YANMD....but please diagnose this

January 26, 2009 1:24 PM

Blood in my semen.

My ejaculate has blood in it. Not super bloody, but it's coming out red tinted. It's been the same for about the last four days. It might be important that my urine doesn't appear to have the same red tint, only the ejaculate. Also, the urinary meatus burns a tiny bit, but no real pain anywhere so far.

Could you give me plausible candidates for what it might be? I did have an unprotected one night stand more than a week ago. Do these symptoms match any obvious STDs? Obviously that is my prime suspect, but another idea is that I use saliva to masturbate and my oral hygiene has been really bad lately.

I'm poor, but I might scare myself into visiting a clinic if it becomes painful or doesn't go away soon.

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (24 comments total)

You should go to the clinic.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 1:26 PM on January 26

Clinic. You have blood in places there shouldn't be blood. What more motivation do you need?
posted by rmless at 1:28 PM on January 26 [3 favorites has favorites]

Oh god, please google "free clinic" + the name of your town. Please do this, man. This is exactly what they're there for, exactly -- to serve exactly this purpose.
posted by Greg Nog at 1:29 PM on January 26

Go to the clinic. Blood in semen is something that should almost always be checked out by a physician. Common causes are mild inflammation or trauma, STDs, urinary tract infections, but there are other potential causes that are much more serious. The clinic is likely to ask for a urine sample whether or not you think you've seen any blood in your urine.
posted by jeeves at 1:32 PM on January 26

I dislike doctors and the medical industry in general. But blood in the semen points to something kinda basic breaking down.. yes go to any clinic you can ASAP.
posted by telstar at 1:33 PM on January 26

I mentioned this to my Dad, who is a surgeon, not a GP or anything, but he has some questions:

How old are you?
Have you had this before, or a past history of venereal disease?
Do you have any other symptoms at all? Do you have any deep seated pain in your backside or anywhere else at all? Any lumps in your testicles? Any discharge from your urethra?

If you are young then it is unlikely to be anything too serious. Most likely it is some kind of inflammation, a prostate problem, a polyp. However, my Dad's main message is: (and I'm sorry to shout)

GO AND SEE A DOCTOR.

There is absolutely nothing (NOTHING) you can show them that will raise an eyebrow or that they have not seen before. It is pretty much impossible to answer this question over the internet, you need to see someone face to face. It is a little bit scary to go, but you will have infinite peace of mind - turning a hundred possibilities over and over in your head is not going to help. Your doctor can help you.
posted by marmaduke_yaverland at 1:35 PM on January 26

Go to the clinic. Immediately. If it's nothing, better to know it's nothing than worry about the blood coming out of your penis.

More likely, there's something wrong, and the sooner you go see a doctor, the less likely you are to suffer long-term damage.
posted by EarBucket at 1:35 PM on January 26

If it's any comfort: Probably no big deal but you should get to a clinic anyway.
posted by Picklegnome at 1:35 PM on January 26

It's been the same for about the last four days.

That was the kicker for me. You should absolutely get this checked out asap.
posted by ob at 1:37 PM on January 26

IANAD but I do have this handy quiz for you to help you diagnose your penis problem.

1) Do you like sex? If Yes, give yourself 2 points.
2) Do you like the use of your penis? If Yes, give yourself 2 points.
3) Would you like to have sex again using your penis? If Yes, give yourself 2 points.

If your point total is greater than 0, great! I can help you. Go to a free clinic already. You could have an STD, your pipes could be broken, your diet could be messed up, or a thousand other things. Get it fixed today.
posted by Stynxno at 1:38 PM on January 26 [19 favorites has favorites]

Poor wording on my part. Sexually transmitted diseases and urinary tract infections can be very serious, especially if left untreated, even if you end up asymptomatic. Be honest about your unprotected one-night stand while you're at the clinic and ask about an STD workup if they don't automatically suggest it.

Unsolicited advice, but if the cause turns out to be an STD, please remember that the right thing to do is to advise all of your recent partners, whether you used protection or not. You know this already, but sometimes people (especially guys) can carry and transmit an infection for a long time without demonstrating symptoms.
posted by jeeves at 1:40 PM on January 26

Um, not to be too personal, but have you changed the way you masturbate? Perhaps you are being a little rough on things. If you are doing a lot of motion around the tip, you may be breaking some capillaries in your meatus. At any rate, don't risk it on this one--go to the doctor.
posted by midwestguy at 1:46 PM on January 26

It could be any of a number of things. Knowing what those things are won't solve the problem. You know what will? Treatment.

Go to a clinic if you value your sex life.
posted by Solomon at 1:48 PM on January 26

Just as an idea of something it might be, it might be prostatitis. Do you want to start peeing chunks, excruciatingly? No? Go to the clinic.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:56 PM on January 26

This is happening more than once?
It's one thing if you get your balls or grundle smashed and have blood in your semen for a day, but if this has been an ongoing thing, then it's serious- deadly serious.
Not to pussyfoot around here- It could be trauma, it could be an STD, or you could have cancer.
And nobody likes having testicular or prostate cancer, right?
It's better if you find out now. Get yourself to a doctor, stat.
posted by dunkadunc at 1:57 PM on January 26

Blood in your semen could be nothing more than high peak blood pressure while exercising, but definitely go get it checked out.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 1:58 PM on January 26

If this is a consistent problem, I concur -- go to the clinic. I had a bit of blood in my semen once or twice a few months ago and went the whole route: ultrasound check of the testicles, a trip to the urologist... upshot is that although I do have an enlarged testicle which might be an indication of some problems, there don't seem to be any problems. But I am keeping an eye on things, as it were. FWIW blood in the semen is not uncommon, as picklegnome points out, and not necessarily an indication of problems, but if it's consistent, as you say, then I'd get that looked at.

I'm 58, and you don't say your age, but I'm thinking you're quite a bit younger than I am -- all the more reason to get to a doctor.
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 2:01 PM on January 26

You should see a doctor, but this can be idiopathic. Are you taking any supplements, like ginkgo biloba?
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 2:09 PM on January 26

It's been the same for about the last four days

See, I read this as "I've been jacking-off for four days straight and now there's blood in my semen" and I was like "Uh, maybe take it a little easier, pal" but now, really, clinic. Blood and semen don't mix, not even on the front cover of a Metallica album.
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:41 PM on January 26

I had that and after I stopped fainting and freaking out I went to a doc, peed in a cup and they found some non-std infection in the old internals. I took a bunch of antibiotics and got well fast.
They also gave my nuts an ultrasound and that was interesting.
You are probably freaking out a bit but chill out and see a doc, they can really help sometimes.
posted by Iron Rat at 5:17 PM on January 26

Doctor: ASAP.

Yes, it could be nothing. But blood coming out that end is one of those things you just should not risk on maybes. If larger amounts start coming out, go to the emergency room.
posted by ErWenn at 7:01 PM on January 26

Jesus Christ man... you're ejaculating blood! Why on earth would you not go to a doctor? Poor or not, scrape together some money and make sure your junk isn't cancerous or infected with the plague.
posted by JFitzpatrick at 8:07 AM on January 27

America you need fucking universal health care already. These questions are always fucked up, no mater how many times I come across them. Dude, see a doctor.
posted by chunking express at 9:07 AM on January 27

I had this same problem. Waited 5 days to see doctor. My doctor peeked at it, checked the prostate, told me to come back in 5 more days if problem persisted. Problem did not persist, disappeared after about 8 days from the day I first noticed it.

this site, seems to say that blood in semen is not all that bad.

http://www.healthcentral.com/prostate/question-answer-27466-63.html
posted by M Edward at 7:17 AM on January 29