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Concern about semen and thrush

Q. I have been having an embarassing problem, which has been causing me some concern for the last two years. When I ejaculate my sperm is runny with lumps and tinged yellow as if mixed with urine, it also has an unpleasant smell. If I do not have sex for a few weeks the runnier and lumpier it becomes. This causes some discomfort when ejaculating.
I am also prone to thrush like infections, which respond well to treatment with canestan. The thrush-like symptom always returns a few hours after having sex. My fiancee also has frequent problems with thrush, usually following intercourse with me. I had an operation for an un-decended testicle when I was 4, could this be connected? I am now 32. I am considering having a vasectomy (for other reasons) would this cause any problems?

A. Lots of questions. First the undescended testes is almost definitely not connected although there is an increased from testicular cancer so check for lumps as descried on this site. The vasectomy will make no difference as the bulk of semen is from the prostate no the testes. Repeated infections with thrush should be investigated by your doctor as you may be diabetic. It may not be thrush as it is unlikely for it to show so soon after intercourse. It can be passed on between couple so you should be treated at the same time. Semen does turn more yellow as we age. It also gets thicker and less in volume. Even so, any infection will make this worse and can produce a smell. I suggest you see your doctor over all these points but I really do not think you have anything nasty going on.

Prolonged liquefaction condition

Q. My semen test shows that there is prolonged liquefaction condition. What kind of medicine should I take.

A. You should discuss this with your family planning clinic but I doubt if there is any specific medicine required. Your semen is simply taking longer for the enzymes and acid in the vagina to become liquid allowing the sperm to swim freely. Being dehydrated can make it worse so take plenty of fluids (non alcoholic)

Ejaculate too fast

Q. I have a serious problem...I need to delay my ejaculation during intercourse. I ejaculate too fast, please find me a solution of any kind.

A. There is very good advice on this site. Check it out first.

Q. I'm an 18 year old virgin and have recently met a new girlfriend! However I had quite an embarrasing experience the other day. We were only kissing and did nothing else but it got quite passionate and I became very aroused and came! She didn't notice as I made my excuses and left but now I can't relax when we're kissing in fear that it will happen again.

Is it natural to ejaculate at such an early stage? Is there any way that I can stop myself becoming so aroused so easily, or will it get better with time or what?

A. Your reaction is totally normal and it will get better. There is good advice on this site about premature ejaculation.

Q. I am a 20 year old male and am avoiding sex due to the following:

Pre-come, to the piont where my partner thinks ive already ejaculated, although i havent. Ejaculation takes place seconds after i enter her. I have tried the squeeze technique and it is not working.

A. There is very good advice on this site. You might also try asking your GP for some beta blockers such as propranolol which might get you through until you can control it all.

Q. I'm in a long distance relationship and I only get the chance to meet my girlfriend three nights a month. My problem is that I often get irregular erections, and it is becoming a major problem. My girlfriend is getting very frustrated with me. I don't understand how I can have a hard erection one night and then get nothing the next day. It is humilating, emotionally bruising and very frustrating. I'm twenty years old and she is my first real girlfriend. I fear I will lose her if I don't sort this problem out.

Can you offer me any medical advice on what I can do solve this problem? When she gives me oral sex, I have never been able to ejaculate in her mouth. This may seem trivial, but is that natural? As she wants me to cum and I want to as well, but I have never been able to. I hope you can help me, as I don't know what to do.

A. If ever there was a case of trying too hard this has to be it. So many guys are out there nodding their collective heads. Getting an erection is a complicated affair but one thing we do know is that desperately wishing it will happen is like throwing ice water on a big dick. Yes, you might be able to produce an erection on the first night but simply wishing it will happen again after all the anticipation is not a goer. Even Yorkie eaters have this problem.

Take more time over the subsequent sex, use more foreplay, use sexy videos or books and generally take it much slower. Not being able to ejaculate under pressure is so very common no matter where it ends up. A great deal of this is due to the way us blokes are brought up as things 'being dirty'. Just take it easy and let things happen in their own time rather than trying to make them and it will all get there in the end.

