What can bring up penile discharge and painful urination in men? Basically and truthfully a man should not have pain when urinating or a discharge coming from the penis. That isn't normal and you should imediatelly seek health attention.
Pre-ejaculate fluid, secreted by glands on the inner side of the foreskin and the tip of the penis, is the normal outflow of penile fluid during sexual activity and arousal.
A change in penile discharge's quantity, color, odor, frequency, or consistency, however, could indicate an underlying illness (most commonly a STI).
How much penile discharge is normal?
There is no discharge from penis that is normal apart from the semen after sex or sexual arousal. Take all other discharge as disease caused if you are not from having sex or you are not sexaully aroused.
The abnormal penile discharge comes in different amouts and is commonly comes with painful urination. Once you discover having pain when urinating and penile discharge the problem you have is a sexually transmitted infection (STI)
Sometimes patients feel the urge to cover their penis with tissues to contain the discharge, and some may have so much that it stains your underpants.
However, other patients might only notice a slight "wetness" near the tip.
After contracting an infection, you might have discharge for a few days to several weeks.
Whenever you see discharge do not think that it will go away on its own withouit seeking treatment. You are simply increasing the chances of infecting more people and complications are coming your way.
The longer the discharge stay untreated the more chances of getting the urethral damage. Some diseases like gonorrhea cause massive corrosion of the urine tube called urethra and can complecate to blocked urethra causing a urinary retention.
What causes penile discharge and painful urination?
As earlier said there is just a disease when you see having pain when urinating and discharge. Certain STIs are the cause of such trouble.
When accompanied by other symptoms like painful urination and pain during sexual activity, penile discharge in males is frequently an indicator of an infection.
STIs responsible for penile discharge include:
Trichomonas vaginalis, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Mycoplasma genitalium are the STIs that can cause this type of unusual penile discharge.
We advise being tested as soon as possible at a sexual health clinic if you think you might have a STI in order to avoid any difficulties for you or your partner.
Here is a full description of the above cause of discharge
Gonorrhea: large quantity of green or yellow mucopurulent discharge and may mimi chlamydia therefore it's prudent to test for both diseases.
Trichomonas vaginalis (trichomoniasis): This infection causes light frothy discharge with fishy smell and comes with painful urination. However in men it may not show any symptoms as it does in women.
Chlamydia. Pain when passing urine with light,whitish penile discharge that looks like fresh milk.
Mycoplamsa genitarium: This STI is rare. It presents with discharge similar to gonorrhea and chlamydia and it causes swelling of the lymphnodes in the inguinal area.
Other causes. Talking about penile discharge simply points to the above causes but just painful urination alone can be brought by urethral infection and they are not sexually transmitted. Example, urinary tract infection caused by other bacteria may cause painful urination. Injury too in the urine tube and prostate gland problems can cause painful urination.
Investigations for penile discharge and painful urination
In most cases just your symptoms (complaits) givs a good information enough to know you have a sexually infection.
Clinical investigations
Your doctor in this case will ask you questions and examine you for signs of suspected cause of your complaints. You need to tell about how you feel or what you see and your sexual history. No need to hide in this case let it come out because its important when managing these infections contracted through sex.
Laboratory investigatins
A sample or your diecharge maybe collected for tests and examination under the microscope.Gonorrhea and chlamydia are tested together using same sample. A swab for trichomoniasis is usually collected to check for the parasite trichomonas vaginalis.
What if all tests are negative?
It means you most likely have some other cause of the painful urination otherwise if discharge comes with painful urination you will get a positive for one or two of the baove mentioned diseases.
Treatment of penile dicharge and painful urination?
Treament will be determined by the cause. An STI causing your problems will be targeted in the following ways
Gonorrhea, chlamydia and mycoplasma genitalium are treated with antibiotics. Azithromycin, ceftriaxone are the common used drugs.
Trichomoniasis on the other hand is treated with metronidazole in a high single or mulitple doses.
Other causes of painful urination like prostate problems are further investigated and establishemnt of better treatment option is done. Urinary tract infection is also treated with antibiotics.
What if discharge doesn't go away after treatment?
Most likely you have gotten the infection again or there is resistance to the prescribed drugs or the wrong drugs were give against your cause of penile discharge. You need to go back to the hospital and tell your doctor what is happening.
Make sure to get treated together with your partner.
After a successiful treatment together with your partner you can resume sexual intercourse when no disconfort is felt and can take 7 to 14 days.
What are complications of urethral dicharge?
The fact that there is an infection causing your dicharge the complications will include:
- Swollen balls. Untreated sexually transmiited infection can lead to imflamation of the testicles, it's a painful condition.
- Urethral blockage. This complicates further to urine retention that may lead to kidney damage.
- Failure to impregnate. Damage to testicles by gonorrhea or chlamydia can lead to a man failing to produce sperms.
- Failure to get pregant in women. Infetility comes in because of the scares formed inside a woman's womb.
