Discharge from the natural openings of the human body can say a lot about the state of human health. The nature of the discharge from the ear speaks of the health or diseases of the ear, the discharge from the nose gives comprehensive information about the pathology of this organ, the discharge from the penis indicates the condition of the organs of the male reproductive system.
Very often an unusual discharge from the penis becomes the first and sometimes the only symptom of a serious illness. Therefore, a man, paying attention to his sexual organ, should pay attention not only to its size, but also to the nature of the secretion.
Penile discharge is a collective term that combines urethral discharge (urethra), sebaceous gland discharge (many located on the head of the penis) and discharge from pathological skin formations. There are three variants of normal (physiological) secretions and a large number of pathological discharges.
Physiological discharge from the penis
The first type of normal discharge is libidinal (physiological) urethrosis, which is a transparent secretion flowing from the urethra in the background of sexual arousal. The source of secretion during arousal in men in this case are the urethral glands. The volume of secretions can vary from small to significant, depending on the physiological characteristics of the man and the duration of the period of sexual abstinence. Sometimes physiological urethrosis is accompanied by the act of defecation. It must be said that the composition of the secretion released during urethrosis includes a certain amount of sperm, which, if it enters a woman's genitals, can lead to conception and the development of pregnancy.
In some cases, a discharge reminiscent of physiological, but in larger quantities, may be a manifestation of diseases of the reproductive system, so if the nature or amount of discharge begins to differ from your usual norm, it is worth discussing this issue with your doctor.
Another type of normal discharge from the penis is smegma. Smegma is the secretion of glands located in the skin of the foreskin and glans penis. The amount of smegma is usually small, and if daily hygienic procedures are followed, it is easy to rinse off and does not create any problems. If the rules of personal hygiene are violated, smegma accumulates on the scalp and between the leaves of the foreskin and creates the preconditions for the development of the inflammatory process.
In order to avoid the accumulation of smegma and subsequent inflammation, it is necessary to wash the penis regularly (1-2 times a day, with plenty of warm water with the help of odorous soaps). In the process of washing, it is necessary to move the foreskin and wash the head of the penis, carefully removing all secretions.
Normal secretions from the penis include sperm (sperm) - a mixture of gonadal secretions and sperm, which is released during ejaculation (ejaculation) during intercourse or masturbation (masturbation). Sperm release is usually accompanied by sexual orgasm. This group of normal discharge from the penis includes wet dreams - involuntary ejaculation (usually at night) that occurs in boys at puberty (after 14-15 years) and in men after prolonged sexual abstinence. The average frequency of wet dreams varies greatly - from 1-3 per week to 1-2 over 2-3 months.
Pathological discharge from the penis
The causes of pathological discharge from the penis can be a variety of diseases, including inflammatory processes caused by its own opportunistic flora or sexually transmitted infections, cancer, the consequences of injuries and surgery. Pathological secretions from the penis differ in volume (sparse, moderate, abundant), color (transparent, off-white, milky white, white, yellow, yellow-green, mixed with blood), consistency (liquid, thick), frequency of occurrence (constant, occasionally, in the morning, associated with urination or alcohol consumption). The nature of the discharge is influenced by the nature of the cause of the disease, the severity of the inflammation, the state of the patient's immune system, the "recipe" of the disease and the presence of concomitant diseases. Keep in mind that the same disease can be accompanied by secretions of different nature, and that, at the same time, different diseases can lead to the appearance of discharge from the penis that is completely similar in appearance. That is why it is sometimes simply impossible to diagnose the disease just by the appearance of the discharge.
Discharge from the penis associated with sexually transmitted diseases
Mucous discharge from the penis - clear and viscous with a small amount of leukocytes - is characteristic of ureaplasmosis, mycoplasmosis and chlamydia.
Mucopurulent discharge - a clear milky-white fluid, consisting of mucus from the urethra, inflammatory exudate, and leukocytes — is characteristic of trichomoniasis, ureaplasmosis, and chlamydia during exacerbation. Chlamydia is also characterized by "sticking" of the accumulated secretion to the head of the penis.
Purulent discharge - a sticky fluid of thick consistency, yellow or yellow-green in color, consisting of urethral mucus, exfoliated urethral epithelium and a significant number of leukocytes - the most common symptom of gonorrhea. A characteristic feature of gonorrheal urethritis is the severity of subjective symptoms, such as pain, soreness, itching (especially during urination), a significant amount and the constant nature of urethral discharge.
Currently, patients with sexually transmitted diseases often have a combined infection - an infection caused by multiple infectious agents (trichomoniasis and chlamydia, gonorrhea and chlamydia, mycoplasmosis and ureaplasmosis, etc. ), which significantly changes the symptoms and manifestations of infection. Therefore, only on the basis of data on the nature of the discharge and the patient's complaints, it is not possible to make a final diagnosis and prescribe treatment. It is important that the symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases (including penile discharge) are fairly easily stopped in the process of self-medication with antibiotics. However, in this case, the disappearance of symptoms does not mean the disappearance of the disease. The disease simply goes into the shadows, only to return with renewed vigor after the end of antibiotic therapy. In addition, illiterate treatment leads to the creation of resistance of microorganisms to the antibacterial drugs used.