Q. Dear Sir, I would like to know about the Big Problem of Men " SEX ". I am 26 year old boy and unmarried. My problem is that because of masturbaution my penis shape has changed meaning it is not straight and not in power. Second thing is that now I discharge within 30 seconds which means too early. Also I like too much to do sex with a girl but when I got a girl my penis not stand exactly (it is not that I not have sex desire, I like it too much and think more about sex.)

I would like to inform you that now I leave masturbation and go regularly to the GYM and have very nice body figure, but because of above mentioned problems I worry. So kindly help me and suggest me some cream or oil or medicine for Penis strength and increased time limit.
I will be very thankful to you. Thanks with best regards.

A. Relax. You are in good company and it is nothing to do with masturbation which frankly is very good for penile condition. 'Use it or lose it' is a good motto. You almost definitely have a condition called Peyronie's. This is a little understood condition but there are treatments available (see information on this site). There is no connection between Peyronie's and premature ejaculation so you should find that once your confidence returns it will cease to be a problem. Ask your GP for advice after reading the information on this site.

Q. I am 35 years old and male. I am having this problem for approx. 15 years. When I am having sex with my wife or masturbasting, I ejaculate, but I do not have an orgasm. As soon as I get the feeling in my testicles, I ejaculate and the semem just seeps out.

A. Ejaculation is subtly different to the orgasm. If you have had ten orgasms all in a row (I wish) you will be producing little or no ejaculate yet there will still be the feeling of muscular contraction. The orgasm happens between your ears not your legs and may be the result of a type of hormone called endorphins. The level of the orgasm varies considerably and a great deal depends on the circumstances of the sex taking place. Increased anticipation along with maximum stimulation, both physical and mental will all influence the orgasm. The ejaculation on the other hands remains more or less the same.

Not only does the pleasure of orgasm vary between men, and for that matter women, it can be totally absent for both sexes and a fair proportion of people will go through their entire lives without experiencing it. I suggest you try all the stimulation and foreplay you can cope with and see what happens. At the very least you are obviously not impotent, another problem which tends to get confused with the orgasm and ejaculation.  

Break up of relationship and premature ejaculation

Q. I have recentely, 4 months ago, split up with a long term girlfriend. I'm 20 and had been seeing the girl in question for 3 1/2 years. I'm finding it really hard to get over the relationship and don't know what to do. Everyone keeps saying that I should just forget about her and stop talking to her. The only problem is that I value her as one of my best friends and find it hard to cut off all ties.

Also, since the break up I have been with a few other girls, mainly one night stands, and am suffering from premature ejaculation. This has never happened before and is bothering me some bit. Can you help? Thank you in advance.

A. I am delighted to say that this is not a medical problem although you probably feel as though your heart could do with a transplant. I used to wonder what on earth people were talking about when they mentioned 'a broken heart' until I had good cause to understand only too well. You are experiencing a form of grief reaction with all the horrible components such as denial, guilt, anger and so on. The fact that you met this girl early in your life will also make the process that much more painful.

The good news is that while you may not ever get over it, you will most certainly come to terms with it and that is the general rule of thumb with grief. Going out with stacks of other girls is an obvious reaction but is not a guaranteed solution. Time, on the other hand, really is a great healer and as you meet and talk to other people and find yourself needing her company less and less 'to survive' so the healing process speeds up. You have a great deal of life to enjoy and so many people - men and women - to share it with. Take your time, be gentle with yourself, remember the good times without needing them to enjoy the present. My medical advice to you is that while a heart attack can be difficult to heal a broken heart will often repair itself with the right person to help put the pieces back together. Choose with care and don't rush the job.

Severe headache on ejaculation

Q. I am 30 years of age and relatively fit. Lately I have been drinking a little more than usual and have now started getting very severe headaches. I only get these when I ejaculate. I have been told my blood pressure is slightly low - could this be causing them? I don't get them any other times.

A. It is impossible to give you any kind of accurate answer based on the information you have given. Headaches are caused by many things but high blood pressure and low blood pressure for that matter do come low down on the list. Even so, your blood pressure rises during sex or masturbation, peaks then falls quickly. During this time you may experience a headache.

