What is hemospermia and how does it affect conception?

Male reproductive health is much more fragile than it seems. It directly depends on many factors, and the forms of male fertility disorders are more diverse than women’s. Whether it is possible to consider hemospermia as a disease and whether it is easy to get pregnant, we will tell in this article.

Hemospermia or hematospermia is a term that characterizes the presence of blood in the ejaculate. If spouses practice unprotected sex, then this phenomenon can go unnoticed for a long time, because ejaculation occurs inside the female genital tract.

If there is little blood, the semen becomes pink. If there is a lot of blood, the sperm has a bright characteristic blood color or it may contain impurities (blood clots).

Hemospermia may be false and true, may be accompanied by additional symptoms, and may not be felt by a man.

Its causes are also different. But doctors tend to believe that hematospermia is not an independent disease. It can be either a physiological manifestation or a pathological symptom under certain conditions.

Blood can enter the semen only in two ways: either by forming directly in the seminal fluid, or by admixing to it during its passage from other organs or as a result of injury or inflammation of one of the sites of the spermatic cord. In the first case, they speak of true hemospermia, in the second - of false.

In true form, the blood has a brownish tint. Bright scarlet blood may indicate false hemospermia.

Also, this phenomenon may be primary if the blood appeared one or several times, or secondary, if the bloody impurities in the ejaculate are present for a long time and appeared after surgery or trauma.

The reasons that cause the appearance of blood in the ejaculate are also divided into three main types: common, probable and rare. Let's look at them in order.

Despite the frightening appearance, in most cases hematospermia has nothing to do with pathology. Microtrauma of blood vessels, which often happens in men who have a very active sex life, can lead to the appearance of blood. This is especially true for men under 40 years old. At this age, 98% of cases of blood in the semen are benign and self-propelled.

Despite the level of development of modern medicine, hemospermia often remains idiopathic, that is, its causes cannot be established. This occurs in about 60% of all cases.

Often, hematospermia accompanies men for some time after surgery, for example, on the prostate. Such a phenomenon, although secondary, is not dangerous, since it is temporary in itself.

At this list of common causes of harmless ends, and begin the causes of a pathological nature. These should primarily include prostatitis, urinary infections, especially acute, and chronic infections in the acute stage. Hematospermia contributes to injuries of the testicles, scrotum, penis, and injuries are old, and their consequences at the same time - unexpected.

The possibility of such reasons will be considered if the man has not identified common causes for the presence of blood in the semen. The penetration of blood cells into the seminal fluid is sometimes promoted by impaired hemostasis - factors of blood clotting. Especially it is necessary to pay attention to the "dilution" of the blood, in which the vessels become more permeable, including the vessels of the spermatic cord.

Stones in the prostate - an infrequent phenomenon, but they can theoretically cause a mixture of blood and sperm. That is why the prostate is examined especially carefully. The most formidable reason for the presence of blood in the ejaculate is cancer of the bladder, prostate, testicles, or seminal vesicles.

In men under 40, the likelihood of such an outcome of events is small — about 2%, but in men older than 40 years, the risk of serious oncological disease with hemospermia is already more than 14%.

Less commonly, hemospermia is associated with urethral polyps, schistosomiasis, and malignant hypertension. Moreover, schistosomiasis can be suspected only in men who have visited regions that are endemic to parasitic nematodes, for example, in African countries, in India or in the Middle East. Also, sometimes blood in the ejaculate is found in men with tuberculosis.

Since in most cases hemospermia is benign in nature, it has no particular effect on conception. In other words, A woman may well become pregnant if all other sperm indices are normal.

With a sufficient number of motile and healthy morphological male germ cells, the presence of erythrocytes does not affect male fertility.

However, if hemospermia persists for a long time, this may indicate the presence of pathological conditions that may affect the development of male infertility. But such a scenario is possible only if no diagnostics are made, no treatment is given, and the man ignores the fact of the disease.

True hematospermia, in which the blood in the semen is present initially, is always asymptomatic and does not bother men in any way. If hemospermia is associated with injuries, the effects of surgery, or inflammatory diseases of the urinary tract, additional symptoms necessarily appear. Most often it is moderate or cutting pain and discomfort during urination, pain in the lumbar region, body temperature rise to subfebrile values ​​and higher, pain in the scrotum or groin.

Despite the fact that half of the cases of hemospermia remain a mystery, it is not possible to establish the causes, the doctor must exclude the most serious of all possible - cancer, tumors, polyps. To begin with, a man will be offered to pass urine tests - general and according to Nechyporenko. These studies will help to find out whether everything is in order with the bladder, whether there are microtraumas of the urethra.

If urinary tract diseases are present, red blood cells and white blood cells are likely to be detected in urine samples.

To exclude an infectious disease, a man takes a smear from the urethra, and also asks him to donate blood for a general analysis and to detect sexually transmitted infections. Often, a coagulogram is prescribed - a special blood test that reflects the state of hemostasis, determines coagulation and anticoagulation factors of the blood.

If the man is in reproductive age and is planning a pregnancy with a partner, they can prescribe a spermogram to make sure that the other indicators are normal. Additionally, seeding is performed; if prostate is detected, rectal ultrasound is performed; if tumor processes are suspected, prostate biopsy is performed.

With the treatment of hemospermia, doctors always have great difficulty. It is to convince a man. Most of those who turned to the doctor with complaints of blood in the semen, are absolutely sure that they are sick, and certainly sick with something serious. Therefore, the statement of the doctor that it is not necessary to treat anything and everything will pass by itself, may cause them to be perplexed, disagreeing and unwilling to accept. They will go on with the 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 are not confirmed by 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 choose drugs group fluoroquinolones. Sometimes a treatment with sulfamethoxazole is prescribed for a month.

In case of bleeding disorders detected in a man, he is recommended special treatment. Medicines - coagulants and anticoagulants - can be taken only on prescription. As soon as coagulability factors return to normal, problems with an unusual color of seminal fluid will be completely resolved.

When detecting tumors and oncological problems, the man is sent to oncologists for special treatment. Forecasts and further actions in this case - their task.

Young men who show blood in their semen are advised to slightly reduce the frequency and intensity of sexual intercourse.It often helps to restore seminal fluid composition.

Men who are planning to conceive a child, in addition to reducing the number of sexual acts, are recommended to take drugs that have a positive effect on spermatogenesis, for example, Spermaktin, Viardot, Verona. They are also recommended to drink folic acid, vitamin complexes with zinc and selenium, as well as to eat right and avoid stress.

If conception does not occur, it is not worth “writing off” it to hemospermia. It is possible that there are other deviations in men's health. All that is required of a man is to stop being shy and consult a doctor.

According to reviews that men have left on the Internet, many people have come across hemospermia for the first time after they have “taken” a couple of lessons of seminal fluid retention from the “masters” of spectacular sex from the Internet. Such techniques, according to urologists, require long years of training, and most men do not even know about it. The result is injury to the muscles, seminal tracts, seminal vesicles, which is manifested by blood during ejaculation.

Women in specialized women's forums have serious doubts about the possibility of pregnancy with such a diagnosis in her husband. But the reviews show that the majority do not have any problems with conception. Many become pregnant before the husband finishes the course of treatment; many fall into an “interesting position” before the start of treatment.

Among the folk methods that men have tried on themselves in the presence of hematospermia, the most positive reviews are from the so-called red root, which is brewed in boiling water and drunk in small portions several times a day. Also, men say that they were helped by a decoction of nettle and protein nutrition, rich in nuts, sour cream, meat and fish.

For the causes and treatment of hemospermia, see the next video.