The discharge of the human body's natural openings can say a lot about the state of human health. The nature of discharge from the ear speaks of health or diseases of the ear, discharge from the nose provides comprehensive information about the pathology of this organ, discharge from the penis indicates the state of the organs of the male reproductive system.
Often, 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 its secretions.
Discharge from the penis is a collective concept that combines discharge from the urethra (urethra), discharge from the sebaceous glands (many located on the head of the penis), and discharge from pathological skin formations. There are three varieties of normal (physiological) secretions and a wide variety of pathological discharges.
Physiological discharge from the penis
The first type of normal discharge is libidinal (physiological) urethrorrhea, which is a transparent secret that flows from the urethra in the context of sexual arousal. The source of secretions during arousal in men, in this case, is the urethral glands. The volume of secretions can vary from small to significant, depending on the physiological characteristics of the man and the length of the period of sexual abstinence. Physiological urethrorrhea sometimes accompanies the act of defecating. It must be said that the composition of the secret released during urethrorrhea 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, discharge that resembles physiological, but in greater quantity, may be a manifestation of a disease of the reproductive system; therefore, if the nature or amount of discharge starts to differ from your usual norm, it is worth discussing this matter with your doctor.
The second type of normal discharge from the penis is smegma. Smegma is the secretion of glands located in the skin of the foreskin and glans of the penis. The amount of smegma is usually small and, if daily hygiene procedures are followed, it is easily washed off and causes no problems. If the rules of personal hygiene are violated, smegma accumulates on the skin of the head and between the sheets of the foreskin and creates the prerequisites for the development of the inflammatory process.
To prevent the accumulation of smegma and the subsequent inflammation, it is necessary to wash the penis regularly (1-2 times a day, with plenty of lukewarm water and unscented soaps). In the washing process, it is imperative to move the foreskin and wash the glans of the penis, carefully removing all secretions.
Normal penile secretions also include sperm (semen) - a mixture of sex gland secretion and sperm, which is released during ejaculation (ejaculation) during intercourse or masturbation (self-satisfaction). Usually the release of sperm is accompanied by sexual discharge (orgasm). This group of normal penis discharge also includes wet dreams - involuntary ejaculation (usually at night) that occurs in boys during puberty (after 14-15 years) and in men after prolonged sexual abstinence. The average frequency of wet dreams varies widely - from 1-3 per week to 1-2 per 2-3 months.
Pathological discharge from the penis
The causes of the appearance of pathological discharge from the penis can be a wide variety of diseases, including inflammatory processes caused by its own opportunistic flora or sexually transmitted infections, oncological diseases, consequences of injuries and operations. Pathological secretions from the penis differ in volume (sparse, moderate, abundant), color (transparent, cloudy white, milky white, white, yellow, yellow-green, mixed with blood), consistency (liquid, thick), frequency of occurrence ( constant, intermittent, morning, associated with urination or alcohol intake). The nature of the discharge is influenced by the nature of the disease-causing agent, the severity of the inflammation, the state of the patient's immune system, the "prescription" of the disease, and the presence of concomitant diseases. Note that the same disease can be accompanied by secretions of a different nature, and at the same time, different diseases can lead to the appearance of discharges from the penis with a completely similar appearance. That is why it is sometimes simply impossible to diagnose a disease by the appearance of the discharge alone.
Penis discharge associated with sexually transmitted diseases
The mucous secretion of the penis - transparent and viscous with a small amount of leukocytes - is characteristic of ureaplasmosis, mycoplasmosis and chlamydia.
Mucopurulent discharge—a translucent milky white fluid consisting of urethral mucus, inflammatory exudate, and leukocytes—is characteristic of trichomoniasis, ureaplasmosis, and chlamydia during an exacerbation. Chlamydia is also characterized by "sticking" of secretions accumulated on the glans of the penis.
Purulent discharge - a sticky liquid 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 hallmark of gonorrheic urethritis is the severity of subjective symptoms such as pain, pain, itching (especially during urination), a significant amount and constant nature of discharge from the urethra.