Your drinking is unlikely to be a major factor in this although constant over drinking will cause a steady rise in blood pressure. Low blood sugar could also cause the headache which combined with alcohol might be a factor. Ask your practice nurse to check your blood sugars and blood pressure.

Not able to ejaculate during oral sex

Q. I need to know what would cause a man not to be able to ejaculate during oral sex. Please reply. No trouble otherwise.

A. What a good question. We don't really know why we ejaculate or have a climax in the first place. Anyone who can bottle the answer is going to be someone to stand next to in a bar.

The complex stimuli which finally convince the brain that it would be a good idea to release semen are poorly understood but there is a mixture of psychological and physiological factors. You don't need physical stimulation to climax - ask anyone who has a wet dream - but you do need certain things to happen between your ears rather than your legs.

Us men are educated over and over again that the penis is basically a dirty part of our body and is tolerated only with a bar of carbolic soap in one hand and a silver tea spoon in the other. Overcoming this brainwashing is difficult, so when it comes to oral sex it can be difficult to get the notion of 'the right thing to do' out of that part of the brain which sits waiting to pull the lever on ejaculation. You should ask first for your partner to make you ejaculate by hand, then to kiss gently as they do and finally to use their mouth. Remember this though, they may not like the idea of oral sex and ejaculation and could be stopping at just the crucial moment. Most of us wish our partner could read minds and it helps to explain and talk frankly to each other. Best of luck 

Lack of semen

Q. I am 15, and I have always been able to produce a good amount of sperm when I orgasm, but in the last few days, I have gotten only a drop. Being a teenager coming into sexual maturity, this worries me very much. I have asked my father and he doesn't know. If you have any ideas on what is causing this, if it is normal, or what I can do, please contact me. thank you

A. At your age it is unlikely to be a serious problem. I can't think of any physical condition which would cause this problem at your age.

Most men are aware the volume of semen ejaculated is related to the frequency of intercourse (that includes masturbation). The more you cum in a short period of time, the less the amount of fluid you may expect to ejaculate. It may be an idea to abstain from any orgasm for a few days, and see whether this makes any difference?

Pre cum before and after ejaculation

Q. I am 52 yrs of age. I recently had a successful prostrate exam and was told by my physician I was in good health. I neglected to question him about a concern I have been experiencing the last 2 yrs. In my early manhood years, I always had what I term as pre-cum before an ejaculation. Now I have pre-cum before and after ejaculation. The afterwards most often is very intense. There is no pain, and the only way I can detect it, is I feel the wetness.

Is this a common trait for males? I thank you in advance for your professional answer.

A. I think this is normal. In my opinion as the force of ejaculation diminishes with age it is usual for some of the semen to continue to seep out afterwards. I don't think you need to be concerned by this.

No feeling of orgasm

Q. I have good erections and ejaculation during sex, but do not have any feeling of a orgasm while ejaculating, for the last three years. I'm 56 years old and in good health otherwise.

A. As you experience sex drive, can ejaculate without any difficulty and have no problems with erection and diabetes has been excluded, I suspect that the problem of lack of orgasmic sensation that you are experiencing is essentially psychological, even though you are not yourself aware of any psychological problems. The most frequent cause is what is called spectatoring and performance anxiety. The basis of this is, if you failed to experience orgasmic sensations on one occasion, for whatever reason, then the next time you have sex you approach the higher levels of sexual arousal wondering if you will achieve orgasm and these negative thoughts actually block the orgasmic sensations. In other words your pre-occupation with lack of orgasm at the time when it should be occurring stops the normal sexual response.

Treatment involves two directions. First, to "unlearn" the spectatoring and second to enhance ejaculatory sensations.

Unlearning

This can be achieved by a series of exercises aimed at allowing you to progressively enhance your sexual arousal in a relaxed, controlled way.

