Male reproductive health is far more fragile than it seems. It directly depends on many factors, and the forms of fertility disorders in men are more diverse than women. Whether it is possible to consider hemospermia as a disease and whether it is easy to get pregnant with it, we will tell in this article.
What it is?
Hemospermia or hematospermia is a term describing the presence of blood in the ejaculate. If the spouses practice unprotected sex, then this phenomenon can go unnoticed for a long time, because ejaculation occurs inside the woman's genital tract.
If there is little blood, the sperm becomes pink. If there is a lot of blood, the semen has a bright characteristic blood color or impurities (blood clots) may be present in it.
Hemospermia may be false and true, may be accompanied by additional symptoms, or may not be felt by the man in any way.
Its reasons are also different. But doctors are inclined to believe that hematospermia is not an independent disease. It can be either a physiological manifestation or a pathological symptom under certain conditions.
Causes of occurrence
Blood can enter the sperm only in two ways: either by forming directly in the seminal fluid, or by mixing with it in the process of its passage from other organs or as a result of injury or inflammation of one of the sections of the vas deferens. In the first case, they talk about true hemospermia, in the second - about false.
In true form, blood has a brownish tint. A bright scarlet color of blood may indicate false hemospermia.
Also, this phenomenon can be primary, if the blood appears one or more times, or secondary, if the bloody impurities in the ejaculate are present for a long time and appeared after surgery or injury.
Causes
The causes that cause the appearance of blood in the ejaculate are also divided into three main types: common, probable and rare. Let's take a look at them in order.
Common
Despite the frightening appearance, in the overwhelming majority of cases, hematospermia has nothing to do with pathology. Microtrauma of blood vessels can lead to the appearance of blood, which often happens in men who have a very active sex life. This is especially true for men under 40. At this age, 98% of cases of blood in the semen are benign and self-passing.
Despite the level of development of modern medicine, hemospermia often remains idiopathic, that is, its causes cannot be established. This happens in about 60% of all cases.
Often, hematospermia accompanies men for some time after surgery, for example, on the prostate. Such a phenomenon, although it is secondary, does not pose a danger, since it is temporary in itself.
This is where the list of common harmless causes ends, and pathological causes begin. These include, first of all, prostatitis, genitourinary infections, especially acute ones, as well as chronic infections in the acute stage. Hematospermia is facilitated by injuries to the testicles, scrotum, penis, and the injuries are old, and their consequences are unexpected.
Probable
The possibility of such reasons will be considered if the man does not have any common reasons for the presence of blood in his semen. The penetration of blood cells into the seminal fluid is sometimes promoted by disorders of hemostasis - blood clotting factors. Particular attention should be paid to the "thinning" of the blood, in which the vessels become more permeable, including the vessels of the vas deferens.
Prostate stones are rare, but theoretically they can cause blood and semen to mix. That is why the prostate is examined especially carefully. The most formidable cause of blood in the ejaculate is cancer of the bladder, prostate, testicles, or seminal vesicles.
In men under 40, the probability of such an outcome of events is small - about 2%, but in men over 40 years of age, the risk of serious cancer with hemospermia is already more than 14%.
Rare
Less commonly, hemospermia is associated with urethral polyps, schistosomiasis, and malignant hypertension. Moreover, schistosomiasis can only be suspected in men who have visited regions endemic for parasitic nematodes, for example, in the states of Africa, India or the Middle East. Also, sometimes blood in the ejacular occurs in men with tuberculosis.
Only comprehensive diagnostic measures can help establish why blood has appeared in the semen. But even if the root cause is not identified, general therapy will help get rid of this unpleasant phenomenon.
Influence on conception
Since in most cases hemospermia is benign, it does not have a particular effect on conception. In other words, a woman may well become pregnant if all other spermogram indicators are normal.
With a sufficient number of mobile and morphological healthy male germ cells, the presence of red blood cells does not affect male fertility.
However, if hemospermia persists for a long time, this may indicate the presence of pathological prerequisites that can affect the development of male infertility. But this scenario is possible only if the diagnosis is not carried out, treatment is not prescribed, and the man will ignore the very fact of the disease.
Symptoms
True hematospermia, in which blood is initially present in the semen, is always asymptomatic and does not bother men in any way. If hemospermia is associated with injuries, the consequences of surgical intervention or with inflammatory diseases of the urinary tract, additional symptoms must appear. Most often it is moderate or cutting pain and discomfort during urination, pain in the lumbar region, an increase in body temperature to subfebrile values and higher, pain in the scrotum or groin.