Discharge from the penis associated with non-venous inflammatory processes
In this case, the cause of the infection becomes a representative of its own opportunistic flora (streptococci, staphylococci, fungi of the genus Candida, Escherichia coli), which has become more active as a result of reduced levels of human immune defense. .
Non-gonorrheal urethritis - inflammation of the urethra (ureter) is accompanied by the appearance of mucopurulent discharge. The characteristic feature is the absence or mild expression of symptoms (pain, pain, itching) and a small amount of secretion that occurs mainly during a long break between urination.
Discharges in balanoposthitis (inflammation of the foreskin of the penis) are usually very significant, mucopurulent or purulent, accompanied by pain in the head of the penis, swelling and redness of the foreskin.
Prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) is accompanied by the appearance of mucous and mucopurulent secretions (depending on the severity of the inflammatory process), traction pain in the perineum, difficulty urinating and potency.
A very common disease of the male genital organs is thrush (candidiasis) - an inflammatory process associated with the activation of opportunistic fungi Candida. Typical manifestations of thrush in men are pronounced redness of the skin of the penis, the appearance of itching, burning, and also quite abundant clotted discharge.
Discharge from the penis is not associated with inflammation
This is a rather rare type of discharge associated with trauma and tumor processes in the organs of the reproductive system, as well as diseases of the nervous system.
Spermatorrhea is the discharge of semen from the urethra without orgasm, outside of sexual intercourse, or masturbation. The main cause of spermatorrhea is a violation of the tone of the muscular membrane of the vas deferens associated with diseases of the central nervous system, less often with chronic inflammatory processes. In some cases, the cause of spermatorrhea cannot be determined.
Hematorrhea is the discharge of blood from the urethra. The most common cause of hematorrhea is a mechanical injury to the urethra due to the introduction of a foreign body, when taking a swab, after or during an instrumental examination of the urethra, bladder. Hematorrhea also occurs in trauma to the penis, urethra, malignant tumors of the urethra, penis, prostate, polyps, calculus, sand in urolithiasis.
Prostatorrhea - leakage of prostate secretion from the urethra - is observed by a decrease in the tone of smooth muscle fibers of the prostate duct during chronic inflammation or other diseases (for example, in neurogenic bladder, prostate adenoma).
Finding the cause of penile discharge
Since there are a large number of reasons for the appearance of unusual (non-physiological) discharge from the penis, a qualified urologist should look for the cause of each case. When examining a patient with complaints of discharge from the penis, the doctor should carefully examine the skin for the rash, feel the lymph nodes (for their enlargement, pain), examine the underwear.
The nature of the discharge from the penis is assessed at the beginning of the examination and after a light massage of the urethra, which is carried out after 2-3 hours of abstinence from urination. Mandatory studies that will have to be performed by a man with unusual discharge from the penis include general blood (enlarged) and urine tests, blood sugar test, urethral smear test, sowing of urethral secretions, digital examination of the prostate gland, if indicated, bladder ultrasoundand prostate, urography, computed tomography.
In inflammatory processes, the study of urethral smears provides the most valuable information. The results of this study depend on the severity and duration of the disease. Inflammation is indicated by the presence of 4 or more leukocytes, the appearance of cylindrical and parabasilar epithelium indicates the severity and depth of the inflammatory process.
Preparing to take a swab. In order for the results of the swab to be informative and help the doctor in making the diagnosis, it is necessary to properly prepare for the procedure of taking the swab. For this purpose, local use of antibiotics, antiseptics, antifungal drugs 3 days before the study was excluded. Within 3 hours before the study it is necessary to refrain from urination and external genitalia toilet. Swabs are taken no later than 3 weeks after the end of systemic antibiotic therapy (introduction of antibiotics orally or in the form of injections).
What do urethral swab results show?
- Increased leukocytes - acute urethritis, exacerbation of chronic urethritis.
- Increased eosinophils - allergic urethritis.
- Increased red blood cells - trauma, tumors, excretion of stones or sand in urolithiasis, severe inflammation.
- Epithelial cells in large numbers - chronic urethritis, urethral leukoplakia.
- Spermatozoa - spermatorrhea.
- Lipoid grains - prostorrhea.
- Mucus without blood cells - urethrosis.
- Key cells (small rods on epithelial cells) with a small number of neutrophils - urethritis.
In a normal smear, up to 4 leukocytes are detected in the visual field, the bacterial flora is represented by individual cocci, rods.
Finally
The appearance of discharge from the penis is best considered a symptom of the disease, the nature of which can only be determined by a doctor and only on the spot. It is impossible to independently diagnose the pathology that led to the appearance of secretions, so it is not recommended to treat it alone. Attempts at self-medication in this case do not lead to recovery, but only distort the symptoms of the disease and lead to a waste of time - valuable in some serious diseases. Take care of your health!