1. Allow yourself plenty of time (say an hour and a half) when you know you will not be interrupted. Take the telephone off the hook.
2. Run a bath at a temperature you find comfortable.
3. If you require erotic material to help you achieve sexual arousal during masturbation, take a magazine or whatever with you to the bathroom. Perhaps also arrange some soft music.
4. Take non-perfumed some massage oil to the bathroom.
5. Lay in the bath for about 15 minutes just relaxing. Gentle massage your body with soap and enjoy the sensations you get from this.
6. Let your mind wander to sexual images. If need be, look at the erotic material.
7. Apply the massage oil to the hand you usually use for masturbation and begin to masturbate gently. The aim is not to race to ejaculation but take a long time appreciating the sensations.
8. Keep relaxed and maintain the bathwater at a comfortable temperature.
9. Just let your mind conjure up sexual thoughts and images and continue to masturbate gently enjoying the sensations. Keep the penis well lubricated with the massage oil.
10. Gradually increase the intensity of masturbation leading up to ejaculation but don't race, keep taking time to appreciate the sensations.

This exercise should be repeated many times.

Increasing ejaculatory sensation.

Two or three times each day do these very simple exercises.

1. Whist standing, imaging you are passing urine and contract those muscles that will stop the flow of urine. (It is sometimes helpful to try this at first whilst you are actually passing urine so that you can identify the muscles to contract)
2. Rhythmically contract and relax these muscles ten times in rapid succession.
3. Then contract the muscles and hold the contraction for 15 seconds, relax for 15 seconds and then repeat for ten times.

The combination of the these two procedures should overcome your problem. If you do not recover your orgasmic sensation or you develop other symptoms such as tingling sensations or weakness in any part of the body, get checked out by your doctor.

Lack of orgasm

Q. I am a 22 year old male whom has a problem with lack of orgasm. I am sexually active and have been for a number of years. I am not suffering from any anxiety, emotional worries or boredom/stress with partners. I have no medical problems and am not taking any types of medication. I am not diabetic, have normal blood pressure and have no loss of erection.

I am able to ejaculate (no problems with premature ejac. etc) but any feelings I get before orgasm should arrives don't happen. I get the initial enjoyment, feel my body enjoying the sensations but as I reach ejaculation, any feeling disappear. The only problem I can think of is having a high sex drive, just lack of orgasm that should accompany it. I know there is female anorgasmia but with males with no psychological problems, what is the matter?

P.S. I did used to have orgasm when I first discovered masturbation, but after a year the feelings went, and I have experienced no orgasm since with either partners or solo.

A. As you experience sex drive, can ejaculate without any difficulty and have no problems with erection and diabetes has been excluded, I suspect that the problem of lack of orgasmic sensation that you are experiencing is essentially psychological, even though you are not yourself aware of any psychological problems. The most frequent cause is what is called spectatoring and performance anxiety. The basis of this is, if you failed to experience orgasmic sensations on one occasion, for whatever reason, then the next time you have sex you approach the higher levels of sexual arousal wondering if you will achieve orgasm and these negative thoughts actually block the orgasmic sensations. In other words your pre-occupation with lack of orgasm at the time when it should be occurring stops the normal sexual response.

Treatment involves two directions. First, to "unlearn" the spectatoring and second to enhance ejaculatory sensations.

Unlearning

This can be achieved by a series of exercises aimed at allowing you to progressively enhance your sexual arousal in a relaxed, controlled way.

1. Allow yourself plenty of time (say an hour and a half) when you know you will not be interrupted. Take the telephone off the hook.
2. Run a bath at a temperature you find comfortable.
3. If you require erotic material to help you achieve sexual arousal during masturbation, take a magazine or whatever with you to the bathroom. Perhaps also arrange some soft music.
4. Take non-perfumed some massage oil to the bathroom.
5. Lay in the bath for about 15 minutes just relaxing. Gentle massage your body with soap and enjoy the sensations you get from this.
6. Let your mind wander to sexual images. If need be, look at the erotic material.
7. Apply the massage oil to the hand you usually use for masturbation and begin to masturbate gently. The aim is not to race to ejaculation but take a long time appreciating the sensations.
8. Keep relaxed and maintain the bathwater at a comfortable temperature.
9. Just let your mind conjure up sexual thoughts and images and continue to masturbate gently enjoying the sensations. Keep the penis well lubricated with the massage oil.
10. Gradually increase the intensity of masturbation leading up to ejaculation but don't race, keep taking time to appreciate the sensations.

