The discharge condition of a male penis is an important indicator of the health of his genitourinary system. Such secretions consist of the contents of the urethra, the secretion of sebaceous glands, which are located in the upper part of the penis, and pathological discharge.
To determine the nature and cause of 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 head of the penis begins to appear during adolescence and is a sign that the body is maturing and preparing for reproduction.
Physiological
Even in conditions of absolute health in men, fluid droplets appearing from the urethra can be periodically observed in the penis. Its 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. The change in volume is due to hormonal fluctuations, health condition and past illnesses, use of certain medications and other reasons.
Complete lack of glandular secretion can be a variant of the norm and does not in any way affect a man's sexual health. In rare cases, excessive dryness causes discomfort during sexual intercourse, but this problem is easily solved using special products and lubricants.
There are four types of physiological discharge from the urethra.
Libidinous urethra
It is a colorless secretion that appears in the head of the penis from the channels of the urethral glands. There are two of these glands in the penis, they are located at the base of the cavernous bodies and are called bulbourethral or copper glands.
The appearance of a clear fluid occurs against the background of arousal or erection, which occurs periodically in the morning, when testosterone in the blood reaches its maximum values. The abundance of such secretions during arousal in men is different, usually depending on the duration of abstinence from sex, the degree of arousal and individual physiological characteristics.
During an erection, such mucus acts as a lubricant for the genitourinary canal, so that sperm can pass through it easily and at the required speed. Since this secretion contains single sperm, its contact with a woman's genitals can lead to pregnancy.
Prostorrhea with defecation
During defecation, tension of the abdominal muscles and the abdominal cavity occurs, which provokes the appearance of mucus on the head, which sometimes contains white-gray stripes. Such a viscous mucosa is odorless, contains the secretion of the prostate and seminal vesicles.
The same fluid can be released after urination, which is called micturatore prostorrhea, and after severe coughing fits, accompanied by a sharp tension in the press muscles.
Experts do not consider prostatic defecation as a disease, but distinguish it as a possible sign of the latent phase of prostatitis.
Smegma
The secretion of the preputial glands is called smegma. Immediately after isolation, it resembles a white fat with a thick consistency. After the formation of the smegma is placed under the foreskin. Preputial lubrication contains fat and bacterial elements. Its function is to reduce the friction of the penis against the foreskin. Its maximum amount is natural in adolescence.
If smegma is not completely washed away periodically, then it begins to decompose, acquires a pungent odor and becomes greener. All this leads to the onset of a pathological process due to the multiplication of microbes, which will lead to inflammation.
cum
Ejaculate contains a large amount of seminal fluid and sperm. In adolescence, spermatorhea is possible without sexual contact, sometimes during sleep. If the same picture persists after puberty, it may be a sign of vas deferens tone disorder due to inflammation or a brain tumor.
pathologic
Discharge from the urethra also occurs due to various dysfunctions of the organs of the reproductive or urinary system.
It can be caused by such factors:
- Engineering. They occur after damage to the urethra during sampling using special instruments that are inserted into the lumen of the urethra (ureteroscopy, cystoscopy, etc. ).
- infectious. They are the result of the presence and progression of the number of microbial pathogens. These germs can be bacteria, fungi or viruses.
- CHEMICAL. 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. They often occur as a result of treating the urethra with medicinal solutions.
Sometimes the reason lies in the body’s allergic reaction to environmental factors or the detergents and personal care products used.
The substance that comes out of the urethra can be mucus, fluid, bacteria or fungus and pus. Color, transparency, consistency, aroma and volumes indicate the intensity and stage of the process. At different stages with the same disease, all of these parameters may vary.
It is classified as follows:
- Hematorhea. Characterized by blood inclusions. It can occur due to injuries as well as with hypertension, the presence of tumors in the penis or prostate gland.
- Leukocyte urethra. Occurs when the accumulated contents are released during inflammation. The color, odor, and duration of exudate indicate the degree of damage to the urinary tract epithelium.
- Mucopurulent mass. Save leukocyte cells, urethral mucosa and serous fluid. From the outside, it looks like a transparent mucosa with a white tinge. It is a possible sign of urethritis in chlamydia, ureaplasmosis, etc.
- pus. Contains many leukocytes and parts of the epithelium. According to the consistency, it is thicker, has a yellow or green color. It is often accompanied by burning during urination. This occurs with gonorrhea, gonococcal urethritis or chlamydia.
