The state of discharge from a man's penis is an important indicator of the health of his genitourinary system. Such secretions consist of the contents of the urethra, the secretion of the sebaceous glands located on the upper part of the penis, and pathological discharge.
In order to determine the nature and cause of the discharge, it is important for a man to know which manifestations are normal, and which signal the onset of the disease.
varieties of secretions
Fluid on the glans begins to appear during puberty and is a sign that the body is maturing and preparing for reproduction.
physiological
Even if the man is in perfect health, drops of liquid can be periodically found on the penis escaping from the urethra. Its amount and volume differ individually, but only slightly. This odorless liquid is most commonly present in the morning after waking up before going to the toilet. The change in volume is due to hormonal fluctuations, health status and past diseases, taking certain medications and other reasons.
The complete absence of glandular secretion can be a variant of the norm and in no way affects a man's sexual health. 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.
Libidinal urethrorrhoea
It is a colorless secret that emerges from the ducts of the urethral glands on the head of the penis. There are two of these glands on the penis, located at the base of the erectile tissue and called the bulbourethral or copper glands.
The appearance of a clear liquid occurs against the background of excitement or erection, which regularly occurs in the morning, when testosterone in the blood reaches its peak levels. The frequency of such secretions during arousal in men is different, usually depending on the duration of sexual abstinence, the degree of arousal and individual physiological characteristics.
During an erection, this mucus acts as a lubricant for the urogenital canal, allowing sperm to pass through it easily and at the required speed. Since this secret contains single sperm, its contact with a woman's genitals can result in pregnancy.
defecation prostorrhea
During defecation, there is a tightening of the abdominal and abdominal muscles, which provokes the appearance of mucus on the head, sometimes containing white-gray stripes. Such viscous mucus is odorless, it contains both the secret of the prostate and seminal vesicles.
The same fluid can be released after urination, which is called micturition prostorrhea, and after severe attacks of coughing, accompanied by severe 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 secret of the preputial glands is called smegma. Immediately after isolation, it resembles a white fat of a thick consistency. After the formation of smegma is placed under the foreskin. Preputial lubrication contains fat and bacterial components. Its function is to reduce the friction of the penis against the foreskin. Its maximum amount is inherent in adolescence.
If the smegma is not washed thoroughly on a regular basis, it will begin to decompose, take on a pungent odor and turn green. All this, due to the multiplication of microbes, leads to the beginning of a pathological process that leads to inflammation.
sperm
The ejaculate contains a large amount of seminal fluid and sperm. During puberty, spermatorrhea is possible without sexual contact, sometimes during sleep. If the same picture persists after puberty, this can be a sign of dysregulation of the vas deferens tone due to inflammation or a brain tumor.
Pathological
Discharge from the urethra also occurs due to various dysfunctions of the organs of the reproductive or urinary systems.
It can be caused by such factors:
- Mechanically. They arise after damage to the urethra during removal with special instruments that are inserted into the lumen of the urethra (ureteroscopy, cystoscopy, etc. ).
- contagious. Are the result of the presence and progression of the number of microbial pathogens. These microbes can be bacteria, fungi or viruses.
- chemical. They occur as a result of using certain medications and drugs that can be used during the treatment of the genitourinary system or other systems. Often occur as a result of treatment of the urethra with medicinal solutions.
Sometimes the reason lies in the body's allergic reaction to environmental influences or the detergents and personal care products used.
The substance that protrudes from the urethra can be mucus, fluid, bacteria or fungi, and pus. Colour, transparency, consistency, smell and volume indicate the intensity and stage of the process. At different stages of the same disease, all of these parameters can change.
It is classified as follows:
- hematorhea. Characterized by blood inclusions. It can occur both due to injuries, and with arterial hypertension, the presence of tumors in the penis or prostate.
- Leukocyte urethrorrhea. Occurs when the accumulated contents are released during inflammation. The color, odor and duration of the discharge of exudate indicate the degree of damage to the epithelium of the urinary canal.
- mucopurulent masses. Retention of leukocyte cells, urethral mucus and serous fluid. Outwardly, it looks like a transparent slime with a white tint. 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, has a yellow or greenish color. It is often accompanied by burning when passing urine. This happens with gonorrhea, gonococcal urethritis or chlamydia.
White discharge
If a white, scaly or cheesy discharge with a sour smell appears on the glans, this indicates candidiasis. It is less common in men than women, and its occurrence means that the immune system is in a weak state. This happens after a course of strong antibiotics or chemotherapy.
If the liquid contains foamy inclusions at the same time, we can conclude that there is trichomoniasis, ureaplasmosis or mycoplasmosis, which are quite often transmitted during unprotected sex.
Another disease that can cause the appearance of white mucus is chronic prostatitis. This symptom is usually accompanied by a decrease in potency and difficulty urinating.