This exercise should be repeated many times.

Increasing ejaculatory sensation.

Two or three times each day do these very simple exercises.

1. Whist standing, imaging you are passing urine and contract those muscles that will stop the flow of urine. (It is sometimes helpful to try this at first whilst you are actually passing urine so that you can identify the muscles to contract)
2. Rhythmically contract and relax these muscles ten times in rapid succession.
3. Then contract the muscles and hold the contraction for 15 seconds, relax for 15 seconds and then repeat for ten times.

The combination of the these two procedures should overcome your problem. If you do not recover your orgasmic sensation or you develop other symptoms such as tingling sensations or weakness in any part of the body, get checked out by your doctor.

No climax with orgasm

Q. I am 52 and have a reasonable sex life. However, over the past two years, when I ejaculate I do not feel the 'climax' that used to come with the orgasm. I just get a release of sperm, with no real feeling. Is this a sign of old age or something else?....thanks

A. Leave age out of it, especially as I am the same generation as yourself! Similarly, if you can attain an erection and ejaculate, the bits and pieces are in perfect working order. Without doubt, many of the pleasures which epitomise youth fade a little with familiarity. Experiencing something for the first time is always different from the 1000th but even so there can be ways of maintaining pleasure.

Just as food is enjoyed more after a period of anticipation, merely thinking about food during increasing hunger makes the difference between eating for pleasure and consuming for survival. Taking time over the preparation also helps boost the anticipation. Finally, an aperitif can do just the trick and whether it is the first or 1000th dish you still enjoy it. The message basically is this:

Avoid familiarity, introduce spontaneity into love making. It doesn’t always have to be the bedroom, Friday night and the missionary position.

Don’t forget foreplay. The wham blam cheerio ma’m is a two edged sword.

Link it with something else that whets the palate. An erotic book or video.

Romance is still there, a nice meal, wine with no interruptions (switch the phone off, send the kids to a neighbour for the night).

You might not be able to teach an old dog new tricks but you can still be a dirty dog and enjoy it.

Take a look at ‘How to make your honeymoon last’ by Suzie Hayman Hodder & Stoughton £6.99.

Sperm clear not creamy

Q. It is a bit embarassing but think I may have a problem with my sperm. Me and my partner have notice that my sperm is very clear instead of a creamy looking.

Is there anything to worry about as far as sperm levels are concerned? I know this is silly question but I really concerned that it may mean something more serious.

A. Relax. Simply looking at semen with the naked eye can give no clue to the number of sperm it contains not least because the vast bulk of it is water, sugar and acid neutralising substances. Only a tiny fraction is made up from sperm itself. Had your semen contained pus or blood it would have been a different matter.

If you are trying for children without success, it would be worth talking to your family planning clinic. Most clinics will not consider referral for specialist attention until you have been trying for at least a year, possibly two. 

No semen

Q. When I have sex I feel that I get all the feelings of ejaculating but no semen comes out. I am diabetic but otherwise well. How can I overcome this problem?

A. It sounds as if you have retrograde ejaculation. When men ejaculate normally a valve at the base of the bladder closes to stop the semen passing back into the bladder. When this valve is damaged or not working properly, semen will pass into the bladder during ejaculation instead of being propelled through the urethra (water tube) to the outside world. Semen can sometimes be seen in the urine following retrograde ejaculation.

Diabetes is one of the conditions in which the valve sometimes does not close properly due to damage to the nerves that control it. The problem may also occur in men who have had surgery on their prostate gland or bladder neck, or when the nerves have been damaged through injuries affecting the pelvic organs. It can also occur as a side effect of some drugs.

There is no way to overcome this problem although a few sufferers can be helped by taking a drug such as ephedrine before having sex. You should discuss this with your doctor first as not everyone can take this type of drug as it can have side effects. If you are wanting to father a baby, then there are procedures a specialist can do to obtain semen from you which can then be used to artificially inseminate your partner.