A period of two weeks is recommended as the observation period. If from the moment of the first detection of blood in the ejaculate for the next 14 days the anomaly has not disappeared, it is recommended to visit a urologist, andrologist.
Diagnostics
Despite the fact that half of the cases of hemospermia remains a mystery, the reasons cannot be established, the doctor must exclude the most serious of the possible - cancer, tumors, polyps. To begin with, the man will be offered urine tests - general and according to Nechiporenko. These studies will help to find out if everything is in order with the bladder, if there are microtraumas of the urethra.
If urinary tract disease is present, it is more likely that red blood cells and leukocytes will be found in urine samples.
To exclude an infectious disease from a man, a smear is taken from the urethra, and they are also asked to donate blood for a general analysis and for the detection of sexually transmitted infections. Often a coagulogram is prescribed - a special blood test that reflects the state of hemostasis, determines the coagulation and anticoagulant factors of the blood.
If a man is of reproductive age and is planning a pregnancy with a partner, a spermogram may be prescribed to make sure that the rest of the indicators are normal. Additionally, sowing of seminal fluid is carried out, if prostatitis is detected - rectal ultrasound, if tumor processes are suspected - prostate biopsy.
Treatment
With the treatment of hemospermia, doctors always have great difficulty. It is to convince a man. Most of those who went to the doctor with complaints of blood in the semen are absolutely sure that they are sick, and are certainly sick with something serious. Therefore, the doctor's statement that there is no need to treat anything and everything will pass by itself may cause bewilderment, disagreement and unwillingness to reconcile them. They will go to doctors further, receive appointments, be treated with folk remedies, and there is no guarantee that in the end they will not harm themselves.
If the pathological reasons for the presence of blood in the semen were not confirmed according to the results of the examination, the man is explained that this phenomenon is temporary, and they let him go home so that at home he can calm down and discard all bad thoughts.
If prostatitis is detected, and this is a fairly common situation, antibiotic treatment is prescribed. Most often, drugs of the fluoroquinolone group are chosen. Sometimes a course of treatment with sulfamethoxazole is prescribed for a month.
You can treat prostatitis at home, or you can in a hospital - listen to the recommendation of the attending physician, because he knows and understands the scale of your disease better.
In case of blood clotting disorders identified in a man, special therapy is recommended. Medicines - coagulants and anticoagulants - can only be taken as directed by a doctor. Once the blood clotting factors return to normal, the problems with the unusual color of the semen will be completely resolved.
Upon detection of tumors and oncological problems, the man is referred for special treatment to oncologists. Forecasts and further actions in this case are their task.
Young men who show blood in their semen are advised to slightly reduce the frequency and intensity of intercourse, often this is what helps to restore the composition of the semen.
Men who are planning to conceive a child, in addition to reducing the number of intercourse, are recommended to take drugs that have a positive effect on the processes of spermatogenesis, for example, "Spermaktin", "Viardot", "Verona". They are also advised to drink folic acid, vitamin complexes with zinc and selenium, as well as eat right and avoid stress.
If conception does not occur, it is not worth “attributing” it to hemospermia. It is possible that there are other abnormalities in men's health. All that is required of a man is to stop being shy and see a doctor.
Often doctors recommend sedatives to their patients with hemospermia, because this phenomenon inflicts a significant emotional blow on male pride. A dose of Motherwort per day will definitely not be worse.
Reviews
According to the reviews that men left on the Internet, many encounter hemospermia for the first time after they “take” a couple of lessons of semen retention from the “masters” of effective sex from the Internet. Such techniques, according to urologists, require many years of training, and most men do not even know about it. As a result, the muscles, seminal tract, seminal vesicles are injured, which is manifested by blood during ejaculation.
Women in specialized women's forums express serious doubts about the possibility of pregnancy with such a diagnosis in her husband. But reviews indicate that most of them do not have any problems with conception. Many become pregnant even before the husband finishes the course of treatment, many find themselves in an "interesting position" before starting treatment.
Among the folk methods that men have tried on themselves with hematospermia, the largest number of positive reviews is for the so-called red root, which is brewed in boiling water and drunk in small portions several times a day. Men also say that they were helped by a decoction of nettle and a protein diet rich in nuts, fatty sour cream, meat and fish.
For the causes and treatment of hemospermia, see the next video.