Currently, patients with sexually transmitted diseases often have a combined infection - that is, an infection caused by several infectious agents (trichomoniasis and chlamydia, gonorrhea and chlamydia, mycoplasmosis and ureaplasmosis, etc. ), which significantly alters the symptoms and manifestations of the disease. disease. infection. Therefore, based solely on information about 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 symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases (including discharge from the penis) are easily stopped in the process of self-treatment 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, so that, after antibiotic therapy is over, it returns with renewed vigor. In addition, illiterate treatment leads to the formation of resistance of microorganisms to the antibacterial drugs used.
Penile discharge associated with non-venereal inflammatory processes
In this case, the agent causing 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 the decrease in the level of human immune defense .
Non-gonorrhea urethritis - inflammation of the urethra (urethra) is accompanied by the appearance of mucopurulent discharge. A feature is the absence or mild severity of symptoms (pain, pain, itching) and a small amount of discharge that appears mainly during a long interval between urination.
Allocations with balanoposthitis (inflammation of the foreskin of the penis) are usually very significant, mucopurulent or purulent, accompanied by pain in the glans of the penis, swelling and redness of the foreskin.
Prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate gland) is accompanied by the appearance of mucous and mucopurulent secretions (depending on the severity of the inflammatory process), pain in the perineum, impaired urination and potency.
A very common disease of the male genital organs is candidiasis (candidiasis) - an inflammatory process associated with the activation of opportunistic Candida fungi. Typical manifestations of canker sores in men are pronounced redness of the skin of the penis, an itchy appearance, burning, and also quite copious clotted discharge.
Penis discharge 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 intercourse or masturbation. The main cause of spermatorrhea is a violation of the tone of the muscle 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 spermatorrhoea 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 foreign bodies, when taking a smear, after or during an instrumental examination of the urethra, bladder. Hematorrhea also occurs with trauma to the penis, urethra, malignant tumors of the urethra, penis, prostate, polyps, stone discharge, sand in urolithiasis.
Prostatorrhea - leakage of prostate secretion from the urethra - is observed with a decrease in the tone of the smooth muscle fibers of the excretory duct of the prostate during its chronic inflammation or other diseases (for example, with neurogenic bladder, prostate adenoma) .
Finding the Cause of Penis Discharge
Since there are many reasons for the appearance of unusual (non-physiological) discharge from the penis, a qualified urologist must look for the cause of each specific case. When examining a patient with complaints of discharge from the penis, the doctor should carefully examine the skin for a rash, feel the lymph nodes (to increase 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, performed after 2-3 hours of abstinence from urinating. Among the mandatory studies that a man with unusual penile discharge will have to undergo are general (expanded) blood and urine tests, blood glucose test, urethral swab test, seeding of urethral secretions, digital examination of the prostate gland, if indicated, an ultrasound of the bladder and prostate, urography, CT scan.
In inflammatory processes, the most valuable information is provided by the study of the urethral smear. 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.
Preparation for taking a smear. In order for smear results to be informative and help the clinician make a diagnosis, it is necessary to properly prepare for the smear sampling procedure. Therefore, the local use of antibiotics, antiseptics, antifungals for 3 days before the study is excluded. Within 3 hours before the study, it is necessary to refrain from urinating and external toileting of Organs genitals. Smears are taken no earlier than 3 weeks after the end of systemic antibiotic therapy (introduction of antibiotics orally or in the form of injections).
What do the urethral swab results indicate?
- Increased leukocytes - acute urethritis, exacerbation of chronic urethritis.
- Increased eosinophils - allergic urethritis.
- Increased red blood cells - trauma, tumors, excretion of stones or sand with urolithiasis, severe inflammation.
- Epithelial cells in large numbers - chronic urethritis, urethral leukoplakia.
- Spermatozoa - Spermatorrhea.
- Lipoid grains - prostorrhoea.
- Mucus without blood cells - urethrorrhea.
- Key cells (small rods in epithelial cells) with a small number of neutrophils - urethritis.
In a normal smear, up to 4 leukocytes are detected in the field of view, the bacterial flora is represented by single, rod-shaped cocci.
Finally
The appearance of discharge from the penis is best regarded as a symptom of a disease, the nature of which can only be determined by a doctor and only in a face-to-face consultation. It is impossible to independently diagnose the pathology that led to the appearance of secretions, therefore, it is not advisable to treat it yourself. Attempts at self-treatment, in this case, do not lead to recovery, but only distort the symptoms of the disease and lead to wasted time – precious in some serious illnesses. Take care of your health!