Painful ejaculation

Q. For the past few months ejaculation has been painful. The pain is severe. It starts at the tip of my penis and travels back to my balls. It lasts about an hour after ejaculation and is causing me to have less sex now than I would like, just to avoid he pain. What do you think is the cause and what can I do about it?

A. The first step is to rule out a physical cause such as inflammation of the prostate gland or other glands and organs involved in reproduction which can cause painful ejaculation. It is therefore important to consult your doctor or attend the genito-urinary medicine clinic at your local hospital. You do not need a letter from your own doctor to attend the GUM clinic. At the clinic you will be examined and possibly have some tests (eg blood and urine tests) carried out.

If the results of all tests are normal and the doctor can’t find any evidence of inflammation or infection, then the cause may be spasm of the tubes that carry the sperm and semen. There are no tests for this. Anxiety appears to increase spasm in these tubes and if when you set out to have sex you worry that it will cause pain, then the worry will make it worse. The first step in overcoming the problem is to try to stop worrying about it. The next thing is to do is to masturbate yourself in a warm bath having relaxed in the bath for a while first. The theory behind this is that the warmth of the bath relaxes the body and reduces spasm in the tubes. If you find you can ejaculate in the bath with little or no pain, then repeat the process on about six different days before trying to ejaculate during intercourse or with your partner. If you find this not very helpful, then again discuss the problem with your doctor who may prescribe a mild tranquilliser such as diazepam (Valium) to take about an hour before you masturbate in the bath. These drugs relax the type of muscle that forms the walls of the tubes that go in to spasm and therefore may help to overcome the problem. 

Brown coloured stuff in semen

Q. I recently masterbbated and when i ejaculated there was some brown colored stuff in with my semen. Is there some thing wrong or does this happen occasionally?

A. The colour of semen does change as does its texture. Generally speaking however it should be pearly white not dissimilar to raw egg white. Old blood turns brown and you may have suffered from a blow to the testicles earlier on. Badly designed bicycle saddles on mountain bikes are a prime suspect. You could also have suffered an infection which can cause slight bleeding into the semen.

Prostatitis, inflammation of the prostate or an enlarged prostate can also bleed although the blood is generally red in colour. Finally testicular cancer can make its presence felt in this way so it makes sense to get it checked by your own doctor sooner rather than later.

Semen with odour

Q. My semen has an unpleasant odour and my wife says she discharges it for days after we've had sex.

A. Although this sounds terrible it is probably very simple in cause and as equally simple in treatment. Semen does carry a smell of its own. Not as strong as the vaginal smell which is often confused with the smell of semen. This smell gets stronger on the male penis unless washed soon after intercourse. It can also linger on underpants and trousers.

Thrush, a yeast infection, will produce a very strong smell on the penis without any semen being present, especially in uncircumcised men. The mottled helmet along with an itchiness are the big give away. Sexually transmitted diseases such as Chlamydia will also produce a smell. You should get this checked out at your local GUM clinic not least because Chlamydia can cause infertility, ectopic pregnancy and can even be fatal to your female partner.  Find your nearest clinic at: http://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Sexual-health-information-and-support/L...

Concern about consistency of semen

Q. I have noticed my semen seems to be congealed. It looks a little like jelly. Should I be concerned about this?

A. Semen is funny stuff. Ask the producer of 'Something about Mary'. Most people are not aware that the sperm makes up a tiny percentage of the total fluid. All the rest comes from glands such as the prostate to protect the sperm from the acid environment of the vagina and supply food for the journey. Anything which affects these glands will also affect the appearance and function of the semen. Generally speaking most men are also unaware that most of it is protein a bit like raw egg white. When it hits the acid environment of the vagina it coagulates a bit like egg white. It becomes very sticky and attaches itself to the cervix (the opening of the womb) like a miniature limpet mine allowing the sperm to swim on through.

If you examine your semen on your hand after masturbating its appearance will depend on what is on your hands at the time. Acid sweat, vaginal secretions or the remains of a fish & chip dinner will cause the semen to coagulate. So will the toilet bowel, so will a dishcloth or piece of bog roll. This reaction takes place very quickly so if you have just passed urine it could leave enough acid in the urethra to cause the semen to coagulate. Fear not. It is just as potent. If there is any blood in the semen, if it smells badly or there is also pus you should see your GP or GUM clinic.

