The presence of blood in the semen or hematospermia is something that does not happen frequently and although it causes alarm, it is not necessarily a symptom of something serious. Sometimes it goes away on its own, but you should still see your doctor immediately to try to establish the cause and, if necessary, the treatment.
Although blood is found throughout our entire body, circulating and carrying oxygen and nutrients to each organ and tissue, seeing it in places where we don’t expect it can cause us concern. That happens when blood appears in the semen, something that doesn’t happen very often.
When there is blood in the semen or hematospermia, it may be due to the rupture of a small vessel or capillary (sometimes it is not even noticeable to the naked eye that there is blood, it is microscopic) or a vessel of the seminal vesicles, the prostate or the testicles.
It can also be due to inflammation of the seminal vesicles due to a blockage, injury, or infection (due to herpes or chlamydia, for example). Or perhaps the cause is some disease in the urethra, epididymis, testicles and prostate. Although all of these causes are possibilities, sometimes the cause cannot be determined.
In any case, it must be taken into account that blood in the semen, when it occurs in men under 40 years of age, is generally due to an infection. In contrast, when it occurs in men over the age of 40, it can be a small indicator of cancer, usually of the prostate. In that case, more accurate assessments are made, although the risk is low. Studies showed that in more than 800 men who had blood in their semen, cancer was found in only 4 percent of them.
Other symptoms that can occur when there is blood in the semen are the following:
- Fever
- Shaking chills
- Presence of blood in the urine
- Lumbago (back pain)
- painful ejaculation
- pain when urinating
- Discomfort or inflammation (swelling) in the groin area
- Swelling and/or pain in the scrotum
- Inflammation and/or pain in the testicles
The doctor will do a series of tests to determine the cause of the presence of blood in the semen. Some causes, in particular, include:
- chlamydia
- Gonorrhea
- Genital herpes
- Cytomegalovirus
- trichomonas
- Tuberculosis
- interrupted sex
- prolonged sexual abstinence
- vigorous sex
- Testicular trauma (a blow to the testicles)
- enlarged prostate
- Prostatitis, epididymitis or urethritis
- Benign or malignant tumors of the prostate, bladder, testicles or seminal vesicles.
- Kidney stones or stones
- Polyps in the urethra
- Prostate biopsy
- vasectomy