Transparent accents
The main reasons for such excretion: chlamydia or chronic ureaplasmosis. In these diseases, this can be the only symptom that indicates the presence of a pathological process. The appearance of transparent mucus does not always appear, but only if the man has not gone to the toilet for a long time. After the process escalates, the color changes from transparent to greenish as the level of dead leukocytes in the fluid increases.
Clear mucus is characteristic of the initial stage of gonorrhea. With this disease, the mucus is quite viscous, it is released in large quantities around the clock.
Yellow or green discharge
Yellow or greenish color - a clear sign of the presence of pus, consisting of cells of lymphocytes, mucus from the urethra and fragments of the epithelium of the urethra. This picture is characteristic of many venereal diseases.
With gonorrhea, the consistency of the mucus is very thick, there is a sharp smell of putrefaction, and the process of urination becomes painful. Another disease that causes the discharge to turn yellow is trichomoniasis. Often there are no more symptoms. Very rarely, this infection is accompanied by frequent urination and itching of the perineum.
Discharge with a strong odor
Often such a symptom occurs against the background of neglecting the rules of hygiene. Since there is always a warm and humid environment in the area of the male sex organs, microbes multiply rapidly there. Their waste products cause an extremely unpleasant odor. To prevent such a phenomenon, it is necessary to thoroughly wash the penis every day and push the foreskin aside.
An unpleasant odor can also occur in the case of metabolic disorders, diabetes mellitus or infectious diseases. With thrush, a sour odor appears, and with gardnerellosis, a pronounced fishy odor. Inflammation of the head of the penis and the inner section of the leathery foreskin fold also cause a specific pungent odor.
bloody troubles
Often, due to infectious inflammation, blood leaks out along with the contents of the urethra. The appearance of such a symptom is possible with candidiasis, gonorrhea, trichomonas urethritis. The greater the amount of mucus and the more blood it contains, the more intense the process.
Due to small streaks of blood, the process has developed into a chronification with a clear detachment of the mucous membrane epithelium, which leads to irritation every time urine is discharged from the urethra.
Blood can also leak from the urethra after traumatic insertion or removal of a catheter, during cystoscopy, or the removal of material for bacteriological analysis.
Due to damage to the walls of blood vessels during the passage of sand and stones from the kidneys, discharge can acquire a pink, red, or brownish tint. In such cases, with the outflow of urine, there are severe pains with localization in the lower part of the small pelvis or lumbar region of the back.
Blood in the discharge is also present in later stages of oncological tumors of the urinary tract, cancerous tumors of the ovaries, penis, adenomas and tumors of the testicles. In this case, the bleeding is characterized by a brown or brown tint with blood clots.
Even if it seems to the patient that he has precisely identified the disease, an independent choice of therapy is strictly prohibited. Many diseases of the reproductive and urinary systems have similar symptoms, and the resulting complications can lead to infertility, loss of potency and other serious consequences for a man's health.
Where to for diagnostics
Diseases characterized by pathological discharge from the urethra are diagnosed and treated by such specialists:
- dermatovenereologist;
- Urologist;
- venereologist;
- nephrologist.
During the initial consultation with a specialist, the patient should be prepared to answer the following questions:
- the volume of awards;
- shadow and cloudiness;
- impurities (blood, flakes, pus and clots);
- Consistency (liquid, sticky);
- odor (fishy, sour, absent);
- the dependence of the manifestation of the symptom on the time of day;
- whether it is related to urination, spicy food, alcohol consumption and erection).
After listening to the complaints, the doctor examines the urethra, genitals, perineum, and groin to track external inflammation, rashes, and signs of injury.
When palpating the lymph nodes in the groin, the doctor will assess the temperature of the skin. Fever is a clear sign of inflammation. In addition, he pays attention to painful sensations on palpation, tissue density and the presence of ulcers.
The specialist performs a digital examination of the prostate. It consists in examining through the cavity of the rectum. If at the same time fluid is released from the urethra, it is sent for examination under a microscope. Palpation of the prostate can reveal internal tumor neoplasms and adenomas.
In most cases, further diagnostics are carried out according to the following algorithm:
- general clinical tests of urine and blood;
- Smear for bacchanical analysis of the contents of the urethra;
- blood glucose test;
- Ultrasound of the internal genital and urinary organs;
- urography.
In the case of very severe genital inflammation, the doctor immediately prescribes antibiotic therapy with broad-spectrum agents, without waiting for test results.
If the spotting is significant, the patient is advised to go to the hospital. If cancer is suspected, the diagnosis is made histologically based on the results of a biopsy.
Timely seeking medical help should be a prerequisite for all men who want to maintain their sexual health and youth for many years, because early diagnosis guarantees the fastest possible relief from the disease and the absence of complications.