For your nearest GUM checkout : http://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Sexual-health-information-and-support/L...

Husband sometimes doesn't produce much semen

Q. This may sound crazy, but sometimes when my husband and I have sex, there's not very much semen....even if it's been 2-3 days since the last time.....he says he's not cheating, so what could be the possible causes of this?

A. Firstly stop beating yourself that this could be him cheating on you. There are enough reasons for wrecking a perfectly good relationship without adding in myths as well.

The amount of semen produced is relative and has no connection with the amount of sperm from the testes which is more or less constant. Yes, the amount of semen in each ejaculation decreases when they are close together. The prostate gland which produces most of the semen (as distinct from the sperm) can only produce so much, but recovers after a day or so.

It is also worth remembering that men in close relationships still masturbate. Some experts say even more than men who are not in a steady relationship. This is no reflection or comment on the intensity or love within the relationship. In fact, the stronger the attraction the more masturbation appears to take place. The fact that he is able to make love and climax is in itself a good sign not least of his attraction towards you.

Question about semen

Q. I usually masturbate in the bathroom and I ejaculate into the toilet seat. The semen that's on my penis head is white, but as soon as I notice the ones that are on the toilet seat, it carries some yellow with it. The yellow is similar to that of the urine. Is this a serious problem? Like to know asap. Thanks.

A. Relax. The only person who needs to worry is the next user of the toilet. All gentlemen raise the seat. Semen is made from a mixture which contains protein. It normally has an egg white consistency and colour. Like egg white, once it starts to gel it becomes harder and changes colour. This is a normal reaction as the protein denatures. Any acid or alkali will do this and the toilet seat is generally one or the other from either urine or toilet cleaners. It has nothing to do with anything nasty or your urine. 

Brownish semen and testicular pain

Q. A few months ago I had some yellow discharge from my penis. I saw my doctor and used a drug called cipro then everything was right. But a few weeks ago, it repeated again, but I was little late to treat it. So the colour of discharge became green and then a little brownish. Then I used cipro again and everything was OK. But now, although there is no discharge, my semen has some brownish sections in it. I feel that it is not white as it already was but little transparent and yellowish. Also, I have a little discomfort in my right testicle. So what is this and what should I do? The brownish texture in my semen does not seem friendly. Thanks for your help.

I'm 40 and healthy in general. My sexual activities may take a few hours and sometimes it may be little 'harder'...

A. The GP was obviously treating you for an infection and the medicine was almost definitely an antibiotic. It may still be an infection as it is possible for it to come back again. It may also, however, be an infection/inflammation of the prostate, a walnut sized gland which sits just at the base of the bladder. You need also to think about testicular cancer although it is not very common in men over 35. Check the testicles in the bath, cradle them with one hand and check the surface with the other. Look for lumps which may not be tender. Either way you need to go back to the doctor and have it sorted out.

Pain on ejaculation

Q. I am having a sharp, very painful sensation when I ejaculate. I had a vasectomy a little more than a year ago. Could this be a problem cause by my surgery or a UTI? It does not burn when I urinate but I do experience a slight sensation during urination but not nearly as painful as I do when I ejaculate. I have been with the same partner for 7 years (my wife) so I am not thinking it is a STD. Please help. Thank you.

A. I suspect that your problem is unrelated to your vasectomy. Scrotal pains are common after vasectomy but not the symptoms you describe.

As you have a "sensation" during urination I would suggest a consultation with your GP - you may need to see a urologist for further tests to exclude a problem with the urethra.

Change in semen colour

Q. I have noticed that my seminal fluid has changed colour - from a creamy white to sometimes almost brown. Can you help?

A. There are a number of causes for this not least trauma to your testicles producing a small bleed that turns brown with time. More likely you have a problem with your prostate which secretes most of the seminal fluid. Inflammation or infection will produce this coloration and it can even produce red blood as well. Generally speaking there would be some discomfort in the prostate. I would really need to know your age and any other symptoms before I could make any more accurate a diagnosis. Please do not wait. See your own GP immediately.