Discharges from the natural openings in the human body can reveal a lot about the state of human health. The nature of the secretions from the ear speaks of the health or diseases of the ear, the secretions from the nose provide comprehensive information about the pathology of this organ, and the secretions from the penis indicate the condition of the organs of the male reproductive system.
Very often, an unusual secretion of the penis becomes the first and sometimes the only symptom of a serious illness. Therefore, a man, paying attention to his genitals, should pay attention not only to its size but also to the nature of the secretions.
Penile discharge is a collective term that combines discharge from the urethra (urethra), discharge from the sebaceous glands (many located at the head of the penis), and abnormal skin formations. There are three types of normal (physiological) secretions and a wide variety of abnormal secretions.
Physiological discharge from the penis
The first type of normal discharge is libidinal (physiological) urethrorhoea, a transparent secret that flows from the urethra in the background of sexual arousal. In men, the source of excitement during excitation in this case is the urethral glands. The amount of secretion can vary from small to significant, depending on the physiological characteristics of the man and the length of the period of sexual abstinence. Sometimes physiological urethrorhoea is accompanied by defecation. It should be said that the composition of the secret released during urethrorhoea contains a certain amount of sperm, which, if entered into a woman’s genitals, can lead to conception and the development of pregnancy.
In some cases, discharge that is similar to physiology but occurs in larger amounts may be a manifestation of a disease of the reproductive system, so if the nature or amount of the discharge begins to deviate from the usual, it is worth discussing this issue. your doctor.
The second type of normal secretion from the penis is smegma. Smegma is the secretion of glands in the skin of the foreskin and penis. The amount of smegma is usually small and if followed by daily hygiene procedures, it is easy to wash off and is not a problem. If personal hygiene rules are violated, smegma accumulates on the skin of the head and between the plates of the foreskin and creates the preconditions for the development of the inflammatory process.
To prevent 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 and odorless soaps). During washing, it is essential to move the foreskin and wash the penis mask, carefully removing all secretions.
Normal secretions from the penis also include sperm (a sperm) - a secretion of the gonads and a mixture of sperm that is released during ejaculation (intercourse) or masturbation (self-satisfaction). The release of sperm is usually accompanied by sexual discharge (orgasm). Normal secretions from the penis also include wet dreams - involuntary ejaculation (usually at night) that occurs in puberty (after 14-15 years) in boys and after prolonged sexual abstinence in men. The average frequency of wet dreams varies greatly - from 1-3 to 1-2 per week for 2-3 months.
Abnormal discharge from the penis
The causes of abnormal secretions from the penis can be caused by a variety of diseases, including inflammatory processes caused by their own opportunistic flora or sexually transmitted infections, oncological diseases, and the consequences of injuries and surgeries. Amount of abnormal secretions from the penis (little, moderate, copious), color (clear, cloudy white, milky white, white, yellow, yellow-green, mixed with blood), consistency (liquid, dense), frequency (constant, intermittent, morning, associated with urination or alcohol consumption). The nature of the secretion is influenced by the nature of the pathogen, the severity of the inflammation, the condition of the patient's immune system, the "prescription" of the disease and the presence of co-morbidities. Therefore, it is sometimes simply impossible to diagnose a disease based on the appearance of secretions alone.
Sexually transmitted discharge from the penis
Mucous secretions from the penis, with a clear and viscous amount of leukocytes, are characteristic of ureaplasmosis, mycoplasmosis, and chlamydia.
Mucosal purulent discharge, a translucent milky white fluid composed of urethral mucosa, inflammatory secretions, and leukocytes, is characteristic of the exacerbation of trichomoniasis, ureaplasmosis, and chlamydia. Chlamydia is also characterized by the fact that the accumulated secretion "sticks" to the penis.
Purulent discharge - a thick, yellow or yellowish-green, sticky fluid made up of urethral mucosa, urethra, and a significant number of leukocytes - is the most common symptom of gonorrhea. A characteristic feature of gonorrhea urethritis is the severity of subjective symptoms such as pain, aching, itching (especially during urination), and a significant amount and constant nature of urethral discharge.
At present, patients with sexually transmitted diseases very often suffer from a combined infection - that is, an infection caused by several infectious agents (trichomoniasis and chlamydia, gonorrhea and chlamydia, mycoplasmosis and ureaplasmosis, etc. ) that significantly alters the symptoms and manifestations of the disease. infection. Therefore, it is not possible to make a definitive diagnosis and prescribe treatment based solely on information about the nature of the discharge and the patient's complaints. It is important that the symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases (including discharge from the penis) are easily stopped during self-treatment with antibiotics. In this case, however, the disappearance of symptoms does not mean the disappearance of the disease. The disease simply goes into the shadows, so it returns with renewed vigor after the antibiotic therapy is completed. In addition, illiterate treatment leads to resistance of the microorganisms to the antibacterial drugs used.
