The condition of the 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 secretions of the sebaceous glands located on the upper part of the penis, and the 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.
Types 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 to reproduce.
physiological
Even under the condition of absolute health in men, drops of fluid that appear from the urethra can occasionally be noticed on the penis. Its quantity and volume differ individually, but slightly. This odorless liquid is usually present in the morning after waking up before going to the toilet. The change in volume is a consequence of hormonal fluctuations, health condition and previous illnesses, the use of 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.
Libidinous urethrosis
It is a colorless secretion that appears on the head of the penis from the urethral canal. There are two such glands on the penis, located at the base of the corpora cavernosa, and are called bulbouretral or copper glands.
The appearance of clear fluid occurs against the background of arousal or erection, which occasionally occurs in the morning, when testosterone in the blood reaches its maximum value. 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 urogenital canal, so that the sperm pass through it easily and at the required speed. Because this secretion contains individual sperm, its contact with a woman's genitals can lead to pregnancy.
Defecation space
During defecation, the muscles of the abdominal cavity and the abdominal cavity become tense, which causes the appearance of mucus on the head, which sometimes contains white-gray stripes. Such viscous mucus is odorless, it also contains the secretion of the prostate and seminal vesicles.
The same fluid can be released after urination, which is called a mycelial space, and after strong attacks of coughing, followed by sharp tension of the press muscles.
Experts do not consider defective prostate 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 of thick consistency. After the smegma is formed, it is placed under the skin. Preputial lubrication contains fats and bacterial elements. Its function is to reduce the friction of the penis against the foreskin. Its maximum amount is characteristic of adolescence.
If the smegma is not washed thoroughly from time to time, then it begins to disintegrate, takes on a pungent odor and becomes green. All this leads to the appearance of a pathological process due to the multiplication of microbes, which will lead to inflammation.
Sperm
Ejaculate contains a huge amount of semen and sperm. In adolescence, spermatorrhea is possible without sexual contact, sometimes during sleep. If the same picture continues after puberty, it may be a sign of vascular tone disorders due to inflammation or brain tumors.
Pathological
Discharge from the urethra also occurs due to various dysfunctions of the reproductive or urinary system.
This can be caused by the following factors:
- Mechanical. They occur after damage to the urethra during sampling using special instruments that are inserted into the lumen of the urethra (ureteroscopy, cystoscopy, etc. ).
- contagious. They are the result of the presence and progression of a number of microbial pathogens. These microbes 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 or other systems. They often occur as a result of treatment of the urethra with medical solutions.
Sometimes the reason lies in the body's allergic reaction to environmental factors or to used detergents and personal care products.
The substance protruding from the urethra can be mucus, fluid, bacteria or fungi and pus. Color, transparency, consistency, odor, and volume indicate the intensity and phase of the process. At different stages of the same disease, all these parameters can change.
It is classified as follows:
- Hematorrhea. It is characterized by blood inclusions. It can occur due to injuries, as well as arterial hypertension, the presence of tumors in the penis or prostate.
- Leukocyte urethrosis. It occurs when the accumulated contents are released during inflammation. The color, odor, and duration of exudate output indicate the degree of damage to the urinary tract epithelium.
- Mucopurulent masses. It retains leukocyte cells, urethral mucus and serous fluid. From the outside it looks like a transparent mucus with a white tinge. A possible sign of urethritis is chlamydia, ureaplasmosis, etc.
- Pus. It contains many leukocytes and pieces of epithelium. It is the thickest in consistency, it has a yellow or greenish color. It is often accompanied by burning during the outflow of urine. It occurs in gonorrhea, gonococcal urethritis or chlamydia.
White discharge
If a white, scaly or cheesy discharge with a sour smell appears on the head of the penis, it 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 happens after a course of strong antibiotics or chemotherapy.
If the fluid simultaneously contains foamy inclusions, then we can conclude that it can be concluded that trichomoniasis, ureaplasmosis or mycoplasmosis can be concluded, which are quite often transmitted during unprotected intercourse.
Another disease that can cause white mucus to appear is chronic prostatitis. This symptom is usually accompanied by decreased potency and difficulty urinating.
Transparent accents
The main reasons that cause such excretion: chlamydia or chronic ureaplasmosis. In these diseases, this may be the only symptom that indicates the presence of a pathological process. The appearance of clear mucus does not always occur, but only if the man has not gone to the toilet for a long time. Once the process escalates, the color changes from transparent to greenish as the content of dead leukocytes increases in the fluid.
Clear mucus is characteristic of the initial stage of gonorrhea. With this disease, the mucus is quite viscous, it is released 24 hours a day in large quantities.
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 epithelium of the urethra. This picture is characteristic of many venereal diseases.
In gonorrhea, the consistency of the mucus is very thick, there is a sharp putrid odor, and the process of urination becomes painful. Another disease in which the discharge turns yellow is trichomoniasis. There are often 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 a symptom occurs against the background of neglecting the rules of hygiene. Because the warm and humid environment is constantly present in the area of the male genital organs, microbes multiply there quickly. Their waste products cause an extremely unpleasant odor. To prevent this phenomenon, it is necessary to thoroughly wash the penis every day, moving the foreskin to the side.
An unpleasant odor can also develop in the case of metabolic disorders, diabetes mellitus or infectious diseases. In thrush there is a sour smell, and in gardnerellosis there is a pronounced smell of fish. Inflammation of the head of the penis and the inner part of the skin fold of the foreskin also causes a specific pungent odor.
Bloody problems
Blood often comes out along with the contents of the urethra due to infectious inflammation. 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.
Small streaks of blood mean that the process has managed to become chronic with significant loosening of the mucosal epithelium, which causes irritation every time urine leaks out of the urethra.
Also, blood may come out after traumatic insertion or removal of the 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 can get a pink, red or brownish hue. In such cases, with the outflow of urine, there is severe pain with localization in the lower pelvis or lumbar back.
There is blood in the secretion in the later stages of oncological tumors of the urinary tract, in cancerous tumors of the ovaries, penis, adenomas and testicular tumors. In this case, the bleeding is characterized by a brown or brown color, with blood clots.
Even if the patient appears to have accurately identified the disease, independent choice of treatment is strictly prohibited. Many diseases of the reproductive and urinary system 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 such specialists:
- dermatovenerologist;
- urologist;
- venereologist;
- nephrologist.
Going to the initial consultation with a specialist, the patient should be ready to answer the following questions:
- scope of allocation;
- shade and turbidity;
- impurities (blood, scales, pus and clots);
- consistency (liquid, sticky);
- odor (fishy, sour, absent);
- dependence of the manifestation of symptoms on the time of day;
- whether it is associated with urination, spicy foods, alcohol intake, and erections).
After the doctor hears the discomfort, he will examine the urethra, genitals, perineum and groin to monitor for external inflammation, rash and signs of injury.
By palpating the lymph nodes in the groin, the doctor will assess the skin temperature. Fever is a clear sign of inflammation. In addition, he pays attention to painful sensations during palpation, tissue density and the presence of ulcers.
The specialist will perform a digital prostate examination. It consists of an 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 diagnostics in most cases follows the following algorithm:
- general clinical urine and blood tests;
- swab for bacanalysis of urethral contents;
- blood sugar test;
- Ultrasound of internal genital and urinary organs;
- urography.
In very severe genital inflammation, the doctor immediately prescribes antibiotic therapy using a wide range of agents, without waiting for test results.
If the stain is of significant volume, the patient will be advised to go to the hospital. In case of suspected cancer, 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 preserve sexual health and youth for many years, because early diagnosis guarantees the fastest possible relief from the disease and the absence of complications.