White download
If a white, rounded or granular leak with a sour smell appears on the head of the penis, this indicates candidiasis. It is less common in men than in women and its appearance means that the immune system is in a depressed state. This occurs after a course of strong antibiotics or chemotherapy.
If the fluid at the same time contains foaming inclusions, then we can conclude that trichomoniasis, ureaplasmosis or mycoplasmosis can be inferred, which quite often are transmitted during unprotected intercourse.
Another disease that can cause the appearance of white mucus is chronic prostatitis. This symptom is usually accompanied by decreased strength and difficulty urinating.
Transparent highlights
The main reasons that cause such a secretion: chlamydia or chronic ureaplasmosis. With these diseases, this may be the only symptom indicating the presence of a pathological process. The appearance of transparent mucus does not always occur, but only if the husband has not gone to the toilet for a long time. As the process escalates, the color changes from transparent to green, as the content of dead leukocytes increases in the fluid.
Pure mucosa is characteristic of the initial stage of gonorrhea. With this disease, the mucosa is quite viscous, it is released throughout the hour in large volumes.
Yellow or green discharge
Yellow or green color - a clear sign of the presence of pus, consisting of lymphocyte cells, mucus from the urethra and fragments of urethral epithelium. This appearance is characteristic of many venereal diseases.
With gonorrhea, the consistency of mucus is very thick, there is a sharp putrefactive odor and the urination process 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 frequent urge to urinate and itching in the perineum.
Strong wind discharge
Often such a symptom appears against the background of negligence of the rules of hygiene. Since a warm, humid environment is constantly present in the male genital area, microbes multiply rapidly there. Their residue causes an extremely unpleasant odor. To prevent such a phenomenon, it is necessary to thoroughly wash the penis every day, moving the foreskin aside.
An unpleasant odor can also appear in case of metabolic disorders, diabetes mellitus or infectious diseases. With thrush, a sour smell appears, and with gardnerellosis, a pronounced fishy odor. Inflammation of the head of the penis and the inner fold of the foreskin also cause a specific 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 urethra. The greater the amount of mucus and the more blood it contains, the more intense the process.
Small blood clots mean that the process has managed to become chronic with a considerable release of mucous epithelium, which causes irritation whenever urine comes out of the urethra.
Also, blood may come out after a 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 kidney stones, the discharge may take on a pink, red or brown tinge. In such cases, with the discharge of urine, severe pain appears with localization in the lower part of the small pelvis or the middle of the back.
Flowing blood is also present in the later stages of oncological tumors of the urinary tract, with carcinogenic tumors of the ovaries, penis, with adenomas and testicular tumors. In this case, the bleeding is characterized by a brown or brown tinge, with blood clots.
Even if the patient seems to have accurately identified the disease, an independent choice of treatment is strictly prohibited. Many diseases of the reproductive and urinary systems have similar symptoms and complications that they can cause to cause infertility, loss of strength and other serious consequences for a man's health.
Where to go for diagnosis
Diseases characterized by pathological leakage from the urethra are diagnosed and treated by such specialists:
- dermatovenerologist;
- urologist;
- venereologist;
- nephrologist.
Going to the initial consultation with a specialist, the patient should be ready to answer the following questions:
- volume of allocations;
- shadows and blur;
- impurities (blood, flakes, pus and clots);
- consistency (liquid, adhesive);
- smell (of fish, sour, absent);
- dependence of the manifestation of the symptom on the time of day;
- if it has to do with urination, spicy food, alcohol intake and erection).
Once the doctor hears complaints, he will examine the urethra, genitals, perineum, and groin to track external inflammation, redness, and signs of damage.
By 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 when palpated, tissue density and the presence of ulcers.
The specialist will perform a digital prostate examination. It consists of examination through the rectal cavity. If fluid is released from the urethra at the same time, it is sent for examination under a microscope. Palpation of the prostate can reveal internal tumor neoplasms and adenomas.
Further diagnosis in most cases goes according to the following algorithm:
- general clinical urine and blood tests;
- stain for bacanalysis of urethral contents;
- blood sugar test;
- Ultrasound of the internal genital and urinary organs;
- urography.
With very severe genital inflammation, the doctor immediately prescribes antibiotic therapy using broad-spectrum agents, without waiting for test results.
If the stain is significant in volume, the patient will be advised to go to the hospital. If cancer is suspected, the diagnosis is made on the basis of histology based on the results of a biopsy.
Timely seeking medical help should be a prerequisite for all men who want to maintain sexual health and youth for many years, as early diagnosis guarantees the fastest possible relief of the disease and the absence of complications.