Excretion from the penis associated with non-sexual inflammatory processes
In this case, the pathogen of the infection becomes a representative of its own opportunistic flora (streptococcus, staphylococcus, fungus belonging to the genus Candida, Escherichia coli), which has become more active due to a decrease in the level of human immune protection. .
Non-gonorrheal urethritis - Inflammation of the urethra is accompanied by the appearance of mucosal purulent discharge. It is characterized by the absence or mild severity of symptoms (pain, aches, itching) and a small amount of discharge, which occurs mainly during long breaks between urination.
The allocations associated with balanoposthitis (inflammation of the foreskin of the penis) are usually very significant, mucous or purulent, accompanied by pain in the penis, swelling and redness of the foreskin.
Prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) is accompanied by the appearance of mucous and mucosal pus (depending on the severity of the inflammatory process), tensile pain in the perineum, and urinary incontinence.
A very common disease of the male genitals is thrush (candidiasis) - an inflammatory process that involves the activation of opportunistic Candida fungi. The typical manifestations of thrush in men are pronounced redness of the skin of the penis, itching, a burning sensation, and a fairly copious flow of clots.
Excretion from the penis is not associated with inflammation
This is a fairly rare type of discharge associated with trauma and tumors of the organs of the reproductive system and diseases of the nervous system.
Sperm is the emptying of semen from the urethra without orgasm, outside of sexual intercourse or complacency. The main cause of spermatorrhea is a violation of the tone of the muscles of the iron deferens, which is associated with diseases of the central nervous system, less commonly chronic inflammatory processes. In some cases, the cause of spermatorrhea cannot be determined.
Hematorrhoea is the emptying of blood from the urethra. The most common cause of hematorrhoea is mechanical damage to the urethra due to the entry of foreign bodies, after taking a smear, after or during instrumental examination of the urethra and bladder. Hematorrhoea also occurs in the penis, urethra, malignant tumors of the urethra, secretions of the penis, prostate, polyps, stones, and urolithiasis in the sand.
Prostatic arrhythmia - leakage of prostate secretion from the urethra - is seen with a decrease in the tone of the smooth muscle fibers in the secretory duct of the prostate gland during chronic inflammation or other diseases (e. g. , neurogenic bladder, prostate adenoma). .
Determining the cause of secretion from the penis
Because there are many reasons for the appearance of unusual (non-physiological) secretions from the penis, a qualified urologist should look for the cause in all cases. When examining a patient with penile discharge, the doctor should carefully examine the skin for rashes, feel the lymph nodes (due to their enlargement, pain), and examine the underwear.
The nature of the secretion from the penis is assessed at the beginning of the examination and after a light massage of the urethra, which is performed after 2-3 hours of urinary abstinence. A man with an unusual penile flow must have a general blood test (extended) and a urine test, a blood sugar test, a urethral smear test, a urethral discharge, and a digital examination of the prostate. glands, if necessary, ultrasound of the bladder and prostate, urography, computed tomography.
In inflammatory processes, the most valuable information is the examination of the urethral smear. The results of the test depend on the severity and duration of the disease. Inflammation is indicated by the presence of 4 or more leukocytes, and the appearance of a cylindrical and parabasilar epithelium indicates the severity and depth of the inflammatory process.
Preparing to smear. In order for the smear result to be informative and to assist the physician in making the diagnosis, proper preparation for the smear sampling procedure should be made. For this purpose, topical use of antibiotics, antiseptics and antifungals 3 days before the test is excluded. Abstain from urination and the external genitalia 3 hours before the test. Smears are taken no earlier than 3 weeks after the end of systemic antibiotic therapy (oral or injectable antibiotics).
What do the urethral results indicate?
- Increased leukocytes - acute urethritis, exacerbation of chronic urethritis.
- Growth of eosinophils - allergic urethritis.
- Increased red blood cells - trauma, secretion of tumors, stones or sand in urolithiasis, severe inflammation.
- Epithelial cells in large numbers - chronic urethritis, urethral leukoplakia.
- Spermatozoa - spermatorrhea.
- Lipoid eyes - prostorrhea.
- Blood - free mucus - urethrorhoea.
- Key cells (small rods on epithelial cells) with a small number of neutrophils - urethritis.
In normal smear, up to 4 leukocytes are detected in the field of view, with bacterial flora represented by a single coccus rod.
Finally
The appearance of secretions from the penis is best seen as a symptom of a disease whose nature can only be determined by a doctor and only in a personal appointment. The pathology leading to the secretion cannot be diagnosed on its own, so it is not advisable to treat it on its own. Self-treatment attempts in this case do not lead to a cure, but only distort the symptoms of the disease and lead to a loss of time - which is valuable in certain serious diseases. Take care of your health!