantees as soon as possible relief from the disease and the absence of complications.