Red semen, also called hematospermia, is the result of blood in semen. The redness may range from a light pink to a dark red or brown. This condition often causes great alarm in the male and his partner, but hematospermia is typically a non-malignant symptom and the cause is usually unknown. Doctors speculate that the most common causes may be irritation or inflammation of testicular vessels or the urinary tract, trauma to the testicles, a sexually transmitted disease (STD), and rarely, prostate cancer.
Many doctors believe that red semen might be the result of irritation, inflammation or trauma. Usually, these discomforts are due to prolonged or rough intercourse, or the event of a prostate biopsy. In this case, a repeated case of hematospermia may only happen during these moments. A standard examination of the penis, rectal area and urine is done to verify this. The red semen will typically clear up with time and no further action is necessary.
Inflammations of the vas deferens, urethra, prostate, or seminal vesicles are occasionally due to a virus or infection. In this case, an STD may be the culprit and further action to deal with the STD must be taken. Another cause for irritation may be stones, in which case a doctor may offer different methods of relief. STDs and other inflammations are supposedly the number one cause of red semen in men under the age of 40.
Rarely, the red semen is a symptom of cancer, but prostate cancer is the most common type. This may be the case for men who have blood in their semen and are over the age of 40. To rule out any malignant causes, extensive tests are performed. These include a cystoscopy and an ultrasound of the testicular area. While a tumor or cancer is considered a common cause, it is rarely ever the case.
Usually, an incident of hematospermia happens without the male or his partner noticing, so how often a person had discolored sperm is not typically known. When an episode is noticed, doctors recommend that the man have a check-up, but even after an examination, the reason why it happened is usually unknown. In this case, it is said to be benign and has a chance of happening again. If a man over 40 finds red semen, he may have to go through a more intensive examination, but even then, the doctor may not find the cause.