Haematospermia: Blood in Semen: Causes, Treatment

Some men come to the hospital of this complaints of seeing blood in the semen. This condition is known as Haematospermia. It most commonly occurs between the age of 30 to 40 years. It also occurs in some persons who are above the age of 50 and having a condition known as benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH), where the prostate gland swells & increases in size.

During sexual intercourse & ejaculation, sperm in the seminal fluid travel from your testicles, through the vas deferens (a tube that conveys sperm) & urethra (a tube that conveys sperm & urine), out of the tip of your penis.

Bleeding may happen anywhere along the way, which may appear as a brown or red color in your semen.

Most men fear the worst when they notice this blood in their semen. Some immediately fear that it is a sign of prostate cancer or an indication that can’t impregnate a woman again. But this is not so. Blood in the semen (haematospermia) is hardly a sign of cancer or infertility. No need to fear unnecessarily!

 

Causes of Haematospermia (Blood in the Semen)

The commonest cause of blood in sperm (Haematospermia) is trauma. This can happen as a result of injury to testicles or prostate due to horseback riding, bicycling or road traffic accidents.
It could be from a medical procedure like prostate biopsy & urethral catheter insertion.

 

haematospermia is blood in semen
Credit to: DRELIST

Most common causes of blood in semen are:

 

  • A recent medical or surgical procedure like prostate surgery or biopsy, etc, Vasectomy (permanent sterilization in males)
  • Side effect of certain drugs Rifampin used for treatment of Tuberculosis.
  • Radiation therapy for the management of a malignant lesion.
  • Excessive/ vigorous sexual activity

Pathological causes: In the absence of a physiological cause, pathological causes such as:

 

  • Infection: Sexually transmitted Infections, STIs like gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis and herpes can also cause haematospermia.
  • Inflammation: swelling of any part of the male reproductive tract can also cause hematospermia.
  • Testicular cancer: Testicular cancer can also cause blood in semen, especially in the males that are past 40 years of age.

Other things that can cause blood in your semen (haematospermia) are;

 

  • prostate enlargement &
  • frequent masturbation

 

Treatment for Blood in the Semen (haematospermia)

In young men below 40, with no known risk factors, hematospermia usually disappears after a while. But if there is blood in your semen, you should see a doctor for a check-up if you;

 

The treatment to be given will depend on the exact cause of your problem.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have in comment below, and I would do my best to respond to them as soon as I can.

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